Putin must withdraw invitation for Latvian president to visit Moscow on Victory Day

The results of the online poll conducted on the Russian Internet became quite surprising 

The majority of Internet users, who took part in the online poll on the Russian Internet, expressed such an opinion. Leading publications of the Russian Internet organized and conducted the poll, which was devoted to the negative attitude of the three Baltic states (Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia) to Russia's Victory over Nazism.

The poll was organized by such companies as Komsomolskaya Pravda, Pravda.Ru, Utro.Ru, Regnum, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Anecdotes.Ru, Caricatures.Ru and Yoki.Ru. The Liveinternet.Ru holding provided the technological support for the poll.

47,210 people took part in the online poll. About 81.4 percent of people joined the point of view, which says that the people, who justify Nazis, are not supposed to celebrate Russia's Victory in WWII on May 9th. However, this is not the most impressive result. Ten percent of respondents equated Soviet soldiers with fascists. 8.6 percent said that the issue was not important for them: they consider it a matter of distant past.

The opinion of young people from 18 to 21 years of age in Ukraine and Lithuania produced the biggest surprise in the poll. The election of Viktor Yushchenko and the subsequent cancellation of the Victory Parade pushed 26.2 percent of Ukrainian respondents to saying that Soviet soldiers and fascists were actually one and the same matter to talk about. The number of Lithuanian people of the same age group, who expressed a similar opinion, was a little bit lower. About 10.5 percent of young respondents on the whole agreed upon such an assertion.

20.5 percent of respondents under 18 years old in Russia's Far East (Vladivostok) also equated fascists with Soviet warriors. The results of the voting about Latvia were rather curious too (the poll was actually devoted to Nazi statements that the Latvian president released). 1,928 people took part in the voting: 65.4 percent of respondents said that Latvian President Vaira Vike Freiberga should not come to Moscow for the Victory Day. 20.7 percent equated Soviet warriors with fascists, whereas 13.9 percent believe that the issue is outdated. It is noteworthy that the poll, which was conducted among constant residents of Latvia by the sociological firm Latvijas Fakti from February 14th to 23rd, showed that 65.8 percent of respondents said that they supported Vaira's decision to visit Moscow. The voting audience of the Latvian firm and the Russian websites is obviously different. Such an opinion was rare in the poll of the Russian internet.

Russian Internet users made up the majority of respondents – 65.8 percent. They believe that Vladimir Putin should cancel the invitation for the Latvian president to visit Moscow for the celebration of the 60th anniversary marking Victory over Nazism. Vaira Vike Freiberga can stay in Latvia and take part in neo-Nazi demonstrations, which the country has become renowned for across Europe. Organizers of the poll hope that President Putin will listen to the opinion of over 30,000 Russian citizens.

On the photo: Latvian president Vaira Vike Freiberga