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of the last six years since the annexation of the Crimea, but fell into the 60s in 2019 as the population’s life failed to improve, despite the end of a four year long recession.
Putin’s current action approval rating is still on a par with his rating in 2013 when economic growth in Russia fell to zero despite $100 oil prices as the petro-driven growth model was exhausted, marking the start of Russia’s stagnation since. Putin was able to counter that fall with his aggression in Ukraine, but this time round he has run out of options other than to deliver on growth and improving prosperity through the​ ​12 national projects​ programme.
The coronacrisis is a major political set back for Putin as the investment into the national projects that are crucial for Putin’s political longevity will be stymied by the knock back Russia’s economy is receiving. The government has been at pains to say that it will stick to the spending plans and continue investing into the national projects thanks to Ministry of Finance ability to tap the RUB9 trillion in the National Welfare Fund (NWF), but the programme was not going well before the double headed oil price and virus crises hit.
Finally the majority of Russians approve of the new PM, who is one of the few politicians to see his ranking improving since the start of the year. In a poll that asked the same question of Mishustin as of Putin, his approval improved from 48% in January to 51% in March, but this was before he got sick in April and had to remove himself from work for a fortnight.
On balance respondents seem moderately impressed with Mishustin and certainly like him a lot more than his predecessor Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who’s rating in the trust poll has fallen steadily from the already low 11% in November 2017 to a mere 2% in May this year.
23​ RUSSIA Country Report​ June 2020 ​ ​www.intellinews.com