(IISS) Having signed on for another six years of Putin, are Russians feeling a bit of buyer’s remorse? His options for tackling the country’s stagnation are limited, and none of them are good, argues Sam Greene.
Six months into Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most recent term in office, the honeymoon – if there ever was one – appears to be over.
After winning a resounding victory in March and then presiding over a successful FIFA World Cup, Putin started his term on a high note. Since then, however, his approval ratings have fallen by nearly 20 percentage points, settling in the mid-60s. That is high by global standards, but it’s the trajectory that will have the Kremlin worried. Meanwhile, regional and municipal elections in September handed the ruling United Russia party a series of embarrassing losses. […]
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