Russians trust Putin more than local authorities – ISW.

According to a report by the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW), trust of Russians in Vladimir Putin has increased, while trust in local authorities has decreased. One of the main reasons for this is cryptomobilization. The results of a survey conducted in September 2024 showed that 43% of Russians trust local government agencies, 69% trust the Russian military, and 80% trust Putin. Compared to the survey conducted in September 2023, it can be concluded that Putin continues to focus his efforts on cryptomobilization at the level of local authorities.

Thus, he diverts dissatisfaction from himself and the federal government and shifts it onto local officials. Meanwhile, the decline in trust in local officials and the increase in trust in Putin may indicate that his strategy to deflect dissatisfaction by highlighting examples of incompetence among local officials may be somewhat successful.

The ISW report states that Putin will continue to influence local authority on issues of cryptomobilization until federal-level efforts are needed to address pressing issues in Ukraine.

Recall, Vladimir Putin announced the start of training for strategic nuclear deterrence forces and acknowledged that sanctions are causing problems for the Russian economy.