The opinion of the Northern Caucasus Federal District residents on the foreign states' possible financial and political influence on the political and social situation in the region

Abstract

In the North Caucasian society there is an understanding that the governments of foreign states can set as their goal the destabilization of the political situation in Russia, as well as the weakening of its influence in the international affairs. Informal organizations and religious groups in the North Caucasus can be chosen as a tool to achieve this. According to a study conducted in 2020, these actions will lead to the disintegration of our state, the seizure of its resources and territory. The vast majority of respondents from the republics of the North Caucasus Federal District (NCFD) do not believe that the foreign governments that finance informal organizations and groups in their region want to help establishing democratic values there. There is more unanimity among the opponents of this assertion than among the supporters. The respondents expressed their strong disagreement with this statement in the predominance of resolute answers “disagree” over evasive “rather disagree”. On the contrary, their firm agreement with the statement about the negative consequences of the financial interference of foreign states in the activities of informal groups was expressed in the predominance of the answers “I agree” over “rather, I agree”.