Less than half of all Russians believe that the country is headed in the right direction just a year after Dmitry Medvedev was elected president on promises to follow Vladimir Putin's course, according to a new poll.

As the economic crisis takes its toll, the number of Russians who believe that the country is moving in the right direction dropped to 43 percent last month, from 59 percent in May 2008 when Medvedev was sworn in, according to the poll by the independent Levada Center.

Medvedev, Putin's protege and handpicked successor, campaigned on a platform to maintain Putin's policies as president, and he took office on May 7, 2008, after being elected with a landslide 71.25 percent of the vote.

Putin's presidency ushered in an era of rising living standards thanks largely to high oil prices. But oil prices have tumbled, leaving Medvedev's Kremlin and the Cabinet of Prime Minister Putin struggling to piece together a package of anti-crisis measures.

The crisis has also dented Medvedev's and Putin's approval ratings, which have fallen to their lowest levels over the past year, the Levada poll said.

A total of 68 percent of Russians approve of Medvedev's performance, down from a high of 83 percent in September after Russia emerged victorious in a brief war with Georgia. Putin's approval rating declined from 88 percent to 76 percent over the same period.

Putin, however, remains the most powerful person in the country, with 30 percent of Russians saying he holds the most power compared with 12 percent for Medvedev. Forty-eight percent said the two share power equally.

If a presidential election were held today, 28 percent of Russians would vote for Putin and 19 percent would vote for Medvedev.

The Levada survey of 1,600 people was taken from April 24 to 27 and has a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points.