Director of the Center for Political Analysis Pavel Danilin on Thursday, February 23, in an interview with Izvestia, commented on the results of a survey by the All-Russian Public Opinion Center (VTsIOM), according to which 78% of those who watched the message of Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Federal Assembly considered that he was sincere and honest with the audience.
“We can state that the President, speaking to society and the Federal Assembly, in many ways responded to the aspirations of the people, that he takes into account the demands that society makes to the authorities, and he is on the same wavelength with the people. This message, of course, met with support and approval due to the fact that the topics that were raised, namely social development, a special military operation (SVO), the education of youth, the development of traditional values - all this actually excites Russian society, ” Danilin noted.
He also noted that the peak of approval of the work of the president by Russian society was observed in 2014-2015 and in 2016-2018. Then there was some decline in ratings, but now the level of support for the president is at the highest level, slightly falling short of the maximum indicators of 2015-2018.
The poll results were released earlier Thursday. It was noted that for 82% of viewers the message was interesting. Of these, 52% noted that they were interested in the whole speech of the head of state. Another 30% said that most of it was interesting.
Also, the majority of viewers – 88% – believe that Putin has made his position clear and understandable.
Putin’s address to the Federal Assembly was held on February 21 at Gostiny Dvor in Moscow.
Particular attention at the event was paid to the topic of the special military operation (SVO) of Russia to protect Donbass. During his speech, the President of Russia emphasized that the Russian Federation is ready to fulfill the tasks of the NMD step by step. According to him, those who unleashed the armed confrontation set their sights on the Crimea and Sevastopol.
The head of state also said that the Russian Federation managed to enter a completely new round of economic development. The main goal of imposing sanctions was not achieved by the West – the attempt to make the Russians suffer failed, Putin said.
As Putin added, Russia is an open state with a distinctive civilization, and the hallmarks of Russians are generosity, breadth of soul, mercy and compassion, as well as solidarity. It is this cohesion that allows Russia to respond to any external challenges.
On February 22, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained why there were more people than usual at the Russian president’s address to the Federal Assembly, noting that the composition of the invitees was largely dictated by current realities. The presidential press secretary also said that, for obvious reasons, the head of state does not have the opportunity to track all the impressions of his speech, and for this there is a service that prepares summary information on the responses. The president does not get acquainted with all the information and will be able to read something, Peskov said.
