Prigozhin's 'Hike' Brings Down Putin's Credibility Level: Kremlin Receives Staggering Data

• 30.06.2023, 8:35

A third of Russians support the head of the Wagner PMC.

In the wake of the Wagner PMC's mutiny, Yevgeny Prigozhin still has the support of nearly a third of Russians.

In the evening of June 23, Yevgeny Prigozhin declared war on the Russian Defence Ministry and moved a column of 25 thousand armed mercenaries of the Wagner PMC to Rostov, and then to Moscow.

The Kremlin apparently did not expect an internal revolt and therefore was not prepared to confront any armed forces on its territory.

By the evening of June 24, Prigozhin had reached Moscow, but suddenly refused to seize power and retreated.

Since then, Putin and his team have done everything to destroy the image of the head of the Wagner PMC, but in reality the rebel cook is still supported by 29% of those polled by the Levada Center.

Moreover, before the mutiny, 19% of respondents were willing to support Prigozhin if he were to run in the 2024 presidential election. After June 24, the share of such respondents dropped to 10%. The numbers have almost halved over the past week; however, they have not become zero, as the presidential press service is trying to convince us.

Meanwhile, Meduza reports that since Prigozhin's riot, the level of trust in Putin has allegedly fallen by 9-14% (depending on the region).

This data was presented at a video meeting for Russia's embassies and regional politicians on June 29.

The Kremlin's political bloc plans to combat this in a straightforward manner - Putin will make more frequent public appearances.

A similar drop in Putin's level of trust was recorded in 2018, when he raised the retirement age contrary to his promises: the figure then plummeted by 12%, but the process stretched over several months rather than a couple of days.