President Vladimir Putin’s approval rating in Russia has soared since he launched his invasion of Ukraine—to 83% from 71%—according to an independent Russian pollster. Experts have cautioned against taking current Russian polls on face value.
Russian President Vladimir Putin at an event marking the eighth anniversary of the seizure of Crimea earlier this month.President Vladimir Putin’s approval rating in Russia has soared since he launched his invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24—to 83% from 71% last month—according to independent Russian pollster Levada Center.
Surveys by Levada Center and state-backed pollsters indicate that around two-thirds of Russians back Mr. Putin’s war, which the Kremlin refers to as a special military operation. Experts have cautioned against taking current Russian polls on face value, given that Russian authorities have pursued, including a media blackout of any reports contrary to the Kremlin’s narrative about Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
Mr. Putin’s approval rating had for the past few years hovered in the 60s, according to Levada, which has tracked the longtime Russian leader’s rating since he became prime minister in 1999. His approval rating last jumped so sharply after Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine and fomented a rebellion in the country’s industrial east in 2014. At the time, Mr. Putin's approval rating rose to 83% from 69%.
Levada, which was designated a foreign agent by Russian authorities, also found that the percentage of Russians who believe the country is moving in the right direction increased since the war began: 69% of Russians now believe Russia is headed in the right direction, compared with 52% in February and 50% in January, the poll showed.