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In recent weeks, in Russia, the popularity of President Vladimir Putin has gradually decreased. A poll conducted in March by the Lavada Center, an independent organization that handles statistical polls and is based in Moscow, showed that the consensus with Putin fell by six percentage points from February to March, from 69 to 63 percent. In another poll conducted in March by a Russian state-controlled entity, only 28.3 percent of respondents named Putin when asked to quote a politician who raises confidence.
Putin’s popularity not only does not increase during the management of the coronavirus emergency, as has happened to several European leaders, including the French Emmanuel Macron and the Italian Giuseppe Conte; But a gradual decline has begun, which none of their governments seems to know how to stop. What is happening “is perhaps the greatest test Putin has faced in the last twenty years of power,” wrote journalist Alex Ward in Vox.
The months of April and May should have been a time of celebration for Putin’s leadership. On April 22, the referendum should have been held to approve a reform of the Constitution that has already passed the Russian parliament and that could allow the president to remain in power for several years. A major military parade will take place on May 9 in Moscow’s Red Square to mark the 75th anniversary of the Russian army’s victory against Nazi Germany. Both events have been postponed due to the coronavirus epidemic, which in Russia so far has caused almost 100,000 confirmed cases and around 1,000 deaths.
“The coronavirus has changed everything,” wrote Andrew Higgins, a journalist for the New York Times. For twenty years, Putin has wanted to show himself as a man of action, as a hyperactive leader always ready to face his enemies both at home and abroad. Today, faced with the threat of the coronavirus, he seems to be reacting passively, not knowing what to do.
– Also read: Twenty years of Putin
According to Higgins, the pandemic highlights what has always been Putin’s greatest vulnerability: a lack of interest in Russia’s internal problems, for example, dilapidated hospitals, pockets of poverty scattered across the country, and years of decline. Real income. In addition to taking advantage of widespread media control and systematically cracking down on opponents, Putin has built his popularity over the years with the idea of restoring Russia to its great power status, which collapsed after the end of the Soviet Union. . With the coronavirus pandemic becoming the main concern of many Russian citizens, however, successes in foreign policy seem to have lost relevance, and it seems increasingly difficult for Putin to accuse the West of any failure.
For the time being, he has limited himself to making almost daily television appearances from his residence outside Moscow, but has left others with the task of publicly announcing the introduction of travel restrictions and other very painful measures for the economy. Mark Galeotti, an expert analyst from Russia, said giving more and more responsibility to local officials and appearing “less and less presidential” is weakening Putin: the risk to his power is not so much that of major popular protests, Galeotti added, but of a “decline of legitimacy”.
The coronavirus epidemic in Russia has not yet peaked, Putin said Tuesday, and the situation in many hospitals in the country could worsen in the coming days.
– Also read: Has the situation in Germany really worsened since the easing of the restrictions?
According to some estimates reported by VoxAt the end of this week, intensive care beds in Russian hospitals may not be enough to accommodate all severely ill patients with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. In addition, many health facilities are also struggling for other reasons, such as a lack of medical machinery and personal protective equipment for health professionals.
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