Posted this before, some relevant facts:
Putin's approval rating is 86% according to Levada, an international company with offices all over Europe, 83% according to Gallup, one of the largest US based polling companies, and Pew Research (American based as well) has a similar rating at 83%. Several Western-based smaller companies have similar numbers, showing Putin as being tremendously popular.
Some facts about Russia over the 15 years, since Putin came to power:
Russia's GDP in the last 15 years: 938% increase
Russia's unemployment rate in the last 15 years: From 14% down to around 5%
Russia's inflation rate in the last 15 years: 7 Times lower
Russia's productivity in the last 15 years: 121% increase
Russia's average monthly wages in the last 15 years: Literally 15x higher
Russian central bank balance sheet in the last 15 years: From negative to 1,195 billion
Russian debt as a % of GDP in the last 15 years: From over 100% to 8% debt
Russia's happiness index hits 25 year high: Fully 78 percent of Russians say they’re the most content they’ve been in 25 years
Russia's GDP, despite being temporarily depressed due to crashed oil prices by OPEC and US sanctions, is currently growing faster than France and Italy.
Polls by Ukrainian research agencies find that one year later, Crimeans continue to prefer Russia: "Eighty-two percent of those polled said they fully supported Crimea's inclusion in Russia, and another 11 percent expressed partial support. Only 4 percent spoke out against it."
Major US research firm Pew Polls : "The latest survey in Ukraine by the Pew Research Center, reveals 91% of Crimeans believe the recent referendum was free and fair and only 4% believe Ukraine is correct in not recognising the referendum results. "
It's not hard to see why Putin is so popular in Russia.
