Dip in popularity for Vladimir Putin in Russian opinion poll

The electoral rating of President Vladimir Putin has dropped below 60% for the first time in five years, a leading Russian polling agency has said.

The survey by Levada Centre published on Thursday showed 56% of likely voters saying they would cast their ballots for Mr Putin in elections expected in 2024. That is 10% lower than a year ago.

The last time electoral support for Mr Putin dropped below 60%, according to similar Levada surveys, was in 2013. Mr Putin, who has been ruling Russia since 2000, was re-elected for another six-year term in March.

Unpopular changes to the pension system announced earlier this year have dented his popularity, while euphoria over the widely popular 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula has waned.