In 2011, the industrial city of Nizhny Tagil was dubbed “Putingrad” for its residents’ fervent support for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Nine years later, it appears the city 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) east of Moscow no longer lives up to that nickname.
Workers are speaking out against the constitutional changes that would allow Putin to stay in office until 2036 amid growing frustration over their dire living conditions, which have not improved despite all the promises. A nationwide vote on the amendments has been scheduled for Wednesday, but polling stations have been open for a week already to allow for early voting and to prevent election-day crowds amid the pandemic.
“I am against the constitutional changes, most importantly because they are a coronation of the czar, who reigns but does not rule — Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin,” says Nikolay Nemytov, a 43-year-old engineer at Russian Railways, a state-run monopoly.
He says his monthly salary, the equivalent of $430, is not nearly enough.
Anton Zhuravlyov, a 33-year-old operator at the Nizhny Tagil Iron and Steel Works Plant, or NTMK, agrees with him on the vote.
“I think (the vote) is just a show. It is more for Putin to show that, ‘Look, the people support me, I am still needed, I am in demand,’” said Zhuravlyov, whose employer is one of the two biggest companies in the city.
He said his salary hasn’t changed in four years, adding: “The majority of people are against him.”
Commentators say dwindling public support is the reason why the Kremlin rushed to push through the changes that effectively would allow Putin, already in power for two decades, to hold office for another 16 years if he chooses.