MOSCOW. Nov 7 (Interfax) - Russian society is gripped with feelings of nationalism and aggression, which may lead to a split in the country, Expertiza's Director Mark Urnov said.

"We are at the most dangerous stage now, Russian aggressive nationalism is on the rise," Urnov told Interfax on Monday.

According to him, Russian society is filled with "overly aggressive nationalist ideas that are very popular. Some 40% of the population is infected with radical nationalism, and 70% harbor negative attitudes toward Caucasians." "War is spreading all over the Caucasus, new republics are getting involved, Muslim and anti-Russian nationalism is gaining ground there, and if Islamic enclaves on Russian territory such as Tatarstan or Bashkortostan get drawn in, things will get even worse," Urnov said.

"On the one hand, the basis for fascism has consolidated, but on the other hand, due to the high tolerance of Russians and the effective actions taken by special services, there is less fascism than in many European countries," director of the Institute for Political Studies Sergei Markov said.

Markov urged people to appraise the danger of fascism objectively. "We should say clearly that the threat of fascism in Russia should not be overestimated, although it should not be underestimated either," Markov told Interfax on Monday, commenting on the demonstration by right-wing radicals in Moscow on November 4.