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Putin Suffers Humiliating Popularity Plunge as Crisis Spirals
The Daily Beast • • world
Key Points:
- Vladimir Putin's approval rating dropped sharply from 71% to 66% in one week, marking the steepest decline since the start of the Ukraine war in 2022, according to a Kremlin-linked poll by the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM).
- Public trust in Putin also fell to its lowest level since the war began, with 67% expressing trust, down 2 percentage points from the previous week.
- The decline is largely attributed to a worsening fuel crisis in Russia, with 19% of respondents citing fuel shortages as the country's biggest problem, surpassing concerns about the war itself.
- Despite being a top global oil producer, Russia faces fuel shortages due to Kyiv’s attacks on oil refineries, Western sanctions, and logistical challenges, leading to rationing and long queues for fuel in several regions.
- Regional officials are struggling to manage the crisis amid restrictions from Moscow, with some areas implementing odd-even rationing schemes, while public dissatisfaction may be underreported due to legal restrictions on criticizing the government.
