WP: Gloomy Moods Are Growing In Russia

Russians no longer believe in a quick victory.

Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin faces growing discontent in all segments of Russian society amid a protracted war against Ukraine, problems in the economy and growing resentment over restrictions on Internet access.

Russia's largest state-run sociological service, VTsIOM, on Friday recorded a drop in Putin's approval rating to 65.6 percent, the lowest since the war began, down 12.2 percentage points since the start of the year.

Evaluating real public opinion is difficult under an authoritarian regime that sends political opponents into exile, jails or kills them, and criticizing the war is illegal, writes The Washington Post.

Compared to Putin's historic ratings (which reached 88 percent), however, the falling numbers signal growing fatigue with the war, now in its fifth year, and the near-stalled negotiations, while U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is focused on Iran.

The Russian economy is suffering greatly

Economic sanctions are digging ever deeper into the Russian economy, hitting citizens' wallets, while the government's drive to restrict internet access under the pretext of security is irritating a society that has long enjoyed a high level of digitalization.

"The general mood is: enough is enough, you've been fighting long enough," one Russian official said on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

"It seems to everyone that this has lasted longer than World War II, the Great Patriotic War - and yet we cannot take even one region," he emphasized, referring to Russia's unsuccessful attempts since a full-scale invasion in 2022 to gain full control of the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.

In recent weeks, Putin's government has faced unusually open and harsh criticism from members of Russia's financial elite over its management of the economy.

According to Rosstat, the economy shrank 1.8 percent in the first two months of the year as tougher sanctions and high interest rates continue to stifle investment. The volume of non-payments on commercial accounts reached a record $109 billion in January. Meanwhile, the number of companies owed taxes rose to 439,900, according to the firm Aktion Accounting.

One after another, businessmen and economists at an economic forum in Moscow earlier this month criticized the government for shrinking the economy.

"People at the top have completely lost touch with reality on the ground, in the economy," said Vladimir Bogalev, head of a Russian tractor manufacturer. Those in power are actively "discrediting" themselves, Bogalev emphasized.

Robert Nigmatulin, an economist at the Russian Academy of Sciences, said at the forum that Russia is lagging behind China, with inflation far outpacing economic growth.

"We have lost everything and yet remain the poorest. Even China's poorest regions have higher incomes than our poorest regions," Nigmatulin explained. "GDP growth since 2015 - in 11 years - is about 1.5 percent a year. Do you know how much consumer prices have risen? By 77%." He added: "Can we invest in a country with this kind of leadership? This is not the way to run an economy."

In the meantime, a video by Victoria Boni, an Influencer from Monaco, in which she blasted Internet restrictions and condemned the government's handling of other problems of ordinary Russians, has gone viral. It prompted the Kremlin to respond, insisting that authorities were working on all the issues she raised.

Gennady Zyuganov, the longtime leader of the Communist Party, went even further during a speech to parliament this week, warning that "economic collapse is inevitable" if the problems are not addressed. "By the fall, we will face what happened in 1917," he said, referring to the Bolshevik Revolution.

Sanctions and Putin's huge military spending have driven inflation sky-high, forcing the central bank to raise interest rates above 20 percent to cool the economy. Although the central bank has since lowered rates - now at 14.5% - economists are increasingly warning of "hypothermia" and recession, the media said.

Russian Economic Development Minister Maksim Reshetnikov recently said Russia's reserves are "largely exhausted," while Putin has publicly acknowledged problems in the economy and called on the government to explain the slowdown.

Russia's economy, which is heavily dependent on oil revenues, has gotten some respite thanks to a jump in oil prices caused by the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. However, economists say that only a prolonged period of high prices will allow Russia to balance its budget.

"The Russian economy is now in a strange 'twilight zone' between the positive effects of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and high commodity prices, and at the same time its own economic dynamics, which have deteriorated significantly in recent months," explained Janis Kluge, an economist at the German Institute for International Security Affairs.

Russians are tired, but the problems are not ending

In addition, increased Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian ports and refineries forced Russia to cut oil production in April by 48,000 to 64,000 cubic meters (300,000-400,000 barrels) per day, the paper said. That potentially offsets some of the gains Moscow had hoped for from higher prices and Trump's temporary lifting of sanctions on Russian oil.

"The problems are growing, and we have been saying for a long time that this time will come," said a Russian academic with close ties to senior diplomats.

As citizens are forced to cut back on basic spending and Internet restrictions disrupt daily life, divisions are emerging in all sectors of society. "The discontent is very strong," emphasized Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Center. "There is a protracted war and financial difficulties, while young people are dissatisfied with being cut off from their familiar social media environment. Everywhere you look, there are problems. And where this will lead, we can't say."

"People are beginning to speak out more boldly," Stanovaya said, adding, however, that the authorities are likely to respond by stepping up repression, and there are no signs that the regime is in danger of losing control.

Russian social and political activist Mikhail Khodorkovsky, for his part, said the initial patriotic boost from the war has dissipated. "The war has been going on for too long, and there are no clear changes. The fact that they won or lost three villages doesn't help much," Khodorkovsky explained.

For some in Russia, Trump's decision to go to war against Iran has become a justification for Putin's own war against Ukraine and may encourage the Kremlin to persist in pursuing military objectives, especially the capture of Donetsk. "Everyone believes that the Gulf War gives Russia a chance to fight longer against Ukraine and seize more territory," said one Moscow businessman. "Nobody understands how long the war will last, and people are increasingly afraid that the state will take more and more from them."

The Iron Curtain

There is growing despair, especially over Internet restrictions that revive memories of Soviet repression. "People like us are very worried because we were born in a country that you couldn't leave," said Tatiana, 53, a manager at a logistics company. "We already lived behind the Iron Curtain once and were sure it would never happen again. But it did. Now we have a digital Iron Curtain.

Others spoke of the dismal economic landscape. "In terms of business, I see a complete mess - sales are down, people have less and less money, shopping centers are much less crowded, prices have doubled and tripled for fruits and vegetables," said 46-year-old Irina. "Utility bills have gone up, taxes have also gone up."

19-year-old student Igor described the growing despondency: "In general, both I and my acquaintances feel complete hopelessness, with which nothing can be done. Everyone wants to leave, but most don't have the opportunity to do so. No one wants to connect their future with this country. It is difficult, expensive and gloomy to live here."

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