Russians don’t trust Putin as much as they did last year. And they don’t trust other politicians, either.

This week, Russian news reported that trust in President Vladimir Putin fell to its lowest level in 13 years. Or did it? A monthly poll collected by the Kremlin-friendly polling organization WCIOM has long asked Russians, “Among politicians, who would you trust and who would you not trust to make important government decisions?” In May, just 31 percent listed Putin as a politician they would trust — the lowest figure since 2006.

Dismayed with the results, the Kremlin asked pollsters to investigate the causes. CONT.

Timothy Frye (Columbia), Monkey Cage