Agency WPS
What the Papers Say. Part A (Russia)
October 11, 2004, Monday

WHO IS TO BLAME? WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?
SOURCE: Novoye Vremya, No. 33, October 3, 2004, p. 16

by: Nikolai Popov

The Beslan tragedy continues to stir up public opinion. People
wish to know who was behind this terrorist attack, who ordered and
organized it, and where the next blow might be expected. According
to the latest polls, most respondents are inclined to agree with
the official version of the story: that behind the latest terrorist
attacks, including the slaughter in Beslan and explosions aboard two
airplanes, are “international terrorists, Al Qaeda and so on” – 43%
of respondents agree. Along with this, a significant number of people
(32%) hold a more traditional point of view: this is the matter of
“Chechen separatists.” A further 18% say that whether they are local or
international, they are “Muslim fanatics and Wahhabi fundamentalists.”

According to the poll, 20% of respondents have more politicized
opinion: 13% of respondents that there are “oligarchs” standing
behind the latest terrorist attacks and 7% say that these are Western
countries. Although it may seem strange, people in the Southern
federal district are inclined to blame international terrorism than
the neighbors-separatists from Chechnya for the terrorist attacks
more than anywhere in the country (50%). Rural residents are more
inclined than others to see a “Chechen link.”

While the supreme authorities are thinking whom they need to punish
and whom to award for Beslan, the public has formed its own notion
about “who bears the biggest responsibility for allowing the terrorist
attack to happen in Beslan.” The major part (32%) of respondents says
that the biggest responsibility lies with “the security agencies
of North Ossetia.” President Putin unexpectedly took second place
(15%). The next culprits are Federal Security Service (FSB) Director
Nikolai Patrushev (15%), Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliev (9%) and
President Dzasokhov of North Ossetia (9%). According to the poll,
5% of respondents laid the blame for the terrorist attack in Beslan
on newly-elected President of Chechnya Alu Alkhanov.

The larger a city, the more residents are inclined to blame President
Putin for letting the terrorist attack happen. In cities with a
population over 1 million people, 21% of respondents blame Putin,
and 25% blame the security agencies of North Ossetia. People with a
higher education (18%) and high income (20%) are also more inclined
to blame the president.

In Russia respondents estimate the danger of terrorism much higher
than in the neighboring countries. Back in August, before the latest
series of terrorist attacks, 36% of respondents said that “danger of
terrorism is very high for our country” and 49% believed that this
danger “is fairly high.” The number of respondents with such opinion
in Kazakhstan amounted to 11% and 36%, in Lithuania to 3% and 21%
and in Armenia to 4% and 14% respectively.

Apprehensions have grown since then. Now 41% of respondents “are
very much afraid” that they or members of their families “may
become victims of terrorist attacks” and 40% are afraid of this
“to some extent.” This means that the overwhelming majority of the
population is afraid. Only 13% of respondents “are not very afraid”
of terrorist attacks and only 5% “are not afraid at all.” The lowest
level of fear is registered in Siberia and in the Russian Far East. The
highest level of fear of terrorist attacks is registered in cities of
over a million people. There, 50% of respondents “are very afraid”
of becoming victims of terrorists. The level of fear among women is
50%, in comparison to 31% among men. Young people are less afraid of
terrorism than elderly people; wealthy people and people with higher
education are afraid more often than poor and less educated people.

Unlike the international community, Russian citizens are inclined to
favor radical and harsh methods of combating terrorism, for example,
towards restoration of death penalty for terrorists: 72% of respondents
“fully support” the “introduction of the death penalty for terrorists
and their accomplices” and 18% “mostly support” this measure. Only
9% of respondents do not support introducing the death penalty
for terrorists. The number of supporters of the death penalty for
terrorists is highest in the Southern federal district and lowest
in Siberia.

Unexpectedly, we turned out to be among the most “advanced” countries
of the world according to the level of terrorism. This is a poor
achievement.

Along with this, it is impossible to say that the terrible
events changed the views of the people on order in the society and
reliability of the political system. Despite that a noticeable number
of respondents (15%) put the blame on the president for letting the
terrorist attack happen in Beslan, in general approval of Putin’s
activities on the post of the president and confidence in him did not
change significantly. There are still 73% of respondents who trust
Putin, as shown by a poll done between September 17 and 19. Along with
this, 21% of respondents “fully trust” him and 52% “rather trust than
distrust” – while only 6% of respondents “do not trust him at all.”

Translated by Pavel Pushkin