Russians’ trust in Putin hits wartime low as fatigue grows
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The share of people saying they trust Russian leader Vladimir Putin slipped to 75 per cent from 76.7 per cent, according to the latest data from the state-run pollster VTsIOM.
PHOTO: REUTERS
MOSCOW – Trust in Russian President Vladimir Putin fell to its lowest level since before the start of the invasion of Ukraine, as a slowing economy and deepening war fatigue weigh on public sentiment.
The share of people saying they trust the Russian leader slipped to 75 per cent from 76.7 per cent, according to the latest data from the state-run pollster VTsIOM.
Approval of Mr Putin’s job performance stood at 70.1 per cent, still strong compared with other world leaders, but down 1.9 points from the previous week.
That’s the weakest levels for both indicators since Feb 20, 2022, days before the invasion began.
The poll also showed 20.1 per cent of respondents explicitly distrusted Mr Putin, while 18.3 per cent said they don’t approve of his performance – the highest negative figures since the start of the conflict.
The findings, released following surveys conducted between March 19 and March 22, point to a shift in public sentiment as the war enters its fifth year and economic pressures intensify.
A separate survey conducted by the independent Levada Centre published on March 3 showed that 67 per cent of those polled say the country should move toward peace negotiations.
“Public fatigue is the reason for the ratings stagnation,” said Mr Andrei Kolesnikov, a Moscow-based political analyst.
“At the practical level, everyone is simply surviving,” he said, adding that widespread internet outages have added to the discontent.
Seeking to narrow a widening budget deficit amid continued spending on the full-scale invasion, the Kremlin raised the value-added tax from the start of the year.
That’s added to strains on households and businesses from high borrowing costs imposed to curtail inflation that have slowed the economy.
Meanwhile, US-brokered talks to end the war have stalled, and battle lines remain largely frozen.
Wide swathes of the frontline have been transformed into areas dominated by drone warfare, making it very difficult for conventional troops to stage offensives to gain more land. BLOOMBERG
