The approval rating of Russian President Vladimir Putin has slumped to 66 percent and that of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to 36 percent [File: Reuters/Evgenia Novozhenina]
Leonid Ragozin, Al Jazeera: Change is coming to Russia, but very slowly
Putin is losing popularity, but why has the opposition failed to gain much ground?
In 2014-2015, the occupation of Crimea sent Russian President Vladimir Putin's approval ratings soaring to as much as 86 percent and kept them high for a few years. Over the past few months, however, his popularity has steadily declined and reached 66 percent - roughly as much as it was back in 2012-2013, when he was facing mass protests.
This trend is related to the decline in people's real incomes after Russia's recent economic crisis. One event, in particular, contributed greatly to Putin's rising unpopularity: the 2018 decision to raise the retirement age.
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WNU Editor: I grew up in the Soviet Union, so my perspective is very different to those who are 30 years younger than me. To me .... Russia today is not the Russia of 30 years ago. Change has been drastic and massive. But to those who are 30 years or younger .... change has been slow and disappointing.
