Russians Assume That the Authorities Want Khodorkovsky to “Rot” At the Uranium Mines

The Yuri Levada Analytical Center’s monthly sociological poll“The Attitude of Russians Towards the Yukos Case,” shows that most Russians do not believe in officially declared reasons for sending Mikhail Khodorkovsky to a penal colony in Chita region.

Twenty-seven percent of those polled believe Khodorkovsky was sent to Krasnokamensk to impede his ability to participate in public activity, 15.1 percent believe Khodorkovsky he was sent there to intimidate him, 9 percent think that the move was intended to hamper his communication with his lawyers, and 6.3 percent of the respondents believe that the authorities want Khodorkovsky to “rot” near the uranium mines surrounding his Siberian prison.

Most respondents are sure that Khodorkovsky and his lawyers will not manage to achieve legal fairness in choosing the place of incarceration. 38.1 percent of the respondents think that Mikhail Khodorkovsky and other Yukos executives are victims of the selective application of unlawful measures, while only 24.1 percent of those polled believe that Khodorkovsky is treated equally as other prisoners.

More than 20 percent of Russians admit to sympathizing with Khodorkovsky. It is worthy to note that the share of Khodorkovsky sympathizers is much higher (44 percent) among those who closely follow closely the developments surrounding the Yukos affair. The share of respondents who show interest in the proceedings still remains quite high, with 47 percent of Russians following “more or less closely” the Yukos case and the situation around Khodorkovsky.

The poll was conducted by Yuri Levada’s Analytical Center from January 20-24, 2006 in 46 regions and 128 settlements of Russia. A total of 1600 people, all 18 years and over, were questioned. The poll was conducted on an all-Russian representative sample taking into account the main socio-professional and socio-demographic characteristics of the adult population of Russia.