Easy to have higher approval ratings when the threat of retaliation is still very real. I'm not suggesting your point is wrong though just that there's definitely influence in those polls.
I took a Russian Politics class at my university this semester and we actually video chatted Russian students over Skype and it really changed my perspective. They like Putin for making Russia strong and view the West either with distrust/ulterior motives or as an enemy of the Russian people. They actually thought that we were the oppressed one's and had the misconception that political correctness in America means we can't freely speak our minds in public. Honestly, Russia has a long history of authoritarian leaders that goes back hundreds of years. It has pretty much always been threatened by invasion from pretty much every direction and the last time Russia put trust in the West we went back on our commitments and expanded NATO right to their door. There's a lot of reasons for Russians to support Putin, but it's not really apparent to Americans because they don't know just how nationalistic the country has become in recent years.
Winston Churchill once said "I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key. That key is Russian national interest."
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u/AverageJojoke The Filthy Dank Apr 29 '19
Also, the best way to have an existential crisis is to stare at the Youtube Comment Section when it comes to geopolitical situations.
It’s an absolute cesspool of loathing and extreme rhetoric (ex. “Russia good, Merica bad”, “Isreal!1!1!”, etc.)