Putin's popularity about to fall?

[AC]

Over the past nine months opinion polls find that support for the presence of Russian troops in Ukraine have fallen from 74% to 23%. Many who dismissed Western sanctions as irrelevant now fret over Russia's isolation.

"The sanctions are working," says Lev Gudkov, head of the Levada Centre, an independent pollster. The consumers who have emerged in Russia's big cities in the past decade are "not prepared to tighten their belts," he adds. This does not mean that such people are prepared to sacrifice their consumption for civic freedoms, either.

Despite growing anxiety about living standards, Mr Putin's popularity rating remains at record levels. Yet, as the street protests in 2011 showed, this could change quickly. Polls show that the overall view of the state as corrupt and uninterested in the people remains as strong as ever. Mr Putin is aware of the dangers. To sustain his position, he needs the West to start lifting sanctions so as to induce more economic growth in Russia, but he also has to keep up the appearance of an enemy both within and outside.


Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/putins-popularity-could-change-faster-than-many-expect-2014-12#ixzz3NctsAynB

[mendeleyev]

Gudkov, a person for whom I have great respect, is correct: the sanctions are working. That, and the cold winter weather, has not stopped but has slowed down the war in the East. Watch for Moscow to press hard for sanctions to be lifted--they will either make, or eventually break Mr. Putin's rule.

[JayH]

Russia will have to be past rock bottom to get people brave enough to voice opposition to Putin and his cronies and thugs.

Putin will try and stop comment--rather than try and solve the issues that created his decline--either way he is as good as dead.

And for Mende--Putin is a fool  who ridiculously miscalculated on every front-is there a bigger fool in history?

[Brasscasing]

Russia will have to be past rock bottom to get people brave enough to voice opposition to Putin and his cronies and thugs.

Putin will try and stop comment--rather than try and solve the issues that created his decline--either way he is as good as dead.

And for Mende--Putin is a fool  who ridiculously miscalculated on every front-is there a bigger fool in history?

I disagree with your conclusion here (my bolded), J. I opined on this subject a couple of months ago and I still think it's valid today...

A number of us predicted a Russian military incursion into Ukraine. Mendy and myself were discussing it during and after the Georgian invasion. With the same well known and equally vocal forum participants denying that invasion at the time as well.

The problems for Putin didn't arise as a result of what Ukraine did or didn't do. The problems for Putin started when a crew of his incompetent punk cronies accidently blew a civilian jetliner out of the sky.

Up to this point Putin's operation was going as planned and was on schedule for a quiet invasion of Ukraine which would have been over with minimum fuss and no more of a passing headline and some protests from the West similar to what transpired with Georgia.

MH17 focused world attention on Ukraine and like someone turning on a floodlight onto a dark stage, there was Mr. Putin eyes wide like a deer in the headlights with his hand in the cookie jar, the entire operation soon to be exposed.

Putin's choices were mutter something along the lines of "Uh, it's not what it looks like folks" and walk away or carry on with his occupation in full view of the world. He has chosen the latter because as others have mentioned if he loses face he loses Russia.

Has Putin attained his objectives/goals? Not a chance. Putin's dreams of absorbing Russia's satellites are over. It was over the second the criminally negligent fool operating that BUK threw the launch switch.

Having said that had those people on that plane not died that day Russia would own Ukraine by now and be quietly moving on to yet another country.

Will we see a united Ukraine in the near future? I think we will. Unlike most of the members here I do believe the next phase of this conflict will be a shooting war between NATO and Russia or at least a military intervention by NATO/allied countries.  This won't happen for two years yet but when the US reasserts itself back on to the world stage there will be more than a few countries ready to get in this fight, Canada being one of them.

Poroshenko/Ukraine's military? Ukraine is doing remarkably well on the battle field considering they've been abandoned by the rest of the world.

Up to the point where Russia realized that if they didn't openly start moving troops, armor and supplies into Ukraine (even while still denying it) they were going to lose what gains had been made, Ukraine was winning this war.

However, will bravo zulus, pats on the back and atta boys from Nato countries help Ukraine win the war? Nope. They will lose this thing if Poroshenko doesn't employ every diplomatic trick in the book to keep his country alive and that's what he's doing.

One day this guy's going to write his biography/memos and there will be a few red faces from former leaders of western/nato countries, I'm sure.

Brass

[JayH]

I disagree with your conclusion here (my bolded), J. I opined on this subject a couple of months ago and I still think it's valid today...

Brass

Brass--I have the highest respect for Mende--even when disagreeing!!
I understand your comments--only the future will let us make a better assessment of Putin--for the time being I am using the power of positive thinking to help create his demise !!( I have 46 million Ukrainians helping me out on this !!)

I did read your earlier post( and it's earlier reference) with interest--but had nothing to comment on at the time-- and events sure have moved a long way since then !!

[Doll]

Over the past nine months opinion polls find that support for the presence of Russian troops in Ukraine have fallen from 74% to 23%. Many who dismissed Western sanctions as irrelevant now fret over Russia's isolation.

"The sanctions are working," says Lev Gudkov, head of the Levada Centre, an independent pollster. The consumers who have emerged in Russia's big cities in the past decade are "not prepared to tighten their belts," he adds. This does not mean that such people are prepared to sacrifice their consumption for civic freedoms, either.

Despite growing anxiety about living standards, Mr Putin's popularity rating remains at record levels. Yet, as the street protests in 2011 showed, this could change quickly. Polls show that the overall view of the state as corrupt and uninterested in the people remains as strong as ever. Mr Putin is aware of the dangers. To sustain his position, he needs the West to start lifting sanctions so as to induce more economic growth in Russia, but he also has to keep up the appearance of an enemy both within and outside.


Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/putins-popularity-could-change-faster-than-many-expect-2014-12#ixzz3NctsAynB

84%


http://top.rbc.ru/politics/01/12/2014/547b193ccbb20fb6402251c7

[Brasscasing]

Brass--I have the highest respect for Mende--even when disagreeing!!
I understand your comments--only the future will let us make a better assessment of Putin--for the time being I am using the power of positive thinking to help create his demise !!( I have 46 million Ukrainians helping me out on this !!)

I did read your earlier post( and it's earlier reference) with interest--but had nothing to comment on at the time-- and events sure have moved a long way since then !!

Ah, well carry on then. I don't want to get in the way of 46 million Ukrainians and an Aussie. 

Brass

[Doll]

31.12.2014

Возможные результаты президентских и парламентских выборов


Если бы в ближайшее воскресенье состоялись президентские выборы, то 88% россиян из тех, кто готов голосовать и определился за кого, отдали бы свой голос за Владимира Путина.

[JayH]

31.12.2014

Возможные результаты президентских и парламентских выборов


Если бы в ближайшее воскресенье состоялись президентские выборы, то 88% россиян из тех, кто готов голосовать и определился за кого, отдали бы свой голос за Владимира Путина.

They know the result already?   

[sleepycat]

WHAT! Only 88% and not the 123% as in the Crimea 'election'?

The mongoloid's popularity must be slipping. 

[Doll]

They know the result already?   

Возможные результаты президентских и парламентских выборов

[sleepycat]

Doll is it your full time job now to defend that midget mongoloid president of yours when we mock him?
You do realise the rest of us armchair quarterbacks are just mocking him for fun whereas you're the only one taking it personally?

[Doll]

you never know when Americans are funny and when they are stupid

[Gator]

you never know when Americans are funny and when they are stupid

Doll you would have better relations with Americans if you assumed they meant to be "funny" rather than always assuming them as "stupid."  You can start by assuming "silly" because that is merely a clash of culture regarding humor.  From there you can endeavor to recognize how American sense of humor differs from Russian SOH. 

This is similar to seeing the glass not as "half empty" but "half full."

BTW, Sleepycat is  not American. 

[Doll]

Doll you would have better relations with Americans if you assumed they meant to be "funny" rather than always assuming them as "stupid."  You can start by assuming "silly" because that is merely a clash of culture regarding humor.  From there you can endeavor to recognize how American sense of humor differs from Russian SOH. 

This is similar to seeing the glass not as "half empty" but "half full."

BTW, Sleepycat is  not American.

thank you for a very educational lecture

[AC]

If Putin is so popular then I wonder why there were such large protests in Moscow in 2011 regarding election fraud?  I seriously doubt if his popularity is as high as it is alleged.  Who is going to record the bad ratings?

I also recall reading a story where he showed up at a Judo match and got booed.  I'm still trying to find the link for that story so don't hold your breath as we know the Russian authorities do their best to control all media regarding Russia.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011%E2%80%9313_Russian_protests

[Gator]

thank you for a very educational lecture

Now you are being sarcastic.      I like that. 

[Photo Guy]

Do Russians get any of their information from their relatives in Ukraine??? When we speak with Ukrainians in Kiev, we discover that the people there are not 'fascists' as Putin claims. And if they are not fascists, then Putin is obviously a liar. I find it hard to believe that Russians in Kaliningrad think of people in the EU as 'bad' or 'extremists'. I pray that the truth is discovered by most Russians.

[JayH]

Do Russians get any of their information from their relatives in Ukraine??? When we speak with Ukrainians in Kiev, we discover that the people there are not 'fascists' as Putin claims. And if they are not fascists, then Putin is obviously a liar. I find it hard to believe that Russians in Kaliningrad think of people in the EU as 'bad' or 'extremists'. I pray that the truth is discovered by most Russians.

PG-- many families have argued over this--I personally now people who will not speak to relatives across the border in Russia again--such is the depth of feelings.
It highlights the success of Kremlin brainwashing of Russians that nothing their own relatives in Ukraine is believed over the Kremlin bombardment of ludicrous propaganda.
It will take a long time for these wounds to heal--if ever.

[AC]

This happened before Putin clamped down on media freedoms in Russia.  He was booed at a martial arts event, and at the time his popularity had gone down.


http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/nov/20/putin-booed-moscow-martial-arts-fans

[lordtiberius]

Quoting polls inside a dictatorship is like Ariel Castro asking his captives if they would be willing to try something new to spice up the "relationship.". A big of caution sir

[Manny]

Putin's popularity about to fall?

Doubtful.

[lordtiberius]

Doubtful.

Another investor whose life savings are in rubles no doubt

[AC]

Was that a campaign video?  We could post a campaign video of Obama as well, and at least half of the population believed it.  In the USA the country is split pretty evenly for/against Obama.

In Russia do pollsters who make honest polls make it to the next day?  Or are they all fish food somewhere in the Arctic Sea?  The real numbers are probably about 60/40.

[AC]

Another investor whose life savings are in rubles no doubt

It takes a pound of rubles to equal one US Dollar, the reserve currency of the World that all business and banking is done in.  Those Russian foreign currency reserves (in US Dollars) are running out pretty fast.  I wonder why Russia even needs to hold reserves of US Dollars?  Oh that's right, one rubble is worth 2 pennies and dropping.