Russians have started to encounter stalkers more often.

      Almost every fourth resident of the country (24%) has faced obsessive stalking in real life or online. Over the year, this figure has increased by 5 percentage points, and an absolute majority of citizens (84%) demand the introduction of administrative responsibility for such a form of harassment. Sociologists from the company "Russian Field," commissioned by State Duma deputy Ksenia Goryacheva, found that the victims of stalking are most often women (25%), young people under 29, middle-aged individuals (45-59 years), and residents of megacities. Among men, 19% of respondents reported being harassed by stalkers. The survey also showed strong public support for the idea of legislative punishment for stalking. More than half of the respondents (51%) insist on the introduction of sanctions unconditionally. Women and young people are particularly active on this issue (with 89% supporters in each group), as well as those who have themselves suffered from the actions of stalkers (88%). Only 10% of survey participants hold an opposing view. One in five of the dissenters (21%) fears that the law will lead to abuse and false accusations. Another 10% believe the proposed measures are excessively harsh. Deputy Goryacheva, commenting on the study's results, noted that the bill to combat stalking has already been rejected by the State Duma three times for formal reasons. However, the parliamentarian intends to submit it for the fourth time — an updated version of the document that introduces administrative responsibility for stalking and expands the mechanisms for protecting victims, writes "Gazeta.ru." Goryacheva stated that when every fifth Russian says they have faced obsessive stalking, it cannot be called a rare or private story. At the same time, today victims remain unprotected. If a person is stalking, lurking outside a home, bombarding with messages, calls, and threats, there is no separate responsibility for this. Currently, the law effectively requires the victim to wait until the situation becomes even more dangerous. Society sees this problem and demands a solution.