04 June 2018 :

the independent public opinion research center Levada reported that its latest poll had uncovered a major split in the Russian society over the death penalty controversy. According to the research 44 % of Russians want the death penalty returned. Of these, 32 % said that in their opinion death penalty should be used under the same rules that existed in the 1990s, before the moratorium. 12 % said that they wanted the use of death penalty expanded. At the same time, 41 % of respondents said that they were against death penalty – 25 % said that Russia must maintain the moratorium and 16 % think that the authorities should take one more step and abolish it from the legislation. 15 % of respondents said they did not have any opinion on the issue. Researchers also noted in their release that the public attitude towards death penalty had not changed greatly over the past years. In 2015 the share of those who supported it was 41 % and 44 % opposed this measure.

Levada Center’s deputy director Aleksey Grazhdankin said that the slightly growing opposition to the death penalty must be connected with the falling crime rate. “Before, our citizens have hoped that harsh punishment would help to fight crime, but in the 2000s the crime rate decreased and so did the public worriedness. This caused the public sympathy towards repressive measures to decrease,” he said.