So how is it that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s popularity is at a whopping 86%?
That’s the conclusion of a poll conducted this month by the Levada Center. Last month, Putin’s approval rating was at 85%.
The Levada-Center describes itself as an independent, non-governmental polling and sociological research organization.
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And if Russia’s economic problems get worse, that could bode ill for Putin.
“Even if he can keep strong popular support, Putin has to worry most of all about keeping happy the oligarchs, the wealthy Russians who back him in exchange for continued prosperity,” says Frida Ghitis, a world affairs columnist for the Miami Herald, in a piece for CNN.com.
“Economic sanctions and a shrinking economy will not make them happy.”
CNN’s Richard Allen Greene in London and Alla Eshchenko in Moscow contributed to this report.
