It is a well-known fact that news is censored in Russia, which hardly qualifies as a fully, democratic country. Still, it is a bit surprising to many that Putin’s approval ratings shot up from 69 percent in January to 83 percent in March. It shows that support for the war, and for Putin’s leadership, are apparently strong inside of Russia itself, even if it has meant serious economic sanctions and worldwide condemnation of the Ukrainian invasion.
Of course, the Russians are fed propaganda, so they apparently believe the claims by Putin and other supporters of the war regarding neo-Nazism running amok in Ukraine. Also, they have surely not heard reports about just how badly the war is actually going for Russia, with thousands of Russians dead (Pentagon estimates range somewhere between 7,000 to 15,000 just days ago), and how many setbacks the invading Russian military force has faced.
On this side of the Atlantic, a Pew Research poll showed that 72 percent of Americans approve of Zelensky’s performance, which ranks the highest of any world leader. Frankly, it almost feels like it should be higher, although there are many Americans, particularly among Trump supporters, who seem to have lingering admiration for Putin and Russia, even after this Ukrainian invasion.
Meanwhile, American President Biden continues to see how own approval ratings lagging. According to the most recent polls, 48 percent supported his handling of world affairs to date, while 52 percent were not supportive. According to a Quinnipiac University national poll in mid-March, 49 percent of those polled had a negative view of Biden’s handling of the Ukrainian conflict, while 42 percent approved.
Personally, I believe that Joe Biden is handling it as best as he can. We do not want to see this escalate into a World War, which really could happen if Americans or other NATO countries actually get involved with boots on the ground or by imposing a no-fly zone, or some other action that could be regarded as an act of aggression.
Putin's Popularity Rises in Russia, Drops Among Americans, Polls Say by Zoe Strozewski, 3/30/22:
https://www.newsweek.com/vladimir-putin-approval-rating-increase-russia-1693521?fbclid=IwAR34NdxC1WA01rpBczOJokO1k1ry7ka5kvAIE1u3k9YwnzeLBogtq4yyI6U
Shaken at First, Many Russians Now Rally Behind Putin’s Invasion by Anton Troianovski, Ivan Nechepurenko and Valeriya Safronova, The New York Times, April 1, 2022:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/01/briefing/russia-ukraine-war-putin.html
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