So, when your own pollsters start returning numbers showing that your approval rating is falling quite sharply, you know you have a problem. The latest data from Russia’s Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM), a 100 percent state-owned entity, put Putin’s approval rating at 65.1 percent on July 12, with 23.4 percent of Russians openly disapproving of his work as president. Even in September 2025, after a punishing summer for Russia’s forces in Ukraine, his approval rating sat at 77.8 percent. Despite these concessions, Putin’s approval rating has continued todecline.” To ensure the war machine receives the requisite funding, Russia’s State Duma recently brought in sweeping tax reforms.