More than four years into his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is facing mounting challenges. Internet outages designed to prevent Ukrainian drone attacks have angered many Russians, the economy is in contraction and the Russian army has been losing ground in Ukraine for the first time since 2023.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The 73-year-old’s popularity has taken a hit: his approval rating last month dipped to its lowest since 2022, according to independent polling. But analysts say the challenges are not yet big enough to topple the former KGB agent, who has spent more than a quarter of a century consolidating his power and eliminating the opposition. “Approval ratings are falling, frustration is mounting and anxiety is growing. The four-year psychological milestone has passed, and some people have realised that things aren’t quite going to plan,” political scientist Konstantin Kalachev told AFP. “But nothing critical is happening,” he said. Despite widespread discontent over the internet outages, frustration has not yet translated into major protests, with authorities cracking down on any signs of dissent and Russians embracing virtual private networks (VPNs) to skirt the restrictions. Many Russians are adapting to the challenges, having “learnt to live in the short-term” as the war with Ukraine drags on for four years and counting, said Kalachev. “The situation in the country can be summed up like this: life is hard, but bearable.”