MOSCOW, April 23 (RIA Novosti) – Fully half of Russians believe that the country's isolation from the West is highly unlikely, while only four percent of recipients say it will definitely happen, according to a poll released Wednesday.
“One in two Russians (50 percent) believe that isolation of Russian for the West is highly unlikely, while 13 percent are sure that it is practically impossible,” the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center said.
“Meanwhile about one third of recipients (28 percent) tend to think that such a scenario is quite probable, and four percent of those surveyed claim it will definitely happen,” the center said.
According to the poll, 47 percent of recipients say that even if Russia is isolated from the Western world, it would not have an effect on the country. The belief was mainly held by younger people (48 percent of Russian citizens aged 18-24), residents of Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as citizens of remote towns aged 45-59 (47 percent).
Last month, Western countries introduced targeted sanctions against several Russian officials, freezing their assets and imposing visa bans, over Moscow’s policies toward Ukraine. The West has refused to recognize the legitimacy of Crimea’s reunification with Russia, following a referendum on March 16.
In a non-binding resolution adopted last Thursday, the European Parliament called on EU authorities to immediately impose sanctions on Russian energy providers. The US has also threatened Moscow with tougher sanctions against key sectors of the Russian economy.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly said that the language of sanctions was both inappropriate and counterproductive.
The study surveyed 1,600 people in 130 towns of Russia. The margin of error was 3.4 percent.
