MOSCOW – Trust in Russian President Vladimir Putin has dropped to its lowest level since before the 2022 Ukraine invasion, driven by economic slowdown and deepening public exhaustion from the protracted conflict, according to fresh state polling data.
The state-run VTsIOM pollster reported trust in Putin slipping to 75 percent from 76.7 percent, while approval of his performance fell to 70.1 percent – a 1.9-point decline from the prior week. These mark the weakest figures for both metrics since February 20, 2022, just days before Moscow launched its full-scale assault.
Distrust in Putin climbed to 20.1 percent, and disapproval of his work hit 18.3 percent – the highest negatives since the war began. Surveys from March 19-22 captured this shift as the conflict grinds into its fifth year, with households squeezed by a new year-round value-added tax hike aimed at closing a ballooning budget deficit fueled by invasion costs.
High borrowing rates to tame inflation have further crimped growth, while widespread internet outages and survival struggles amplify discontent, noted Moscow analyst Andrei Kolesnikov. “Public fatigue is the reason for the ratings stagnation,” he said. “At the practical level, everyone is simply surviving.”
An independent Levada Centre survey from March 3 echoed the mood, with 67 percent favoring peace talks. Stalled U.S.-brokered negotiations leave battle lines frozen, now dominated by relentless drone warfare that hampers major ground advances.