Russian President Vladimir Putin celebrates his 70th birthday on October 7.
The jubilee comes at a time when the increasingly authoritarian leader faces some of the most daunting challenges of his two decades in power.
Putin has been president or prime minister for over 23 years.
Although polls in Russia are very limited and should be interpreted with caution, the Levada Center has recorded Putin’s approval rating at over 80 percent for most of 2022. In August, the figure was 83 percent.
But in September, Putin’s approval rating fell to 77 percent.
