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Putin steps up public appearances amid falling approval ratings

Source: Faridaily

Vladimir Putin made noticeably more public appearances in April and May than he had in the first three months of 2026, according to the independent Russian political newsletter Faridaily, which reviewed Kremlin press service reports on the president’s participation in events.

Based on those reports, Putin took part in 60 public events in April and May, compared with just 55 in January through March — pre-recorded bilateral meetings and certain other sessions excluded. He also held two meetings with “ordinary people”: his former schoolteacher and a now-grown Chinese boy who had met the Russian president in 2000. Putin also traveled abroad in April and May, visiting China and Kazakhstan.

The surge in public activity, Faridaily writes, may reflect the Kremlin’s desire to shore up Putin’s image amid declining official approval ratings. Both the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM) and the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM) continue to record falling approval ratings for the Russian president. VTsIOM changed its polling methodology, but the adjustment did not produce a sustained rise in the ratings.

Putin almost never travels around Russia. From January through May inclusive, he officially left Moscow only twice — both times to St. Petersburg. In the same period last year, Putin made eight trips to the regions; in 2024, he made 14.

A Faridaily source close to the Kremlin said Putin stopped traveling to the regions for security reasons. Ensuring security from an infrastructure standpoint is easier in the capitals of China and Kazakhstan than in, say, Ryazan or Kemerovo, the source said. During his visit to Kazakhstan, Putin was accompanied by an armored vehicle with a spot for a gunner on the roof.

Faridaily and the independent Russian investigative outlet Agentstvo drew attention in March to the fact that Putin had been appearing in public far less frequently. Concerns about the Russian president’s security were believed to be behind the withdrawal.

In early May, the intelligence service of one of the European countries reported that Russia’s Federal Protective Service (FSO) had significantly stepped up measures to protect Vladimir Putin because he fears a possible assassination attempt. The media outlet “Mozhem obyasnit” reported that officials had been banned from wearing wristwatches to meetings with the Russian president.

In early June, the Financial Times reported that Russian security services had temporarily shut down a special surveillance system designed to protect Vladimir Putin and other senior officials following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Israeli intelligence services prepared a successful assassination of Khamenei by accessing data from road surveillance cameras.

At the same time, Faridaily’s sources said, Putin’s reduced public presence does not mean he has been working less. A source in the government who regularly attends events with Putin said the Russian president’s “priorities may have shifted.” Putin holds many private meetings with participants in the war with Ukraine and with the widows of those killed, “personally getting involved in the work of helping them adapt to civilian life,” the source said. Putin is also “very actively” holding meetings related to high technology and artificial intelligence, the source added. What exactly is discussed at such meetings was not specified.