Poll Shows Putin Ratings Climb Among Russians Since Ukraine Invasion

A new Russian opinion poll shows that President Vladimir Putin has gotten a boost in ratings since the start of the war in Ukraine.

The Levada Center said in a survey released on March 30 that more than 80 percent of Russian respondents support his actions.

The poll was the first Levada has conducted since the conflict began on February 24.

The survey also showed 83 percent of Russians backing Putin, up from 71 percent in early February.

The survey was conducted on March 24-30 in face-to-face interviews with 1,632 Russians across the country. The margin of error was 3.4 percentage points.

The findings match up with those of Kremlin-backed, state-funded pollsters, which also showed Putin's approval ratings at above 80 percent.

Levada is one of Russia's most reputable and longest-operating independent polling agencies.

In 2016, the organization was labeled a "foreign agent" under Russia's draconian "foreign agent" law -- a label that carries Cold War-connotations of espionage or treason.

The law has also been used as a cudgel against civil society groups, nongovernmental organizations, and independent media organizations, including RFE/RL.

That's led to an exodus of reporters, who have fled the country since the February 24 invasion of Ukraine.

Since the invasion, Russian state media have trumpeted Kremlin messaging on the Ukraine war, including promoting falsehoods and outright lies about battlefield successes and about justification for the war.