Russian State Pollster Halts Publication of Putin’s Open Trust Ratings Amid Record Decline

Russia’s state-owned polling agency, the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM), has stopped releasing its “open” public trust data for Vladimir Putin.

The decision follows a significant drop in the leader’s numbers to their lowest levels since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to The Moscow Times on June 8.

While the agency continues to share its “closed” polls—where participants are asked directly whether they trust the president—the “open” format, which asks respondents to name politicians they trust without any prompts, has vanished from public view. Data for April and May remain unpublished as of June 8, with the last update dating back to April 5.

Under the “open” methodology, less than one-third of respondents identified Putin as a trusted figure in March. This starkly contrasts with the “closed” polling, which suggests approval levels above 70%.

Meanwhile, VCIOM’s weekly approval rating for Putin, which is still being released, stood at 66.6% as of May 31. This represents a decline of nearly 10 percentage points since the beginning of 2026.

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Observers suggest this downward trend stems from a combination of mounting challenges, including rising inflation, economic pressure, and widespread public exhaustion regarding the ongoing war.

The steady loss of military personnel is further straining the domestic labor market and fueling price hikes, placing additional weight on the economy. Simultaneously, authorities have increased efforts to control the digital landscape, blocking popular messaging apps and restricting the use of VPNs to force citizens toward government-approved websites.

Previously, the Russian government drafted legislation to automatically transfer the pension savings of approximately 37 million citizens, known as "silent" investors, into a new state-run investment program.

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