Russian attitudes about Putin might be shifting

WASHINGTON - Negative feelings about Russian President Vladimir Putin have appeared to increase across Russia since Ukrainian troops pushed into Russian territory two weeks ago, according to a firm that tracks attitudes in the country by analysing social media and other internet postings.

While news outlets in Russia have tried to put a more positive spin on the developments in the war, some Russian social media users have expressed discontent.

Many of the online postings, according to the analysis by FilterLabs AI, say Ukraine’s advance is a failure of the Russian government and, more specifically, President Putin.

It is difficult to gauge public opinion in Russia because people responding to polls often give answers they think the government wants. To address that shortcoming, FilterLabs tracks comments on social media sites, internet postings and news media sites, using a computer model to analyse sentiments expressed by ordinary Russians.

Positive attitudes about the Russian leader took a hit in 2023 after

a short-lived armed rebellion

led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of a Russian paramilitary force. But the shift in sentiment has appeared sharper in the days since

Ukrainian troops launched their incursion into the Kursk region

of western Russia.

“Putin’s response to the incursion was seen as inadequate at best and insulting at worst,” said Mr Jonathan Teubner, chief executive officer of FilterLabs.

Attitudes towards Mr Putin remain more positive in Moscow, where Russia keeps a firmer hand on the news media and public debate. But views of Mr Putin have soured even there, though not as quickly as elsewhere in the country. In Russia’s outlying regions, frustration with the Kremlin is growing, according to the analysis.

“It is right now difficult to determine the effect of the Ukrainian counteroffensive,” Mr Teubner said. “But it is clear that is shocking and, for Putin, embarrassing. Kremlin propaganda, spin and distraction can only do so much in the face of bad news that is widely discussed across Russia.”

Sentiment towards President Putin has fallen sharply in the regions of Russia where the Kremlin focuses its military recruiting efforts. The Kremlin’s recruiting strategy depends on its ability to manage perception of the war. NYTIMES