President Vladimir Putin's approval rating is currently at 83 percent, the highest it has been since he left office for the first time in 2008, according to a recent survey of Russians by the respected U.S. pollster Gallup.
The new poll reveals a 29 percent increase in Putin's popularity since 2013.
Putin's surge in popularity is attributed to his country's annexation of the former Ukrainian territory of Crimea in March, as well as Russia's stellar performance at the Winter Olympics a month before, during which Russia as the host nation won the most gold medals.
"Even with increasing diplomatic isolation and a possible weakening economy with tougher sanctions, the vast majority of Russians will likely give their government full support in whatever course of action it chooses," the poll revealed, according to a statement accompanying its release.
While the faith of Russians in their own government appears to be growing, regard for U.S. and EU leadership has plummeted to the single digits.
According to the survey, 6 percent of Russians hold EU leaders in high regard, and only 4 percent feel favorably about the U.S. leadership.
These statistics illustrate displeasure with the position that the EU and U.S. have taken on Russia's ongoing involvement in Ukraine and its annexation of Crimea, the pollster said.
Meanwhile, Russian approval of China's leadership has reached 42 percent, a record high.
The survey, conducted between late April and early June, was based on the opinions of 2,000 Russian residents and had a statistical margin of error of 2.7 percent.
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