Two New Poll Results Highlight Growing Divide between Kremlin and Russian People

Paul Goble

            Staunton, April 8 – One of the most profound mistakes many make is to assume that the Kremlin and the Russian people are united and share common values on all subjects, an error the Kremlin of course does everything it can to promote.  But two new poll results highlight the divide between the two, a gulf that appears to be deepening with each passing month.

            On the one hand, unlike the Kremlin, an overwhelming majority of Russians consider that the country’s membership in the Council of Europe is important, given that a majority of them consider it essential that they have the opportunity to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights if Russian courts reject their claims.

            And on the other, again in contrast to the position of the Kremlin, nearly two-thirds of all Russians oppose the new Kremlin-backed law imposing sanctions on those who insult officials and state symbols, with the state being the judge of what kind of criticism justifies that label. Indeed, many Russians view this law as absurd and an indication of regime weakness.

            Several new sociological surveys found that more than 80 percent of Russians consider membership in the Council of Europe to be important for their country, with a majority saying that one of the most important reasons is that it allows Russians to appeal to the European Human Rights Court as a last resort (rbc.ru/society/08/04/2019/5ca733719a79470203f3d722).

            Even though Moscow often refuses to implement its decrees, Russians consider having the right to appeal to it gives them leverage they would not otherwise have. That is why hundreds of them have appealed their cases to Strasbourg, and why Kremlin media have talked about walking away from the Council and the Court entirely (credo.press/223888/).

            Even more indicative of the divide between the Kremlin and the Russian people is a Levada Center poll showing that 64 percent of Russians today believe the new laws punishing expressions of disrespect for officials and dissemination of “fake” news are intended to suppress criticism (rbc.ru/politics/08/04/2019/5ca74b0e9a79470eefba7989).

            Large numbers of Russians who feel that way also feel, the sociologists found, that such laws are not designed to unify Russian society as the Kremlin insists but rather are a manifestation of the weakness of the powers that be and a desire on their part to block any negative comments about them (nakanune.ru/articles/115051/).