Kenneth Glad
Everyday frustrations are spilling into politics in a system built to contain them. For many voters, even a limited alternative can become a way to send a message.
For many Russians, anger at the state is now tied to basic online access. Euronews reports that frustration has grown as digital restrictions have disrupted daily life since the invasion of Ukraine.
Facebook and Instagram were blocked in 2022, while YouTube was deliberately slowed in 2024. Telegram and WhatsApp have also become harder to use in some regions.
The problem became especially visible in March, when mobile internet reportedly disappeared for almost three weeks in central Moscow. People struggled to order taxis, make payments, use delivery apps and access some public services.
Russian media reported major economic losses in the capital within days. Only state-approved or officially whitelisted services, including large banks, Yandex platforms and state media, remained accessible.
Polling shift
New People has used that anger to build support among Russians looking for a safer way to express dissatisfaction.
Founded in 2020 as a Kremlin-tolerated political party, it presents itself as a modern, moderate alternative focused on technology, business and fewer state restrictions, while avoiding direct confrontation with Vladimir Putin or the broader political system.
VTsIOM, Russia’s state-backed polling center, now puts the party at 13.4 percent support, according to figures cited by Digi24. A year ago, it stood at 6.6 percent.
The same polling places the Communist Party at 10.9 percent and the Liberal Democratic Party at 10.1 percent.
United Russia, the ruling party associated with Vladimir Putin, has dropped from 36 percent in April 2024 to 27.7 percent.
The numbers cannot be independently verified, and censorship makes Russian polling difficult to read. Even so, analysts quoted by Euronews say the movement reflects real public unease.
Permitted opposition
The founder of New People, Alexei Nechayev, owns the cosmetics company Faberlic.
Independent Russian media has previously reported that the project had backing from figures close to the Kremlin, which Nechayev has denied.
Russia’s so-called systemic opposition can compete, but only inside boundaries that protect the Putin-centered order.
Such parties may criticize selected policies, while avoiding direct confrontation with the president.
Nechayev described those limits in a 2021 interview, saying Russian parties follow three unwritten rules:
- Do not criticize Putin directly
- Do not organize protests
- Do not accept foreign funding.
Protest channel
Despite its softer image, New People lawmakers have often voted with United Russia.
The party supported laws punishing so-called “false information” about the Russian army, awrites Digi24.
It has also avoided opposing the invasion of Ukraine. During the 2024 presidential campaign, New People’s candidate Vladislav Davankov appealed to anti-war voters without using the word “war” or calling for Russian troops to withdraw.
After the election, Davankov congratulated Putin and said “only Putin can win the war and achieve a lasting peace,” reports Euronews.
Ahead of parliamentary elections expected in September 2026, officials may have to decide whether to slow New People’s rise or let it absorb voters who might otherwise look for riskier forms of protest.
Political analyst Abbas Gallyamov told Euronews that the party’s rise is “a sign of growing anti-system sentiment.” He added: “When there is no fish, even a crayfish is considered a fish.”
Russian political analyst Andrey Pertsev told Euronews that New People’s rise says more about public frustration with the Kremlin’s system than about enthusiasm for the party itself: “It is not the party’s merit, it is the system’s negative rating.”
He added that even Russia’s tightly managed politics still responds to public pressure:
“Public politics is still a living organism, even if we are not talking about a real democracy.”
Sources: Digi24, Euronews, VTsIOM, New People
