Public approval of Russian President Vladimir Putin fell by five percentage points in a single week to 66 per cent, according to a survey by the state-linked Public Opinion Foundation (FOM) conducted on 10–12 July. The decline is the steepest recorded since the partial mobilisation of September 2022 and brings the rating to its lowest level since the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine. Trust in Putin also slipped, from 69 to 67 per cent, while approval of the government and Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin dropped by four and three points respectively. A parallel poll by the state-owned VCIOM registered a smaller but consistent erosion, with approval down 0.9 points to 65.1 per cent and trust down 1.3 points to 71 per cent.

Russian polling agencies attribute the shift to growing public unease over two issues: the course of what Moscow calls the special military operation, cited by 32 per cent of FOM respondents as the week’s most notable event, and a fuel shortage that has disrupted supplies in several regions, mentioned by 19 per cent. Moscow-based analysts note that the downward trend began in spring 2026, coinciding with new internet restrictions and the blocking of the Telegram messaging service, which may have altered the information landscape. The fuel crisis has since added a tangible economic grievance, compounding anxieties about the war’s trajectory.

In a separate development, the Washington-based Pew Research Center published a survey of 36 countries showing that China’s global image has surpassed that of the United States for the first time in nearly two decades. In 25 of the nations polled, respondents held a more favourable view of China than of the US, and trust in President Xi Jinping exceeded trust in President Donald Trump in 22 countries. Pew researchers link the shift to improved post-pandemic perceptions of China and to international discontent with US foreign policy, including the conflict with Iran and tariff measures. In Brazil, for example, 46 per cent expressed a positive view of China, though 66 per cent said they did not trust Xi, reflecting a broader pattern of pragmatic economic appreciation coexisting with political scepticism.

The Kremlin has not commented on the domestic polling data. While both FOM and VCIOM still show majority support for Putin, the pace of the decline has drawn attention from analysts in European capitals, who view it as a potential indicator of the regime’s vulnerability to prolonged economic strain and war fatigue. The next weekly FOM survey is expected in mid-July, and any official response from the presidential administration is likely to be closely watched for signs of how the authorities intend to manage public sentiment.