Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
It’s a remarkable development since the peak support for Putin’s ability to handle government tasks in March 2024
A new public opinion survey suggests fewer Russians spontaneously cite President Vladimir Putin as the political figure they trust most to handle major state responsibilities, The Moscow Times reports.
According to data released by the Russian state pollster VTsIOM, just 32.1 percent of respondents named Putin in an open poll asking which politicians they trust with key government tasks.
That figure represents the lowest level recorded since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine. In March 2024, the same measure reached a peak of 48.8 percent.
While other measurements still show strong overall approval, the results point to a noticeable shift in how respondents answer open-ended questions about political leadership.
Different polling picture
The Moscow Times notes that a separate survey format produced a far higher level of support for the president.
When respondents were given a list of political figures and asked directly whether they trust each of them, 77.5 percent said they either “definitely trust” or “rather trust” Putin.
At the end of December 2025, the same figure stood at 80.9 percent. Meanwhile, 17.8 percent of participants said they did not trust the Russian leader.
Other figures ranked significantly lower in the same survey, including Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin at 57.2 percent and Security Council deputy chairman Dmitry Medvedev at 41 percent.
Lower support for the war
Another recently published survey showed that less that one in four Russians (24%) support the “special operation”, as the Kremlin has dubbed the war in Ukraine.
The same survey showed that two in three Russians believed that it is the right time for the Russian leadership to pursue a peace deal instead of keeping fighting.
Sources: VTsIOM, Public Opinion Foundation
