MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd April, 2019) As many as 51 percent of Russian citizens think that the country should assist France in rebuilding the Notre Dame cathedral after it was partially destroyed by a devastating fire last week, Russian pollster VTsIOM has said in a fresh survey.
The major fire broke out at Notre Dame on April 15, causing the collapse of the cathedral's spire and the destruction of its roof structure. On April 16, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram to his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, to express sympathy over the fire and offer assistance in rebuilding the landmark cathedral.
At the same time, the survey showed that 44 percent of Russians did not think that Russia should help France in Notre Dame reconstruction. As many as 5 percent of respondents were unable to say for sure.
The poll revealed that the idea of helping France in Notre Dame rebuilding was more often expressed by people aged 60 years (63 percent). Less often such answers were given by respondents aged 25-45 (41 percent).
Moreover, 56 percent of Russians think that the fire at the Notre Dame cathedral broke out due to an accident, while 26 percent of respondents said that it was an arson.
The VTsIOM-Sputnik nationwide survey was carried out on April 20. As many as 1,600 adults participated in the survey.
