Boy were Kagarlitsky's predictions that the Nord-Ost event would cause a decline in Putin's popularity off the mark.
Just six random people in Moscow:
Did your attitude towards President Putin change after the hostage-taking drama in Moscow?
Yelena Busovikova
ANDREI IVANOV, REAL ESTATE SPECIALIST
I haven't changed my attitude towards President Vladimir Putin. I still trust him as I did before the terrorist attack. I am very positive about the course of his politics. At the same time, I don't really care about the people who stand behind him. I just trust him, and that's all.
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DMITRY KLYUCHAREV, STUDENT
My opinion of the Russian president hasn't really changed. I still think he is a good president and I believe he has the ability to help Russia. I haven't found out anything new about him since the siege. He did what I expected him to do. He was absolutely right. If he had made a different decision he would have lost his authority in people's eyes. In general, though, I don't really trust our politicians and authorities.
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PYOTR SIDOROV, STUDENT
I think we have a pretty normal president now. He represents the country well on the international arena and seems to care about what's going on here. I like him, and my attitude didn't change towards him after the incident at Nord-Ost. Putin made the right decision, and authorities did everything they could to save the hostages.
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VALENTINA PAVLENKO, ACCOUNTANT
I feel very positively about our president, even after the tragic events. Principally, there was nothing better to do in that situation. So, I am pretty consistent in my attitude towards him. But I do think something must be decided about our strategy in Chechnya. The problem hasn't gone away.
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YULIA KOSILOVA, JOURNALIST
Of course, I trust our president a lot and my attitude hasn't changed. I thought and still think he is a good, trustworthy person. I believe he did everything that was in his power to do, and what he did was right. There was no other way out of the situation, even though there were victims.
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ANDREI MURAVYOV, ROAD TRANSPORT MANAGER
I trust our president as much as I did before. I can't say that my attitude toward him changed after the recent events in Moscow. He is a good person. Frankly, I trust the president somehow, though I have never trusted Russian authorities. I don't even know why I trust the president; I just like his personality, nothing more.
[11 Nov 2002]
Article URL: http://www.therussiajournal.com/index.htm?cat=9&type=3&obj=28955
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