Stand: 31.08.2024, 15:03
Von: Victoria Krumbeck
PressSplit
A survey among the Russian population shows dwindling trust in Putin. Ukraine’s Kursk offensive also seems to be playing its part.
Moscow – A war in Ukraine that has been going on for more than two years. Tired soldiers and an attack on their own territory. Things are not calm in Russia at the moment. Especially not since the attack by the Ukrainian armed forces on the Kursk region near the Ukrainian border. How much does the Russian population actually still trust their President Vladimir Putin?
After Ukraine’s Kursk offensive: trust in Putin is declining
This question was investigated by the independent Russian research institute Levada Center based in Moscow, as the Russian news site Agency reported. The 1,619 Russian adults who participated were asked to name politicians and public figures they trust the most. 45 percent of respondents said they trusted Putin – three percentage points less than in July. This means that Putin’s approval ratings have reached a low point for this year.
The survey, published on Thursday (29 August), was conducted between 22 and 28 August, more than two weeks after the start of the Ukrainian Kursk offensive. According to Denis Volkov, director of the sociological service Agency explained that this decline was due to the invasion of Ukrainian troops into Kursk and the general decline in the indicator after the presidential election.
Is Russia on the right track? The population has a clear opinion
Putin’s current approval ratings are the lowest since October 2023, when he recovered from even worse September ratings. According to Agency These had fallen sharply after the plane crash of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. In addition, the Levada Center recorded changes within the Russian population.
The proportion of people who believe that Russia is on the wrong path rose by three percentage points to 20 percent. At the same time, the proportion of people who believe that Russia is on the right path fell by five percentage points to 67 percent.
Poll ratings for Putin fall: Russian president “extremely calculating”
Putin is handling the situation in Kursk very cautiously. “Putin is a very risk-averse person. He is extremely calculating and often prefers not to make urgent, hasty political decisions that would have a concrete impact on the health of his regime,” Kateryna Stepanenko, deputy head of the Russia team and analyst at the Institute for the Study of War think tank, told The Hill.
“One would think that a country that is affected by an attack on some of its territories – and this has been going on for over 20 days now – would take this as an opportunity to declare martial law, mobilize and declare war on Ukraine. But Russia has not done that,” she said. Mobilization would destabilize society, Stepanenko continued.
A factor that would also further influence Putin’s approval ratings. A lack of support would have negative consequences for Putin and his military. It would then become more difficult to recruit soldiers for the war in Ukraine. (vk)
