“Putin is no longer an axiom”: expert describes moods inside Russia

Political scientist Abbas Gallyamov said that both society and elites in Russia are already dissatisfied with Putin, reports Politeka.

He spoke about this in Valeriy Savchuk’s author program “Different People.”

“Earlier, Putin was perceived by the majority of Russians as a kind of axiom — meaning no proof was needed that he was strong, patriotic, an experienced politician, someone who does not make mistakes, a strategic genius who sees the future. For most Russians and for a significant part of the elites, this did not require any special proof: if we don’t understand something, fine — the giraffe is tall, it knows better; at the head of the state there is a wise politician who understands everything. Those times are gone. Putin is no longer an axiom. Now he constantly has to prove himself. People look at him with skepticism. He has become a theorem that requires proof,” Abbas Gallyamov claims.

According to him, an internal demand for criticism has matured in Russia: people are dissatisfied with what is happening, and they are unhappy with the leader’s inability to win the war he started. In other words, the expert explains, Putin defined Ukraine as an enemy — fine — but he cannot achieve victory, so why did he get involved at all? As a result, negative feelings, irritation, and disappointment have accumulated.

“Earlier, an average Russian simply would not listen — they would refuse to listen. But now it’s different. Now there is a demand for criticism. Even such seemingly apolitical figures as Victoria Bonya suddenly enter politics, start criticizing, and gather 30 million views and a million likes,” Abbas Gallyamov emphasizes.

This is already a situation, the guest of the program argues, where making mistakes is no longer acceptable — people stop tolerating it. Even back in 2022, he recalls, 50% of the population did not want to hear about Bucha, for example, thinking that a Russian soldier could not do such things. But now, he says, those people have internally matured.