August 14, 2003

Abstract: (CPOD) Aug. 14, 2003 - Russian citizens are not accustomed to the incidence of terrorist acts in their country, according to a poll by the Public Opinion Foundation. 76 per cent of respondents say it is impossible to get used to offensive attacks.

(CPOD) Aug. 14, 2003 - Russian citizens are not accustomed to the incidence of terrorist acts in their country, according to a poll by the Public Opinion Foundation. 76 per cent of respondents say it is impossible to get used to offensive attacks.

Rebels in Chechnya have been blamed for most of the incidents. The latest assailment took place on Aug. 1, as a suicide bomb at a military hospital in Mozdok killed 50 people, and injured 80 more.

Another high-profile incursion occurred in October 2002, as secessionists took control of a packed Moscow theater, demanding the withdrawal of Russian troops from Chechnya. The four-day standoff ended when law enforcement officers used Fentanyl gas to subdue the rebels, killing more than 100 hostages in the process.

Polling Data

Is the occurrence of terrorist attacks in Russia becoming something you are now used to?

Yes	19%
No	76%

Source: Public Opinion Foundation
Methodology: Face-to-face interviews to 1,500 Russian urban and rural residents, conducted on Aug. 9, 2003. Margin of error is 3.8 per cent.