July 20, 2025

Putin's Popularity Perpetuates


Putin's Popularity Perpetuates
The one, the only. The Russian Life files.

On July 18, state news outlet Izvestia reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin has a positive approval rating of among nearly three quarters of the population.

The data, based on a survey from state-owned Russian Public Opinion Research Center, found that 74.4% of Russians approve of the job Putin is doing. In addition, Putin is trusted by 77.6% of those polled.

The results are remarkable for a couple of reasons. First, when Russian Life reported on a similar survey last October, the numbers were almost exactly the same: 74.4% approval, and 78% trust.

Second, readers in the West may be surprised by these high numbers, given Russia's current context. It has been more than three years since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, but (if the numbers are to be believed) it seems that war weariness has yet to set in. In addition, the Russian economy is beginning to see signs of inflation (likely caused by excessive military spending).

You Might Also Like

Putin Still Popular
  • October 13, 2024

Putin Still Popular

Breaking News: A state-funded study finds Putin's public support is still high.
Putin's Victorious Summer
  • July 08, 2020

Putin's Victorious Summer

This year's Victory Day parade was a sight to behold⁠— and we might be seeing its effects for the next 16 years.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955