Opinion polls are very often used by the regime nowadays to create the semblance of overwhelming support for Mr. Putin and his regime. Those results of opinion polls are claiming that the majority of the Russian population stands behind Putin and his regime.
However, what I've said in my remarks shows a different picture. Had Vladimir Putin really enjoyed that overwhelming support of the Russian population, he would not be resorting to mass repression, the use of punitive psychiatry, and widespread torture, violence and brutality by police. He would not need to do that. The number of political prisoners, which grows by the day, shows that the situation in Russia is not as the regime wants to portray it.
Just two weeks ago, I was speaking at the OSCE Warsaw Human Dimension Conference and mentioned the number of political prisoners according to Memorial. Then it was 488. Today this is 500, and it grows. It continues growing by the day.
I would discourage you from trusting the results of opinion polls conducted in a totalitarian state by state-controlled pollsters.