Russian leader Vladimir Putin still seems to have a tight grip on power in the Kremlin as his approval rating remains as high as 82 percent according to recent polls. However, some opposing forces to Putin’s rule believe that there will be a time when the Russian leader will be dethroned and will answer for the crimes he committed. To talk about the current situation in Russia, and how the country could change in the future, TVP World invited Russian politician, and Delegate to the Congress of People’s Deputies, Ilya Ponomarev.

According to the Russian politician, the earlier mentioned approval rating is irrelevant as the polling is done in a “highly controlled society of scared people afraid of talking to sociologists.”

He stressed that the majority of Russians “feel that they can’t influence the situation, that’s why they are ready to say whatever they have been asked to say.”

Ilya Ponomarev also pointed out that Putin does not have control over Russian elites. “His control is collapsing,” the politicians emphasized.

He further stated that the Congress of People’s Deputies is a body to which Russian elites could turn as a political alternative to Vladimir Putin.