By Ben Aris, Intellinews, 1/4/25
President Vladimir Putin continues to enjoy strong approval ratings nearly four years into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to polling from the Levada Centre, an independent [western backed] Russian research organisation.
Despite economic pressure, mounting casualties, and a protracted war effort, public support for the Russian president remains consistently high, highlighting the durability of the Kremlin’s control over the domestic narrative.
Putin’s approval surged in March 2022—just weeks after Russian troops crossed into Ukraine—from 71% in February to 83%, and has since remained above 80% for most of the conflict.
As of December 2025, 85% of respondents said they approved of the president’s performance, while just 13% disapproved. The data shows only minor fluctuations over 36 months, indicating stable support throughout what the Kremlin continues to call its “special military operation.”
The Russian government, while less popular than Putin himself, has also maintained majority approval ratings. Support for the federal government rose from 53% in early 2022 to a high of 76% in mid-2025, before easing slightly to 70% in December.
Disapproval of the government fell from 44% in early 2022 to just over 20% in late 2025 as the war in Ukraine has had little impact on daily lives inside Russia other than pushing prices up. The figures suggest that a significant portion of the Russian population continues to back the state’s actions and overall direction despite the sustained conflict. [Would this be the case if the number of Russian casualties were as ridiculously high as the west claims? – Natylie]
Similarly, the share of Russians who believe the country is heading “in the right direction” has also climbed since the start of the war. In January 2022, only 50% of respondents said Russia was on the right path, with 39% saying it was not. That number jumped to 69% in March 2022 in tacit approval of the Ukrainian invasion, and peaked at 75% in early 2024. As of December 2025, 67% still say the country is moving in the right direction.
Levada Centre sociologist Denis Volkov attributed the early rally-around-the-flag effect to “a consolidation of society in the face of external pressure.” He told The Moscow Times in 2023 that “Putin’s ratings reflect more than just support for the war — they reflect an emotional rejection of what is seen as Western interference.”
While polling in authoritarian states is subject to pressure and self-censorship, the Levada Centre is widely regarded as one of the few credible independent pollsters operating in Russia. “The numbers are real in terms of expressed sentiment, but the environment in which they are collected matters,” said Andrei Kolesnikov, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Centre.
Analysts also point to a lack of visible hardship in large Russian cities as a reason for sustained public support. Although sanctions have crippled key sectors, state spending has helped shield much of the population from economic pain. “The war is largely invisible to the public,” said Tatiana Stanovaya, founder of political consultancy R.Politik. “That insulates the Kremlin from accountability.”