“The survey confirmed that the position of the inhabitants of the southern islands of the Kuril ridge is unambiguous. The question of the ownership of islands for local residents is not worth it: the Kuril Islands are the territory of Russia. This is the opinion of 96% of the respondents, ”said Konstantin Abramov, general director of the VTsIOM Foundation, at a meeting of the Sakhalin Oblast Duma on Tuesday.
98% of respondents are aware of the territorial claims of Japan.
The survey was conducted from February 11 to February 17 on the islands of Kunashir, Shikotan and Iturup in three formats: apartment survey, at enterprises and in crowded places (cinemas, shops). The study involved almost 7.7 thousand people aged 18 years, which is approximately 70% of the number of adult residents of the islands.
VTsIOM specialists visited most of the settlements, including small villages with a total of up to 50 people (for example, the Burevestnik settlement on Iturup and the village of Mendeleevo in Kunashir). Thus, the results of the survey can be considered on the representativeness of a kind of referendum. The results of the survey were discussed at an extraordinary meeting of the Sakhalin Regional Duma.
In a statement unanimously adopted by deputies, it is stated:
“The Sakhalin Regional Duma, on the basis of the provisions of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, has for many years declared that the Kuril Islands are an integral part of the Russian Federation and its subject - the Sakhalin region. Considering the wide public response caused by this topic, the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center conducted a survey of the Kuril Islands residents on the subject of their personal relationship to the territorial identity of the islands. 7695 people took part in the survey, which is more than two thirds of the adult citizens living in the Kuril Islands: Fr. Iturup, oh. Kunashir, oh. Shikotan. The survey was open and public with the participation of the media.
After summarizing the results of the survey, the opinion of the inhabitants of Kuril was established: 96% of the respondents were unequivocally in favor of ensuring that all the islands of the Kuril ridge were under the jurisdiction of Russia. The Sakhalin Regional Duma states: any territorial changes concerning the Kuril Islands are unacceptable, all speculation on this subject is unfounded. The Kuril Islands are ours and will remain ours forever! ”
After discussing the issue, the deputies of the Sakhalin Oblast Duma unanimously adopted a statement of their position on preserving the integrity of the country, which was sent to all local and federal media, as well as to international structures.
