.jpeg "Vladimir Putin`s approval rating at record levels")
According to separate Levada figures from June, 66% believe that western sanctions are meant to humiliate and weaken Russia, and only 5% think they are about ending the conflict in Ukraine.
Some 70% of Russians believe the country should stick to its current position on Ukraine, while 20% say it would be better to make concessions in order to avoid sanctions. 87% support the annexation of Crimea, and only 4% think that the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk should return to their pre-conflict status.
However, when it comes to the economy, only 13% describe Russia’s current predicament as good, while 53% describe it as average and 31% as either bad or very poor.
With nine out of 10 Russians approving of Putin, the president’s ratings are now better than they were in 2008, at the start of the Russian-Georgian war.
They are also unusually high compared with the popularity of other world leaders. Only Angela Merkel comes anywhere near Putin, with nearly seven in 10 Germans approving of the chancellor.
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