Banning the opposition, going on a listening tour: Putin’s worried about the coming election

The Kremlin may be increasingly anxious about upcoming national elections in September, as Russia prepares to vote for the State Duma and regional governors. Per The Conversation (UK), the government has already banned the pro-democracy party Yabloko from participating to prevent any public expression of anger over the war in Ukraine. This comes amid reports of fuel shortages, economic insecurity, and a drop in public support for the conflict, which fell from seventy-eight percent in July twenty twenty-five to sixty-six percent in July twenty twenty-six. To project stability, Vladimir Putin has taken the unusual step of touring various cities, though the state's aggressive suppression of minor opposition suggests a lack of confidence in its grip on power.

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