Russia Matters, 7/28/23

According to Levada Center’s polls. At the end of July, the share of respondents supporting continued hostilities was at 41% compared to 40% in June. As for supporters of the transition to peace negotiations, their share decreased from 53% in June to 51% in July. In July, only 10% of the Levada Center’s respondents believed that hostilities would last less than six more months (11% in May ), while 73% of respondents believe that hostilities will last more than six months (71% in May). Levada’s recent polls also show that the share of Russians who approve of Putin’s conduct as president reached 82% in July. When asked to name several public figures that they trust most, 44% of Russians named Putin in July (43% did so in June). Failed mutineer Yevgeny Prigozhin, who featured on the list of most trusted figures in June, was no longer on that list in July. The slight decrease in the share of Russians who support peace negotiations in July can be explained, in part, by the ending of Prigozhin’s short-lived mutiny the previous month. The conclusion of the June 23-24 mutiny can explain the increase, if only slight, in Putin’s approval and trust ratings.