"As many a 61% of Muscovites and 69% of Russians in general agree with the authorities’ tough actions during the unauthorized rally," the Russian Public Opinion Research Center said.

MOSCOW, August 2. /TASS/. About 70% of Russian citizens interviewed by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center have said that the authorities should quell unauthorized street protests, the pollster reported on its website on Friday.

The polar-opposite view was expressed by 26% of Muscovites and 23% of Russians nationwide. In general, 83% of the respondents in the Russian capital and 59% of people in other regions said they were aware of the July 27 rally in Moscow.

Sociologists also found out the views of Muscovites on the registration denials to the Moscow City Duma election imposed against those candidates who committed violations during their nomination. "Every second respondent in Moscow (54%) agreed with the Moscow City Election Commission’s decision to deny registration to those candidates. As many as 29% of those polled expressed a dissenting opinion," the pollster noted.

The survey was conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center on July 29, with 1,600 people aged 18 and above interviewed over the phone. The margin of error does not exceed 2.5% with a probability of 95%.