#5 - JRL 7254
Poll shows remorse as Russians mark anniversary of last tsar's execution
Interfax

Moscow, 17 July: Many Russians feel sorry about the murder of Russia's last emperor Nikolay II and his family, says a poll conducted by ROMIR Monitoring.

Forty-two per cent of respondents called this event "a bloody, evil deed by the Bolshevik regime", ROMIR sociologists told Interfax.

One out of five respondents (21 per cent) believes that, in the situation, the Soviet regime had no choice, and another 21 per cent believe it happened because of the chaos and lack of coordination that plagued Russia at the time.

Three per cent of respondents believe there were religious motives for the murder of the royal family, six per cent named other motives for the crime, and seven per cent were undecided.

On 17 July, Russia marks the 85th anniversary of the execution of Nikolay II and his family. ROMIR Monitoring conducted an opinion poll devoted to this date, in which 1,500 respondents were surveyed.