As Nezavisimaya gazeta pointed out last week in an unprecedented display of candour, the street protests were not just about Naval’ny; grievances to which the régime had been indifferent lay deep behind the unrest. Thus Naval’ny is not only a cause in his own right, as the victim of deadly persecution by the Putin régime, he also symbolises society’s complaints unanswered by government. Nezavisimaya gazeta clearly had privileged early access to public opinion polling.

Today Novaya gazeta released the latest findings of Levada, the oldest public opinion polling organisation: in November 2017 Putin scored a 59% approval rating. Since then it has been dropping: to 33-34% early last autumn, now standing at 29% at the beginning of February.

Novaya gazeta:

«Левада»: уровень доверия Путина опустился до 29%. Показатель снижается более двух лет подряд

ПОЛИТИКА13:50 04 февраля 2021

Наталья Глухова