Putin may have high ratings – but Russians are terrified too | Alexei Levinson

Today, on Russia's Victory Day, reimagined by Vladimir Putin as a showcase for his regime, the Guardian and other European outlets are publishing articles by the newspaper Novaya Gazeta, which has suspended publication in Russia because of censorship over the Ukraine war

A month after Putin's special operation" in Ukraine began, the Levada Centre, a non-governmental polling organisation, carried out a survey to gauge public attitudes towards the conflict. The results were awaited with some trepidation. Some thought they would show public dissatisfaction with the leadership and that the president's ratings would fall. Others demurred.

There were precedents. After Russia's short war with Georgia in 2008, Vladimir Putin's approval rating shot up to 88%. In 2014, after the annexation of Crimea, the same thing happened: the proportion of people who said they approved of his leadership once again rose to the same figure.

Alexei Levinson is a sociologist and senior researcher at the Levada Center, Russia's leading polling organisation

Today on Russia's Victory Day, the Guardian and other European news organisations are publishing articles by the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta