83% of Russians Approve of Putin’s Actions as President in New Survey
- Poll finds 83% approval for Putin, highest since 2017
- Russia has imposed harsh penalties for opposition to the war
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Support for President Vladimir Putin has surged among Russians following his invasion of Ukraine, according to the country’s leading independent pollster, even as a Kremlin crackdown on protest raises questions about public willingness to express opposition to the war.
Some 83% approved of Putin’s actions as president in a March 24-30 survey of 1,632 respondents, an increase of 12 percentage points on the previous month and the highest since 2017, the Moscow-based Levada Center reported. The proportion agreeing the country is headed in the right direction jumped 17 percentage points to 69%, the highest since Levada began recording responses in 1996.