Residents of Chechnya explain high Putin's and Kadyrov's ratings by atmosphere of fear

Residents of Chechnya have doubted the officials' reports about the high level of trust in Putin and Kadyrov. According to their stories, many are afraid to express their opinions. Residents of Chechnya cannot feel free, and this is reflected in opinion polls, sociologists have noted.

Data on the trust in Russian President was posted on the website of the "Grozny-Inform" and on the Instagram of the "Chechnya Today" agency. Many commentators have doubted the veracity of the rating.

The residents of Chechnya, interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, have also questioned this information.

"People are afraid to openly express their opinions, because an atmosphere of fear has been instilled ... This is where these incredible percentages of votes come from in support of the authorities at elections," said Salavdi, a local resident.

"I lost 12 members of my family during the second Chechen war ... In Chechnya, there are almost no families who hadn't suffered during the war; however, many really believe that almost all of us completely trust Putin, do they?" asked Sayd-Akhmad, a resident of Grozny.

Meanwhile, some of the Chechen respondents, by contrast, have a positive attitude to Russian President.

Denis Volkov, a sociologist, has suggested that, apart from pressure from the Chechen leadership in mass media, a high support level could be affected by the fact that the situation in the republic is now much calmer than in the 1990s; and part of the population feels some gratitude to the authorities for this.