POLL HIGHLIGHTS HOSTILITY TOWARD CHECHENS

The average Russian may be weary of the Chechen war, but that does not mean that he likes Chechens. On the contrary, a recent poll suggests that Russians now have overwhelmingly negative attitudes toward Chechens. As reported on October 24 by the website Stringer-agency.ru, the poll by the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion found that 67.2 percent of Russians “are convinced that Chechens understand only the ‘language of force’ and that attempts to talk with them ‘as equals’ are only taken as signs of weakness.” Some 68 percent believe “that the next generation of Chechens will be even more hostile to Russians than the present one.”

The Chechens continue to be the most disliked ethnic minority among Russians, with the Azerbaijanis in second place.