Medvedev almost as popular as Putin in Russia, finds poll

Moscow, Oct 30(ANI): A new poll shows that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's approval rating is edging closer to that of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

It comes as a surprise, as Putin has been highly popular among Russians since first coming to power over a decade ago.

According to the poll by Levada Center, Medvedev has an approval rating of 76 percent, just below Putin's rating of 77 percent.

This is the closest the two of them have been in the monthly survey.

Levada Center sociologist Alexei Grazhdankin said that the rise in Medvedev's approval rating may reflect the popularity of some of his recent actions, including his firing of the Moscow mayor and efforts to reform the police, the China Daily reports.

The poll was conducted from October 22-25, and involved 1,600 Russians. (ANI)