Yevgeny V. Prigozhin’s failed insurrection sharply dented his home help, however practically 30 p.c of Russians proceed to view the Wagner mercenary chief positively, based on opinion polls whose outcomes had been launched Monday.
Results from two surveys performed in June by Russian Field, a nonpartisan Moscow-based analysis firm, discovered that Mr. Prigozhin’s determination to march his Wagner mercenaries on Moscow on June 24 reversed a gradual rise in opinion polls that had made him one in all Russia’s hottest wartime leaders.
Mr. Prigozhin’s quick lived-rebellion, which he referred to as off inside hours, had posed essentially the most dramatic problem to President Vladimir V. Putin’s management in his 20 years in energy.
Mr. Prigozhin’s residual help is especially placing in gentle of a concerted effort by the Russian authorities to discredit him; the dearth of public help for the mutiny from Russian political and navy leaders; and the deaths of a number of Russian navy pilots who confronted Wagner’s rebels. The polls additionally passed off amid an more and more draconian crackdown on free speech, which has seen Russians jailed for expressing anti-government views.
Experts are divided over the accuracy of polling in Russia, the place criticizing the conflict in Ukraine is prohibited. Some declare that repression prevents respondents from expressing their actual views. Polling companies defend their work by saying that well-designed surveys can nonetheless produce dependable outcomes.
Between 70 and 80 p.c of individuals reached by phone by Russian Fields refused to take part, highlighting the difficulties of capturing public opinion within the nation.
Russian Field surveyed two separate teams of about 1,600 individuals throughout Russia by telephone, one shortly earlier than and the opposite shortly after Wagner’s mutiny. The polls had a margin of error of two.5 p.c.
Overall, Mr. Prigozhin’s help fell by 26 proportion factors following the mutiny, based on the ballot. Twenty-nine p.c of these surveyed mentioned they nonetheless considered Mr. Prigozhin in a optimistic gentle, whereas practically 40 p.c mentioned they considered the mercenary chief negatively. One-third of respondents mentioned they weren’t acquainted with his actions or declined to reply.
The findings appeared to align with an evaluation performed in June by FilterLabs.AI, a public opinion agency that screens social media and web boards to trace standard sentiment in Russia. That evaluation discovered a pointy discount in Mr. Prigozhin’s help after the insurrection.
As Mr. Prigozhin lodged more and more caustic assaults in opposition to the Russian ruling class, his help steadily rose till he staged his high-stakes gambit in opposition to the federal government, the polls by Russian Field discovered. The share of Russians who supported him rose by 14 proportion factors, to 55 p.c, from February to early June, based on the analysis firm, regardless of a scarcity of media protection from state-dominated tv networks, which proceed to be an influential supply of news for Russians.
“Prigozhin’s rating was based on two pillars: the support of Vladimir Putin and honest rhetoric. He called things by their name and talked about problems that others were afraid to speak of,” Artemiy Vvedenskiy, the founding father of Russian Field, mentioned in written responses to questions.
The polls present that state propaganda has been partly profitable in altering these perceptions. Following the insurrection, Mr. Prigozhin’s help fell most sharply amongst Russians over 60 and people who primarily get hold of info from tv, based on the polls.
By distinction, Russians between 18 and 44 years previous had been practically evenly cut up amongst supporters and opponents of Mr. Prigozhin, the polls discovered. The mercenary chief and tycoon additionally maintained sturdy help amongst Russians who get hold of their info primarily from the favored messaging app Telegram and web news websites, suggesting that his on-line media community has appreciable attain.
Mr. Prigozhin arrived final week in Belarus, based on that nation’s pro-Russian president, Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, though he has not been seen publicly for the reason that insurrection. The Russian authorities have blocked news and different web sites managed by the Wagner chief.
His future reputation will rely on how energetic he stays publicly, provided that few “straight shooters” stay in Russia’s tightly managed media house, Mr. Vvedenskiy mentioned.
Julian Barnes contributed reporting.
Source: www.nytimes.com