Putin's popularity in free fall

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s approval rating fell this month to the lowest level since 2000, according to an independent poll published today:

Sixty-two percent of Russians approve of Putin’s performance, the lowest since June 2000, according to the Jan. 18-21 poll of 1,596 people by the Moscow-based Levada Center. That’s down from 72 percent two years ago, showed the poll, which had a 3.4 percent margin of error.

Thirty-seven percent of Russians disapprove of his rule, the most ever, according to the poll released today.

Putin's downward trend is also visible in Google Trends, showing the number of searches in Russia since 2004 which include the word Putin. Young and educated Russians have deserted the dictator long ago. Others are slowly but certainly following their lead ....