Putin's popularity declines as war drags on

Putin's popularity declines as Russia’s war pressures mount, with Ukraine’s drone strikes on oil refineries linked in the article to fuel shortages across the country. A new VTsIOM survey, conducted from 29 June to 5 July, shows Putin’s approval edging down to 66.0% from 66.9% the previous week. Public trust also fell to 72.3% from 73.3%, after reaching 76.7% two weeks earlier. The piece quotes analyst Boris Pastukhov, arguing the Kremlin-controlled polling agency still keeps numbers above 60% and sometimes above 70%, even amid crises. It adds that Ukraine has carried out 142 attacks on Russian oil facilities over the past six months, matching the reported total for 2025. By 9 July, fuel shortages had reached at least 80 regions, with restrictions on petrol sales in 46 regions.