Page 21 - RusRPTJan22

2.8 Polls & Sociology
Russia recorded its deadliest month in decades in October, with the total number of excess deaths since the start of the coronavirus pandemic surpassing 810,000. Russia’s Rosstat statistics agency said on December 3 it registered 247,000 deaths from all causes during October — 90,000, or 57%, more than during the same month of 2019. It is the fourth consecutive month in which official deaths have surpassed 200,000, as multiple waves of the coronavirus have swept across the country, hitting a largely unvaccinated population amid lax restrictions on mobility and socializing. The last time Russia saw more than 200,000 monthly deaths prior to the pandemic was January 2008.
A brand new poll focused on the 30th anniversary of the fall of the USSR has revealed that Russian people see former President Mikhail Gorbachev as the most hated figure from the Soviet era, ahead of leader Joseph Stalin. The study, conducted by the state-owned Russian Public Opinion Research Center (WCIOM), also discovered that cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, is the most beloved man of the Soviet era for modern Russian citizens. Of the 1,600 people surveyed, 20% named Gorbachev as the most hated person of the Soviet era, far ahead of anyone else. Gorbachev led the USSR from 1985 until its collapse in 1991 and is seen as one of the most important figures of 20th century history. However, while he enjoys a positive reputation outside of the country, he is viewed differently inside Russia. Many people blame him for the post-Soviet economic crisis that
21 RUSSIA Country Report January 2022 www.intellinews.com