Moscow.- The popularity ratings of Russian President Vladimir Putin have fallen again amid the severe fuel crisis the country is experiencing due to Ukrainian attacks on refineries on Russian territory, according to polls published this Friday.
Trust in Putin fell by 1% in the last week, to 72.3%, according to polls conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM).
As for confidence in the Kremlin leader’s management, it fell from 66.9% to 66%. Both indicators have been trending downward for two weeks.
Fuel deficit
The popularity of the Russian leader suffered a clear collapse between March and April, reaching pre-war levels, after which VTsIOM modified the survey method, which now also includes personal interviews.
All in all, the downward trend has resumed, coinciding with the fuel supply deficit, which has caused great discontent among the population.
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The crisis has forced gas stations to introduce limitations throughout the country, especially in regions such as the annexed Crimean peninsula, where prices have skyrocketed.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak acknowledged today for the first time the existence of fuel shortages and queues at gas stations, something that authorities previously attributed not to Ukrainian attacks, but to an increase in demand caused by consumer panic.
“We must acknowledge that there are problems and a deficit exists, which is why we see queues. Sometimes gas stations do not operate stably. The deficit is due to understandable reasons, because refineries partially stop working due to Ukrainian drone attacks,” he declared to the Russian press, as cited by the TASS agency.
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Two months until the elections
Several Russian digital platforms have launched interactive maps these days that show in real time the Russian gas stations where vehicles can refuel amidst supply shortage problems.
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According to international media, the fuel crisis caused by Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries has affected a third of the approximately 145 million inhabitants of this country.
This adds to the weariness with the war, the economic contraction, and the internet blockade, which has caused a drop in the voting intention for the Kremlin’s party, United Russia, with just over two months left until the legislative elections.
