Russians' support for Putin at highest level since start of war
Putin's rating has risen to its highest level since the start of the war (Getty Images)
Support for Vladimir Putin among Russians is growing. The level of trust and approval, is at its highest since the beginning of the war against Ukraine, according to a survey by the independent Levada Center.
According to responses to an open-ended question where respondents were asked to name politicians they trust the most, in November, Putin's trust level reached 47% (compared to 44% in October).
At the same time, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin enjoys the trust of 18% (compared to 17% in October). The trust level in Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has remained almost unchanged at 15% (compared to 16% in October), and Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu has the trust of 8% (compared to 7% in October).
Approval of Putin's actions is at its highest level since 2015 – 85% of respondents stated that they approve of his performance.
The Levada Center conducted the survey from November 23 to 29, 2023, among 1625 individuals. The research was carried out at respondents' homes through face-to-face interviews. The statistical margin of error (95% probability) does not exceed 3.4%.
Previously, Reuters reported that Vladimir Putin has decided to run in the March presidential elections, allowing him to remain in power until at least 2030.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitriy Peskov said that Putin will be re-elected for the next term with a result of over 90% of the votes.
According to polls by the independent Levada Center, support among Russians for the war against Ukraine has remained consistently high since February 2022, standing at over 70%.
