(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Most people in Russia think the Georgian separatist region of South Ossetia should either become fully independent or be annexed to Russia, according to a poll by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center. 41 per cent of respondents think South Ossetia should be granted independence from Georgia, while 39 per cent think it should be welcomed into the Russian Federation.

Additionally, 72 per cent of respondents think Russian troops should not comply with a cease-fire deal and remain stationed in South Ossetia.

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.

On Aug. 21, Russia announced it was pulling out a large number of its soldiers from Georgia, but said it would leave 500 soldiers in South Ossetia and what it called a buffer zone or a "zone of responsibility" inside Georgia’s territory. Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili reacted to the news, saying, "There will be no buffer zones. We will never live with any buffer zones. We’ll never allow anything like this."

Polling Data

In your view, which is the best solution for the situation in South Ossetia?

Russia is supposed to withdraw its soldiers from South Ossetia. What do you think Russia should do?

Source: All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center
Methodology: Interviews with 1594 Russian adults, conducted from Aug. 10 to Aug. 13, 2008. Margin of error is 3.4 per cent.

Archive Search

Over 19,600 Polls
Search the Angus Reid Global Monitor Polls & Research archive.