Trust in Vladimir Putin in Russia is declining amid public discontent with censorship policies, Ukrinform reported, citing a report by the Institute for the Study of War (IWW).
"The Kremlin continues to face a harsher backlash from the Russian population over the increased censorship measures in recent weeks than Moscow likely expected or was prepared for," the report said.
A survey by the Kremlin-linked Forum for Public Opinion (FOM), conducted from March 27 to 29, found that Putin's trust rating has fallen by 5 percentage points from 76% to 71% since March 22 – the biggest drop since 2019.
The weekly FOM polls show that Putin’s trust rating has been steadily falling since February 8, 2026, just before the Kremlin significantly restricted Telegram on February 9 and 10.
At the same time, criticism is growing from Russian propagandists and military bloggers who are unhappy with the authorities’ attempts to block Telegram. They point to the increasing costs of censorship amid rising prices, as well as communication problems for the military.
Telegram founder Pavel Durov said that despite the restrictions, 65 million Russians still use virtual private networks (VPNs) daily to access Telegram. According to him, the Kremlin's actions also caused serious disruptions in banking systems on April 3, when blocking IP addresses led to payment problems throughout Russia.
The IIA notes that the Russian authorities demonstrate a lack of a consistent censorship strategy, while the public reaction has been significantly stronger than the Kremlin expected.
As reported, experts believe that the possible blocking of Telegram in Russia reflects the Kremlin's fear of external information influence and its attempt to establish complete control over domestic communications, Ukrinform reports.