A new Quinnipiac University poll out Wednesday finds that 82% of Americans believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a war criminal based on his invasion of Ukraine, and 75% believe the worst of the war is yet to come.

''With thousands dead in Ukraine and the grim belief that the barbarity has just begun, Americans label Putin a killer who directed his troops to do the unthinkable, cut down non-combatants,'' Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy said in a press release Wednesday about the poll's findings.

The poll also found that 71% think Putin ordered troops to kill civilians in the war, while only 14% think he did not.

The poll of 1,412 U.S. adults nationwide was conducted April 7-11 with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points, according to the university.

The high percentage of Americans believing that Putin is committing war crimes in Ukraine and bears personal responsibility for the deaths of thousands of civilians may also align with another of the poll's finding: Sixty-eight percent of Americans believe the United States has a ''moral responsibility'' to do more to stop the killing there, compared with 24% who say we do not.

A comparable majority, 74%, believe the U.S. has a moral obligation and should do more to aid the refugees fleeing Ukraine, while 21% do not believe it does, according to the poll.

Fifty-two percent said that the United States should do more to help Ukraine fend off the Russians but do not want our military directly involved, compared with 19% who think helping Ukraine might cause a direct war with Russia. Another 22% believe the actions we have taken are sufficient.

''The heartbreaking images from 4,000 miles away leave Americans with a longing to do more, for those fleeing the Russian onslaught, and for those staying to fight,'' Malloy said. ''But the moral outrage stops at the water's edge when it comes to committing the U.S. military to the fight.''

Of the 49% who said that sanctions are effective as a tool to stop the conflict and help Ukraine, just 9% say they are ''very effective,'' and 40% say they are only ''somewhat effective.''

A quarter of those surveyed said the sanctions are not effective, with 23% saying not effective at all.

Just 34% of those surveyed said they believe Putin and Russia will be held to account for their actions, while 64% say they are not so confident (33%), or not at all confident (31%).

According to the university, ''the Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Doug Schwartz, Ph.D. since 1994, conducts independent, non-partisan national and state polls on politics and issues. Surveys adhere to industry best practices and are based on random samples of adults using random digit dialing with live interviewers calling landlines and cell phones.''

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