A majority of Russians don’t trust Putin to solve corruption. But they trust him to run the country

MOSCOW —  At a time when public anger over government corruption has led to the most widespread protests Russia has seen in years, less than half of Russians are confident in President Vladi­mir Putin’s efforts to rein in crooked officials, according to a survey released Tuesday.

The survey by the Washington-based Pew Research Center finds Russians generally confident in their country’s direction, enthusiastic about Moscow’s increasing say in world affairs, and increasingly sanguine about the economy. A whopping 87 percent of those surveyed said they trust Putin to represent their country’s interests on a global stage.

But approval of the job Putin is doing to eliminate corruption has fallen over the past two

years, from 62 percent to 49 percent, according to the center, which conducted face-to-face interviews with 1,002 Russians between February and April.

That time span coincides with the first of two nationwide anti-corruption protests spearheaded by opposition activist Alexei Navalny, after he alleged that Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev had illicitly acquired $1 billion in yachts, mansions and vineyards through bribes.The anti-corruption rallies are part of a wave of dissatisfaction sweeping the country unseen since 2012, most of it connected with popular misgivings about official malfeasance.

[Tens of thousands of rally across the country as Russians protest corruption]

“Our data indicate that although Russians have a high level of confidence in their president when it comes to global affairs, they nevertheless point to serious problems within their country that affect their daily life,” said Margaret Vice, a senior researcher at the Pew Research Center. “Corruption is also Russians’ second-top concern, second only to rising prices, with almost nine in 10 saying corrupt political leaders pose a problem for Russia.”

In recent months, Russia has seen rallies by long-distance truckers angry about road tolls collected by a company run by the son of one of Putin’s oldest friends.

Moscow apartment owners who oppose the city’s plan to relocate as many as 1.6 million Muscovites have held several large protests. A recent Transparency International report characterized the relocation as a gift to Russia’s “construction lobby,” builders and suppliers who have fallen on lean times because of a recession.

Questions and text messages about corruption popped up during Putin’s annual live call-in show three days after nationwide protests June 12, puncturing his effort to convey good news about an economy finally nosing its way out of recession.

[Putin takes heat from broke, angry Russians in live call-in show]While Navalny’s popularity in Russia remains minuscule, 58 percent of respondents in a poll conducted by Russia’s independent Levada Centerdisplayed a positive attitude toward anti-corruption protests. 

None of this suggests that Putin’s chances of being reelected to a new six-year term next March are in any danger, said Natalia Zorkaya, a researcher at the Levada Center, which posts frequent polls that show Putin’s approval rating has not dipped below 80 percent since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. 

Confidence in Putin, she said, “is not decreasing, despite the growth of dissatisfaction with domestic problems.” And “even though the protest mood in society is growing,” this mood “will not affect elections and the victory of Putin,” she said.