NEWSWATCH: “Public support for Putin to serve another term hits highest level in four years: poll” – Reuters
Public support for … Putin to serve another term as president has hit its highest level in four years, a survey by a state-run pollster showed …. Seventy-four percent of Russians would vote to re-elect Putin as president, according to … VTsIOM.
Putin dominates state media … and is widely expected to contest the next presidential election in 2018 …. He has capitalized on conflicts in Ukraine and Syria to boost his popularity and his message that Russia is again a force to be reckoned with on the world stage …. VTsIOM said Putin’s approval ratings had risen among many social groups, including young people …. in 2012 in the same polling series only 40 percent of Russians said they would vote for the Russian leader.