Ksenia Kirillova
Against the backdrop of Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk oblast, even sociological agencies loyal to the Kremlin have recorded a record drop in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rating since the war began. A recent survey conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center showed that Putin’s approval rating for the week of August 12–18 dropped by 3.5 percent to 73.6 percent. The level of trust in the Kremlin leader fell by 2.6 percent to 78.2 percent (Wciom.ru, August 23). The Public Opinion Foundation also recorded a drop in Putin’s ratings (Meduza, August 23). Data from independent sociologists paint a bleaker picture. According to the Levada Center, in August, only 45 percent of respondents named Putin among the politicians they trust. Denis Volkov, the center’s director, asserted that the drop in ratings is associated with the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk, adding to the general decrease in this indicator following the presidential elections in March (Аgents.media, August 29). Along with this, another result looks paradoxical. According to earlier research from the Levada Center, the number of those unhappy with what is happening in Russia has dropped to a historical low: only 12 percent of survey respondents said they were unhappy with their current lives. Volkov argued that adapting to life under sanctions and avoiding active participation in the war has contributed to the low number of Russians dissatisfied with their lives (Аgents.media, August 27). The Russian army, nevertheless, continues to sustain heavy losses at the front, and a mass mobilization of city centers could destabilize the uneasy domestic situation. To blunt that blow and better manage societal strife, Moscow seems set on pulling Belarus into the fray, though official Minsk continues to avoid the active fighting.
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