Russians' War Fatigue Has Turned Into Anger

But Putin lives in a parallel reality.

The Russian dictator is entirely focused on the invasion of Ukraine and on his determination to bring it to a close only on maximalist terms—despite growing public discontent, writes Financial Times.

Putin’s persistent claims that his troops will win the war are already beginning to irritate Russians. According to a poll published on Friday, Putin’s approval rating has fallen to 69 percent, the lowest level since the war began in 2022.

“The Russian president’s attempts to reassure the public sound like a ‘mantra’—as if he’s trying to convince himself that everything is fine,” said Moscow-based political analyst Andrei Kolesnikov.

At the same time, by rejecting Ukraine’s proposal for a ceasefire, Putin has shown that he is ruling out all options for a peaceful resolution to the conflict, he notes.

The political analyst notes that Russians’ war fatigue has turned into anger that has no outlet.
“People are simply surviving as best they can, whether due to internet restrictions or the fuel crisis,” he says.

At the same time, the Kremlin has taken an unusual step by linking Putin more closely to the ruling party. At its convention on Sunday, “United Russia” called itself the “president’s party” for the first time since 2007.

Ivan Filippov, author of a forthcoming book on Russia’s pro-military blogging community, said that the shift in strategy regarding “United Russia” is a sign of Putin’s growing isolation.

“It’s 2026 now. The front lines are a dead-end meat grinder; the country is lining up for gasoline; missiles and drones strike oil refineries and arms factories every day; and Crimea has almost turned into an island. Under these circumstances, making Putin the face of the country’s most unpopular party—one that is sinking—is an inexplicable decision that could only have been made by someone living in a parallel reality,” he writes.

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