Putin's approval ratings hit new low amid Ukrainian incursion into Kursk region
Trust in President Vladimir Putin has dipped to levels not seen since October last year following the Ukrainian army's incursion into the Kursk region. Only 45% of respondents in August cited Putin among politicians they trust, according to a study by Russian sociologists at the "Levada Center" , reports the news outlet Agenstvo Novosti. This figure is down 3 percentage points from July.
The last time trust levels were this low was in October of the previous year, recovering from a significant drop in September after the Prigozhin plane crash. Denis Volkov, director of the Levada Center, explained to “Agency” that the decline in approval is tied to the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk, as well as a general drop in this metric post-presidential elections.
The latest peak in trust for Putin was recorded in May, with a level of 54%, according to the service's data. Respondents were asked to identify politicians they trust.
However, Putin's job approval rating in a closed-ended question (whether respondents approve of Putin's performance as president) remained unchanged at 85%.
According to Volkov, these changes relate in part to the incursion into Kursk. For Putin, it also reflects a decline from pre-election peak ratings, with the impact of alarming events adding to an existing trend.
Meanwhile, the proportion of Russians who believe the country is on the wrong track increased by 3 percentage points to 20%. The share of respondents who think the country is on the right path dropped by 5 percentage points to 67%.
Additionally, August saw a fall in approval ratings for the government (from 74% to 68%) and Prime Minister Mishustin (from 75% to 71%). This too could be partially linked to the incursion into Kursk, Volkov noted. However, this trend has been present for over a month, with rising concerns over inflation, the high cost of living, and anti-migrant sentiment compounding the issue.
Rising prices are bothering people more than military actions in border regions, the sociologist added.
These changes in metrics are not critical at the moment, Volkov emphasized. Historically, protest sentiments emerge when job approval ratings approach 60%, as seen in 2011-2012 or during the COVID-19 pandemic, he added.
The decline in Putin's ratings has also been recorded by state agencies VTsIOM and FOM. According to VTsIOM, presidential approval and trust ratings experienced a record one-week drop amid the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk. The incursion's impact on Putin's image is also corroborated by an analysis of comments on Russian social media conducted by FilterLabs AI.