A new poll by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM), published on May 15, put the president’s approval at 66.8% for the period from May 4 to 10 — up 1.2 percentage points from the previous poll, which covered April 13–19.

Trust in Vladimir Putin also rose, reaching 72.1%, compared with 71% in the previous poll.

In May, VTsIOM changed its methodology to include not only telephone surveys but also door-to-door interviews. The center said restrictions on communications, the spread of anti-spam filters, and telephone fraud had “substantially changed” survey conditions, making Russians more reluctant to engage with strangers.

Older age groups were most affected, VTsIOM said, concluding that telephone surveys under current conditions “cannot fully ensure the reachability” of that demographic.

Putin’s approval rating had been falling since early March. In the previous VTsIOM poll, published on April 24, it stood at 65.6%, and 66.7% the week before that. A political technologist working with the Russian presidential administration told Meduza that the reasons for the decline in approval ratings include the blocking of Telegram and mobile internet restrictions, rising prices, and public war fatigue.