Russians' dissatisfaction with the government has jumped to its highest level since Prigozhin's rebellion: survey data

Russians' dissatisfaction with the government has jumped to its highest level since Prigozhin's mutiny: survey data Irina Martsiyash

What do polls say about the level of dissatisfaction of Russians with their government/Photo Getty Images

The operation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kursk region of Russia has significantly increased the level of dissatisfaction of Russians with their government. Now it has reached a record high since July 2023, when the so-called PMC “Wagner” rebelled, and Yevgeny Prigozhin's tanks almost reached Moscow.

This was reported on Friday, August 16, in The Moscow Times, citing a survey by the Russian Public Opinion Foundation.

The share of Russians dissatisfied with the government has jumped to its highest since Prigozhin's rebellion

As of August 11, 25% of Russians reported that the government's actions make them “outraged.” It is noted that during the rebellion of the Wagner PMC leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, 26% of Russian residents expressed dissatisfaction.

The level of dissatisfaction with the actions of the Russian government has grown by 7% in a week. According to the FGD data, this jump was the largest since the fall of 2022, when, after the Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin announced the first mass mobilization since the 1940s, the share of those dissatisfied with the government increased from 21% to 31%. And this happened in three weeks.

According to FOM data, the loss of control over several dozen villages in the Kursk region, reports of casualties, and the dispatch of conscripts to the region have significantly increased the level of fear in Russian society.

45% of Russians reported “anxious” sentiments among their acquaintances and colleagues during the survey, which was a record figure since October 2023. At the same time, the 12% increase in “anxiety” over two weeks turned out to be the sharpest since the announcement of mobilization.

The FGD recorded a similar jump in stress levels by 11% over two weeks in May 2023, when Ukrainian drones attacked Moscow and the Kremlin for the first time.

However, despite the increase in stress levels, the level of trust of Russians in Putin increased slightly against the backdrop of the events in the Kursk region – from 78% to 80%. However, the rating of United Russia fell from 49% at the end of July to 44%, which is the lowest figure in the past 10 months.