To be sure, as 2015 begins, Putin’s approval ratings remain high (though they are no more reliable an indicator than Russian budget projections, political pronouncements, or gas deliveries). But, even if the polls are accurate, his popularity is largely irrelevant: dictators do not rule through a social contract, and neither his position nor his legitimacy derives from popular appeal.
认为俄国人渴望独裁领袖也是一种误解。可以肯定，随着年终逐渐临近，普京的支持率仍然居高不下（虽然上述支持率并不比俄罗斯推测预算、政治声明或天然气供应指标可靠到哪去）。但即便调查结果准确，他究竟受欢迎与否基本上也无关紧要：独裁者统治并不通过社会契约，普京的地位及合法性也不来源于民意支持。