Putin stepped up his trips to Russian cities after his approval rating fell - CCD NSDC

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin visited six cities in Russia in less than three weeks. Against the backdrop of his declining approval rating, the Kremlin is using these trips to publicly demonstrate the activities of the head of the Kremlin. This was reported by the National Security and Defense Council’s Center for Countering Disinformation, according to UNN.

Following the decline in his approval rating, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is attempting to restore it through a PR tour of Russian cities. While at the beginning of the year Putin rarely left Moscow, apparently fearing an assassination attempt, he has now visited six cities in less than three weeks. Significantly, for these trips he chooses locations not in the European part of Russia, but farther away from areas that Ukrainian drones can reach

Details

Visits by the Russian dictator are traditionally accompanied by restrictions for local residents. In particular, according to the CCD, in Novosibirsk, residents of apartment buildings and student dormitories along the route of the presidential motorcade were prohibited from approaching windows and using electronic devices.

"The use of electric scooters was also restricted. Before the dictator’s arrival, roads in the cities were urgently repaired, grass was cut, and gasoline prices were reduced at filling stations. After Putin’s departure, reality returned: fuel became more expensive or disappeared from filling stations altogether," the post said.

According to the CCD, it is becoming increasingly difficult to conceal the fact that Russia’s economy is deteriorating and the standard of living is declining sharply due to the protracted war against Ukraine.

"The Kremlin is trying to replace reality with a staged picture. And since Putin is not going to stop the war, more and more resources are being directed not toward solving problems, but toward concealing them," the post said.

Recall

The level of support for Putin in Russia fell to 66%, according to FOM, and to 65.1%, according to VTsIOM. The decline in his approval rating was recorded against the backdrop of the war against Ukraine.