This Reuters article reports that Putin and Obama are popular with Russians. The other DrC and I were in Russia 16 months ago. Putin was certainly popular with the Russians with whom we spoke. Obama wasn't yet an issue, but Putin certainly was and "the Russian in the street" likes Putin a lot.
We asked questions about Putin's popularity without being argumentative or negative. What we heard was that, compared with the Soviet leaders and later Yeltsin, Putin was a young, physically fit nationalist, and an enemy of the so-called "oligarchs," the hyperwealthy who've cornered most of Russia's riches. The Russians view him as a sort of Teddy Roosevelt figure, vigorous and a trust-buster.
Putin gets mostly negative press in the U.S. Perhaps that is to be expected, and may be justified. However, Americans should not mislead themselves into believing that Putin has a negative image in Russia. Nothing could be further from the truth.
