Vladimir Putin's popularity never went below 70%.
Posted by The Pete Quiñones Show, Checked
- Sources
- 5 contradict2 support1 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 90%
The Pete Quiñones ShowOct 1, 2026
The claim that Putin's popularity never fell below 70% is contradicted by multiple sources. Reuters and AP report VTsIOM approval at 65.6% in April 2026, its lowest since before the Ukraine war, and Arab News and Calhoun report Levada approval at 62% in 2013, its lowest point at that time.
What was said
… Um, opposition, you know, military opposition, civil war is inevitable, when of course they're dealing with a broken military apparatus. But throughout all of this, his popularity never went below 70%. I don't know why. I mean, at the time, the average Russian salary was $100 a year. Even though they had a lower standard of cost of living, they used to there were periods of time where government workers were paid in kind. …
The Pete Quiñones Show · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Contradicts. Reuters reports VTsIOM approval fell to 65.6% in April 2026, its lowest since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and AP confirms the 65.6% figure as the lowest the pollster has reported since before the war.[1][2]
Contradicts. Arab News reports Levada approval fell to 62% in January 2013, the lowest in over 12 years, and Calhoun reports an all-time low of 62% in 2013 before rebounding.[3][6]
Contradicts. A VCIOM survey cited by united24media reports approval at 65.1% in July 2026, a further decline below 70%.[5]
Supports. Some sources show approval staying at or above 70% for most of the period, including the 2000–2008 presidency and Levada figures in June 2026 (74%), so the claim holds for parts of the timeline but not all of it.[6][7][8]
Context. Sources differ on exact figures by pollster (VTsIOM, Levada, FOM), and state pollsters are questioned for crackdown-related bias, but the dips below 70% appear across several independent reports.[2][4]
Sources
8 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 2 primary, 3 not rated, 1 rated low
- 1Putin's approval rating falls to lowest since before Ukraine war, state ...reuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: contradicts
- 2Another wave of public outcry tests Putin's rule | AP Newsapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: contradicts, context
- 3[PDF] The Logic of Vladimir Putin's Popular Appeal - Calhouncalhoun.nps.edu · primary source · cited for: contradicts
- 4The Puzzle of Putin's Popularity - Church Life Journalchurchlifejournal.nd.edu · primary source · cited for: context
- 5Putin's Approval Rating Explained: What Russians Really Think ...united24media.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 6Approval for Putin at 12-year lowarabnews.com · rated low for factual reporting by Iffy.news · cited for: contradicts, supports
- 7Putin’s Approval Rating Fell to Its Lowest Level Since the ...sfg.media · not rated · cited for: supports
- 8re-russia.net › en › analyticsAugust Sociology: Russian public opinion between holiday ...re-russia.net · not rated · cited for: supports
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
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