CHANTS of “Russia without Putin!” echoed through Moscow four years ago. Vladimir Putin’s choreographed return to the presidency and vote tampering in parliamentary elections brought thousands to the streets; his approval ratings fell to 63%. But after the annexation of Crimea in 2014, those ratings soared to nearly 90% and have not come back to earth since. Mr Putin became “a charismatic leader of the Promethean type: a demigod, a Titan, who brought the people fire,” says Valery Fedorov, head of the state-financed Russian Public Opinion Research Centre (VCIOM). Even a recession, falling real wages and rampant inflation have barely …read more
Source: The Economist
