The rating of the main “Wagnerian” fell after the riot from 58% to 31%. Support for Putin has not changed significantly – 82%.
The activities of PMC founder Wagner Yevgeny Prigozhin, despite an unsuccessful coup attempt, were approved by almost a third of Russians. This is confirmed by the results of a Levada Center survey, published on Thursday, June 29.
However, it was noticed that his rating still dipped.
The study was conducted from 22 to 28 June. If two days before the rebellion, Prigozhin was supported by 58% of respondents, then during the active phase of events, the number dropped to 31%, and after the completion of the “campaign” in Moscow, it stopped at 29%.
Before the rebellion, Prigozhin seemed to the Russians a “fighter for the truth”, “a true leader”, a “patriot” and a “successful general”, and then the negative assessments of his image: “made trouble” , “went against Russia”, “strives for power “, – sociologists describe the dynamics of the public situation, giving answers to an open question about the head of the Wagner PMC.
At the same time, the number of those who wanted to vote for Prigozhin in the presidential election was almost half. However, 9% of Russians still see him as their president.
The attitude of citizens towards the head of the Ministry of Defense, Sergei Shoigu, has also worsened. However, the decrease in the rating of the minister is not so noticeable: at the beginning of the survey, 60% of respondents approved of his activities, at the end – 48%.
At the same time, Prigozhin’s rebellion had little effect on the performance of President Vladimir Putin. On June 22–23, 81% of Russians supported him, on the day of the uprising, 79%, and on June 25–28, 82%.
However, the largest and most dangerous armed uprising of all times under Putin’s rule has raised serious public concerns for the country. At the top of the events, the share of respondents who believe that Russia is moving in the right direction fell to 53% against 67% in May. The indicator became the lowest since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.
After the end of the rebellion, the situation took a bit of a hit, but overall, the June poll showed an increase in Russians’ doubts that the country is moving in the right direction. Today, 61% of respondents think so, compared to an average of 66% since the beginning of 2023. Similar assessments were made in September – after the announcement of the mobilization and failure of the Russian army near Kharkov, and also in November, when the Russian troops retreated from Kherson.
It will be remembered that on June 23, the head of PMC Wagner announced a demarche against the Russian military leadership, including against the Minister of Defense of Russia Sergei Shoigu. On June 24, he sent columns of “Wagnerites” to Moscow. During the day, the “Wagnerites” passed through several places. They stopped 200 km from Moscow.
The formal leader of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, spoke with Prigozhin, after which he announced that the group’s fighters had returned to field camps. “Wagnerites” were offered to join the Russian army, or go to Belarus, or stay at home. On June 27, Lukashenka confirmed Prigozhin’s arrival in Belarus.
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.