Paradoxes of public support for the political regime of Vladimir Putin

This article is devoted to the analysis of public support for the contemporary political regime in Russia. The author points out the narrowness, artificiality, and instability of public support for the political regime of Vladimir Putin. Manipulation and bribery are regarded in the article as the main strategies of providing public support for the regime. The author shows that weakness of the Russian economy represents a serious problem for public support for the regime. In the conclusion of the article the author makes a forecast that in the nearest future in Russia are expected mass protests which may lead to the collapse of Vladimir Putin's political regime