According to a survey conducted by the Levada Center, Russians believe that, over his years in power, Putin has managed to return a respected status as a great power (49%) to Russia, to stabilize the situation in the North Caucasus (34%) and to keep the country from disintegration (33%).
Among other achievements of Putin's time in power there are the increase in salaries, pensions, stipends and allowances, successful struggle with the consequences of the crisis in 2008 (29%), retention of Russia on the path of reform (24%), strengthening of law and order (18%), sociologists report, according to the results of the March poll.
Russians are also pleased that Putin was able to provide convergence between the CIS countries (15%), to continue the reforms with great attention to the social protection of the population (14%), to overcome the crisis in the economy, to stop the decline in production (10%), to return means to people (5%) and to ensure equitable distribution of incomes (4%).
The most attractive features of Vladimir Putin, Russians believe, his vigor, determination and experience are the qualities mentioned by 41% and 40% respectively, Interfax reports.
In general, 73% of Russians have a favorable impression of Putin (58% in 2014), adverse - 14% (last year - 24%). Another 9% said that they don't know enough about him, and 4% were undecided.
According to the survey, 37% of Russians are sympathetic to Putin, 30% cannot say anything bad about him, 10% - admiration or neutral, 5% - suspicion. 6% experience negative feelings. The survey was conducted among 1,600 people in 134 population centers in 46 regions of the country.
Russian journalist and political scientist Mikhael Leontyev told Vestnik Kavkaza that the chief merit of Vladimir Putin is "the restoration of the lost institution of the state, the restoration of the subjectivity of the state in Russia, of Russian subjectivity in the world." "Russia had practically become an object of world politics and history, but she regained her subjectivity. Now we see the reaction of world dominance to the return of the subjective, it wasn't part of the plan," he said.
In this regard, the expert mentioned the legacy which was inherited by the second president of the Russian Federation. "You just have to imagine the scale of the disaster in which the statehood was almost destroyed," the analyst said.
Now it is different. "For example, a trivial thing - when the former US Secretary of Defense said that we are dealing with a combat-ready, modern Russian army. Just imagine that 5 years ago, no one could even think like that," Mikhail Leontiev said.
The director of the Center for Political Information, Alexei Mukhin, in his turn, noted Vladimir Putin's achievements in the economy. "The Russian economy is competitive now and it has become an integral part of the global economy, which is very clearly expressed during so-called anti-Russian sanctions. The US got the formation of alternative institutions within the BRICS and running processes of import substitution in Russia, instead of Russia's isolation. In addition, Russia has somehow managed to make its financial system more independent of the dollar," he said.
