(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many people in Russia think the national army should only work to defend the Russian territory, according to a poll by Bashkirova & Partners. 46.9 per cent of respondents agree with this view, while 30.4 per cent say the Russian army should also defend a country on the territory of other nations.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many people in Russia think the national army should only work to defend the Russian territory, according to a poll by Bashkirova & Partners. 46.9 per cent of respondents agree with this view, while 30.4 per cent say the Russian army should also defend a country on the territory of other nations.
Russian voters renewed the State Duma in December 2007. United Russia (YR)—whose candidate list was headed by then president Vladimir Putin—secured 64.1 per cent of the vote and 315 of the legislature’s 450 seats. On that same month, Putin endorsed Dmitry Medvedev as a presidential candidate, and Medvedev said it would be of the "utmost importance" to have Putin as prime minister.
In March, Medvedev easily won Russia’s presidential election with 70.28 per cent of the vote. In May, Medvedev was sworn in as president. His nomination of Putin as prime minister was confirmed by the State Duma in a 392-56 vote.
According to international regulations, South Ossetia and Abkhazia belong to Georgia—a former Soviet republic. In the early 1990s, both pro-Russian regions became de facto independent but failed to be fully recognized as sovereign nations. Separatist forces operate in both regions. Georgia is currently led by pro-Western politicians and is in talks to enter the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
On Aug. 7, the Georgian government sent troops into South Ossetia in a surprise attack to assert sovereignty over the region. The following day, Russian tanks entered South Ossetia and confronted the Georgian army. The Russian government claimed that it was acting in defence of Russian citizens living in the region. In recent years, Russia has handed Russian passports to the vast majority of South Ossetia residents. Russian troops occupied South Ossetia and other parts of Georgia, and some disturbances were reported in Abkhazia as well.
On Aug. 12, French president Nicolas Sarkozy—whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union (EU)—brokered a cease fire which included a commitment by Russia to withdraw its forces from Georgian territory. Russia has now pulled out most of its troops from central and Western Georgia. Russian soldiers are still present in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
On Aug. 25, Russian lawmakers unanimously passed a resolution asking Medvedev to recognize South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent nations. The following day, the Russian president signed a decree formally acknowledging the independence of both regions.
On Nov. 25, during a parliamentary hearing about the conflict in Georgia, former Georgian ambassador to Russia Erosi Kitsmarishvili said that Georgia ignited the fight, declaring, "Russia was ready for this war, but the Georgian leadership started the military action first."
Polling Data
Should the Russian army defend the country on the territory of other nations or should it defend Russia alone on its own territory?
|
The Russian army should defend a country only on its own territory |
46.9% |
|
The Russian army should defend a country on the territory of other nations |
30.4% |
|
Don’t know |
22.7% |
Source: Bashkirova & Partners
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 500 Russian adults, conducted in October 2008. Margin of error is 3.4 per cent.
