Paul Goble
Staunton, July 31 – Polls by Kremlin-linked survey agencies may suggest that an overwhelming majority of Russians still support Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, but a better measure of their attitudes is that the leaders of the ruling United Russia Party have decided that the war is not part of a winning formula in the upcoming regional elections.
Instead, its campaign managers are urging candidates to focus on local issues and avoid talking about an issue that could work against them, a clear sign that the war is becoming toxic for those who are too closely identified with it (verstka.media/edinorossy-v-regionah-opasayutsia-ispolzovat-voynu-p-predvybornoy-agitacii).
This conclusion appears to be common in all the 23 regions and four occupied territories where regional elections will be held on September 10. Not surprisingly, candidates have been warned not to speak against the war, but they are also being told not to talk about it lest they put off voters or generate a backlash.
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