Russians pay no attention to Khodorkovsky case, state polling agency says

Russians are paying no attention to the Mikhail Khodorkovsky case and are indifferent to the former tycoon's release from prison, the state-controlled FOM polling agency is quoted as saying by RIA Novosti.

According to FOM, 30 percent of Russians don't even know Khodorkovsky's name, while 40 percent of those who know him are indifferent to the president's decision to pardon the businessman. Only 13 percent welcome the move and 11 condemn it, the polling agency says. 

The figures published by the independent Levada polling centre are quite different. According to Levada, 63 percent of Russians are informed about Khodorkovsky's release and 47 percent of them support Putin's decision, while only 14 condemn it. 

Mikhail Khodorkovsky, arrested in 2003, was released from prison in late December due to his mother's poor health. The decision to pardon the former tycoon by President Vladimir Putin on the grounds of Khodorkovsky's written request was welcomed by the international community, the Russian opposition and human rights advocates.