While the number of Russians disenchanted with President Vladimir Putin’s “United Russia” (Единая Россия) party has been steadily growing since 2010, a new nationwide study by the respected Levada Centre reveals that for the first time more than half of the population agree with the statement that United Russia is the “party of crooks and thieves” (партия жуликов и воров).
Развитие событий: «Левада-центр»
Although the Levada Centre has had no problems with the government over many years of polling in Russia, perhaps it was not just coincidental that after public release of these numbers that the Putin government has ordered the Centre to register as a “foreign agent.” The government claims that the Levada Centre receives funding from outside Russia, which it does as providing various polling data to corporations and advertising companies internationally.
Recent Levada polls have revealed that a third of Russians support the release of arrested marchers from last year’s (6 May 2012) anti-government rally on Bolotnaya Ploshchad. Close to half of Russians believe the imprisonment of former Yukos Oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky to be politically motivated according to recent polling.
