Popular opinion in Russia backs Putin – but that may not last

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After months of buildup, Russia sent troops into eastern Ukraine on Monday, posing the largest threat to peace in Europe since World War II. But Russian media have been depicting a very different picture, with the looming potential for war not existing until only a few weeks ago. Now, many Russians fault either the U.S. or Ukraine for the escalating conflict.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, continues to enjoy high levels of popularity, fueled in part by his narratives about Eastern European history and Russia’s power. But Putin’s public support is unlikely to last long, writes Arik Burakovsky, assistant director of the Russia and Eurasia Program at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

“War ultimately requires an enormous amount of public goodwill and support for a political leader – far more than a brief spike in popularity can ensure,” Burakovsky writes.

In another story on the crisis, Eastern European experts Emily Channell-Justice of Harvard University and Jacob Lassin of Arizona State University write how Putin’s protests over NATO expansion obscure a different objective: refusing to recognize Ukrainian independence.

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Popular opinion in Russia backs Putin – but that may not last

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