The West has consistently insisted that the invasion of Ukraine was instigated by Vladimir Putin alone, without the consent of the Russian people. It seems that the people didn’t need any public debate about the morality or necessity of invading a non-threatening, neighbouring states. Putin expected that Russians would accept the “special military operation” because they wholeheartedly welcomed previous Russian incursions into foreign countries.
The Russians’ previous affirmations of his foreign offensives simply emboldened him once again. During the war with Georgia in 2008, when Putin was prime minister, his popularity soared to 88%. They applauded Putin’s recognition of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol, and the assault against Ukraine in 2014.
His approval rating remained high up until 2019, when the retirement age was raised. Amendments to the Russian constitution in 2020, which guaranteed Putin’s grip on power gained 78% endorsement. The rise in Putin’s popularity coincided with the massive deployment of military alongside Ukraine’s border last year.
(Pikemalt saab lugeda Eesti Elu 8. aprilli 2022 paber- ja PDF/digilehest)
