MOSCOW - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's approval rating has dropped to its lowest level of the year in the first opinion poll published since his ruling party suffered an election setback and he faced the biggest protests of his 12-year rule.
A poll conducted on Dec. 10-11 and released on Friday showed 51 percent of Russians approved of how he has done his job, down from 61 percent in a Nov. 28-29 survey and 68 percent in January, state pollster VTsIOM said.The poll highlighted discontent and fatigue with the 59-year-old leader as he prepares for a presidential election in March which he is widely expected to win, but not as easily as seemed likely a month ago and perhaps not in the first round.
