Russia will hold the headlands of the upcoming presidential election. Although the polls show that most Russians will still vote for Putin, and he may be re-elected for presidentship for the fifth term, the mood in the country is rather disappointing, and the discontent is rising.
As hard as the political situation, which includes fighting in Ukraine, tougher dissidents, and growing global pressure from sanctions, Roman Putin seems to take Russia with full hands right now.
The Ukraine war continued during the time politics of Russian President Mr. Putin with this in mind to recall the problem of the bad politics he was good at. Putin’s decision about Crimea and military actions in Donbas became inexorable reasons for horizontal opponents, especially in the Western World. However, the direction in which he constantly shared Russian interests everywhere made him bolder as a leader who took the right actions and came to his conclusion.
By contrast, it would seem that Putin’s governing body has been dedicating more energy to stopping dissatisfaction within the country rather than allowing the expression of free speech and restricting the activities of non-governmental organizations and opposition. Numerous arrests, demonstrations, and suppression of the draconian laws passed have sealed the fate of the citizens, for they were not able to exercise their rights to protest against the incumbent. At the same time, it compelled the citizens to fuel the authority’s perceptions about Putin.
The country also suffers economic pressure from sanctions, most of which are concerned with recent conflicts: Ukraine and the foreign election issues. Putin, who has been confronted by the economic hardships caused by these sanctions, has managed to portray himself as a versatile leader far off from stagnation.
It seems like Putin will continue to stay in power despite the troubled times because he has used some politics, and internal security machinery, as well as defiance of foreign pressures. Contemporary Russia goes through a lot but still Putin is the leader and this is what you can say about the political situation in the country nowadays.
Throughout the day, mourners continue to come to Navalny’s grave; this shows that people are still fighting the Kremlin. Some of those who have lost hope will destroy their voting cards as a sign of protest, while most people feel that even if they did anything like that, it would not be possible to change anything in the way the election has already been planned out.
Although there are some dissatisfied voices here and there, Putin is still very popular because many believe that Russia is developing again and is stable. A man called Dmitry, who came here from the Komi Republic, admires Putin because he thinks that under his rule, Russia has moved forward and criticizes are just on the side.
Sergey also downplays the effect of global sanctions; he believes so because he has a good job and can get medical care easily. In turn, Artyom supports Putin’s decisive foreign policy with all his heart since according to him it serves to protect national honor in front of the whole world.
It may appear that Putin will undoubtedly win; however, widespread resistance and grief indicate tangible discontent, predicting a future in which his reign might meet strong opposition. While dealing with conflicting public opinions regarding these issues, Russia still cannot predict how politics will develop considering discord, agreements, and long-term influence left by Putin.