The new (March) quarterly survey by the Western-funded Independent Institute for Socio-Economic and Political Studies (IISEPS)—a polling firm widely considered by Western experts to be the most reputable such organization operating inside Belarus—confirmed a fundamental cultural proximity between Belarus and Russia. According to the results, three-quarters of respondents name Russians as the ethnic group closest to Belarusians, and most identify with Russia’s official positions on international conflicts (see EDM, April 8). Twenty-six percent of Belarusians, the second-largest group of respondents, see Russia as a helpful hand in overcoming their own country’s economic crisis—which 90 percent of survey participants believe Belarus …read more
Source: The Jamestown Foundation