“It is a development that has flummoxed Western nations and frustrated Russia’s motley band of oppositionists. Some of them say that Russians are too scared to speak their minds to pollsters. Others claim that the poll numbers are manipulated, although most Western polling firms arrive at similar figures.” Even as Russians trend more negative on their country’s overall direction, they remain (as far as we can tell) remarkably positive about their leader of fifteen years. Vladimir Putin has an 83 percent approval rating.