Russian fuel crisis drags Putin's trust ratings down for second consecutive week
Putin trust rating drops amid fuel crisis in Russia (Photo: Kremlin.ru/Handout via REUTERS)
Indicators of Russians' approval of and trust in dictator Vladimir Putin have fallen for a second consecutive week amid the worsening fuel crisis, Russia's Agentstvo. Novosti reported on July 10.
The publication cited data from the poll conducted by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM).
Sixty-six percent of respondents reported approving of Putin's performance in a poll conducted between June 29 and July 5. This marks a 0.9 percentage point drop from the study conducted a week earlier. Meanwhile, 72.3% of those surveyed trust Putin — a decrease of 1 percentage point from the previous week.
Both indicators have been declining for two consecutive weeks. Over this period, approval of his performance fell by 4.4 percentage points from 70.4%, and trust fell from 76.7%.
The Public Opinion Foundation (FOM) also recorded a decrease in trust in the Kremlin leader. According to its study conducted from July 3 to July 5, this indicator fell by 2 percentage points, dropping from 71% to 69%.
Twenty percent of respondents named fuel shortages and price increases as the main reason for the drop in Putin's ratings, whereas a week ago, 14% of respondents identified this issue as their primary concern. The so-called "special military operation" was generally named the event of the week by 18% of surveyed Russians (compared to 15% last week), while the shelling of Russian territory was cited by 12% (compared to 19%).
Putin's approval rating fell by 5 percentage points in June 2026 — the first such drop since September 2022.
In the first half of the year, Ukrainian Defense Forces intensified strikes on Russian territory and the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, specifically targeting oil refineries and logistics facilities, which led to the loss of about 40% of Russia's oil refining capacity. As a result, the fuel crisis worsened in many regions of the aggressor state, as well as in Crimea — local authorities introduced strict restrictions, and massive lines formed at gas stations.
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