Vladimir Putin is converting his country to a war economy and he expects a lot from the citizens. Nevertheless, he enjoys support. This is also due to his self-presentation.
The majority of Russians support their president. This was the result of a survey by the Chronicles opinion research institute, which was reported by Russian opposition newspapers. Accordingly, 78 percent of citizens surveyed are satisfied with Vladimir Putin’s government.
Although the Russian tyrant invaded Ukraine, is increasingly converting his country towards a war economy, sharply persecutes opposition figures and critics and extremely restricts freedom of expression in Russia, a majority of people in Putin’s empire approve of the autocrat’s activities in the Kremlin. The 72-year-old still enjoys the support of his compatriots. This is reported by the newspapers “Meduza” and “Current Time” and refers to a survey carried out between September 10th and 17th by the independent Russian opinion research institute Chronicles.
However, dissatisfaction is also growing at the same time. There is apparently (quiet) criticism of the authoritarian president. Many of those surveyed would like Putin to take more care of citizens’ concerns. These include social and economic problems at home (83 percent), negotiating a peace treaty with Ukraine that includes mutual concessions (61 percent), and restoring relations with Western countries (43 percent).
Putin has effectively converted the Russian economy to a war economy, even if the Kremlin has so far denied this. For the coming year alone, Russia’s autocrat has had Parliament approve an increase in the defense budget from 68 to 80 percent. Russia will then spend the equivalent of 103 billion euros on the military, almost a third of the total budget and more than ever since the collapse of the Soviet Union. (Read a report about the difficult situation of the Russian economy here)
“Putin will have major economic difficulties in the long run,” said Christoph Heusgen, former Merkel advisor and head of the Munich Security Conference, in a recent interview with “RND”. “Putin just thinks he has more staying power than us. We have to prove he’s wrong.”
According to the survey, instead of defense and national security, Russians want a stronger focus on social policy. Many of them would also welcome an end to the war in Ukraine. As long as this lasts, they will still stand behind their president.
Putin has recently repeatedly made it clear that he is not interested in making concessions to Ukraine. According to the Kremlin, he is only willing to negotiate if Ukraine accepts Russian conditions in return. However, this would amount to a capitulation by the neighboring country.
According to political analysts at the Institute for War Studies, what ensures Putin’s support among Russians is his portrayal as a hands-on patriarch. In this way, he publicly distances himself from supposedly incompetent and corrupt officials in the Russian administration.
Instead, Kremlin propaganda portrays him as a caring leader who is able to solve the problems of average Russians quickly and unbureaucratically. Most Russians apparently forgive him for leading the country into war with Ukraine and drastically restricting freedoms.