Putin's approval rating drops at record pace since war began
Russian President Vladimir Putin's approval rating fell by five percentage points in a week to 66%, according to the FOM poll. VTsIOM also recorded a decline, though at a slower pace.
The Russian Public Opinion Foundation (FOM) reported that President Vladimir Putin's job approval rating dropped by five percentage points in a week, reaching 66% based on a survey conducted from July 10 to 12. This is the largest weekly decline since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Confidence in Putin also decreased from 69% to 67%, according to FOM. Another pollster, VTsIOM, recorded a 0.9 percentage point drop in approval to 65.1% and a 1.3 percentage point drop in trust to 71% over the same period (July 6-12).
VTsIOM had previously recorded the fastest decline in trust since the war began in early July, with a 1.8 percentage point drop in a single week. Both FOM and VTsIOM began registering a downward trend in Putin's ratings in spring 2026, attributed in part to internet restrictions and the blocking of Telegram. The decline has continued amid Russia's fuel crisis.
