Russian President Vladimir Putin’s approval rating is falling sharply even according to the country’s state-linked polling agencies – institutions whose figures have long been treated with caution.The Public Opinion Foundation (FOM), which regularly conducts surveys for the Kremlin, recorded a five-percentage-point weekly drop in approval of Putin’s performance, from 71% to 66%. It was the steepest fall since Russia announced its partial mobilization in autumn 2022.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.The share of respondents who disapproved of Putin’s performance rose to 16%, its highest level since the full-scale invasion began. Trust in the president fell to 67%, while distrust reached 20%.The state-run Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM) showed a similar trend. By mid-July, Putin’s approval rating had fallen for three consecutive weeks to 65.1%, down from 70.4% in mid-June. Trust had declined from 76.7% to 71%.The figures are striking not because they prove that only around a third of Russians oppose Putin. They are striking because a visible decline has broken through a polling system that may be structurally inclined to overstate support.How the polling method shapes the answerSince May, VTsIOM has used a combined sample for its weekly political ratings: half of the interviews are conducted by telephone and half through what it calls a “route sample.”In practice, the latter involves interviewers approaching respondents at their homes according to a predetermined route. VTsIOM itself acknowledges in its methodological notes that question wording and circumstances arising during fieldwork can introduce bias into survey results.