In the Kremlin

Putin rating at peak

May 29, 2014 Nikolai Svanidze

According to the last sociological survey of the Levada Center, Putin’s activity as president approves of 83% of Russian citizens. This is the maximum number of respondents since May 2008. Since January, Putin's approval rating has grown by 18%. At the same time, over the same four months, the share of those who negatively spoke about the work of the president decreased from 34 to 16%. The actions of the Government of Russia and its heads Dmitry Medvedev, as of May 2014, approved 60 and 65% of respondents, respectively. If we consider the state of affairs in the country as a whole, then tended to believe that Russia is moving in the right direction of 60%. The same was in March, in April there was a small decline of up to 58%.

Putin's high rating is already the trend of the last weeks. It is difficult to say - 83 or 75%, but the fact that it is basically high is quite obvious. This is felt by the mood of people on the street, according to the mood of our friends, I have one, someone-others, but the fact is that his support after the story with the Crimea has grown significantly. Maybe the numbers are slightly stretched, but in principle they correspond to reality and say that the people are in euphoria regarding the return of Crimea. People have bounced according to great power, bite in theory, they want to live in the empire, television propaganda, no matter how we treat it, works very efficiently and efficiently, which makes a strong impression on the audience that wants to make it pleasant. And since we are talking all the time about how great we are, as we are considered to be with us, sometimes hate, but still count, then everyone really likes it, and people are very grateful for Putin. This is undoubtedly a temporary phenomenon, but it can continue for a long time.

In theory, this situation requires “recharge” with new triumphs, but now, as we see, Crimea is enough. People rejoice in these new formations in Donetsk and Lugansk. Apparently, Putin has now abandoned decisive actions, since Donetsk and Lugansk are not Crimea, by a number of parameters, so there will be no continuation of the banquet right now. Let's see what will happen next, let's see what will happen to the Transnistria. In theory, strategically “nourishment” is needed, euphoria will fall and will take its daily reality. And it is better to become the situation, especially since the same Crimea requires a lot of money, and Abkhazia, which is now worried, requires money, and Ossetia ... And this is, in addition to Russia itself, requiring money, which is very small. So after some time the popularity curve will begin to go down, and what Putin will do then is difficult to say.

Of course, people do not just want to live in an empire, they want to live well in it, no one intends to delay their belts. But the propaganda apparatus works very much, and it will continue to work like that. Naturally, all the bad will be written off on abroad, that the Americans are harmful, the West harms, and we say, we have our own values. All these moves are quite obvious here, quite effective and will work to some extent. But if a sharp decrease in living standards begins, then nothing will help.

In the photo: China. Shanghai. May 20. Russian President Vladimir Putin (in the center) during an official dinner on behalf of the Chairman of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping in honor of the heads of delegations of the participating countries on the interaction and confidence measures in Asia (SVMDA) in the Congress Center in Shanghai.

Photo by ITAR-TASS/ Alexey Druzhinin