Vladimir Putin waves the flag in a polarised country where views are hard to shift

Never mind the independent media reports that state employees and university students had been bussed in for the rally, as the government employed the same crude tactics to pack the stadium in order to simulate patriotic enthusiasm as it has done for years.

But others in Russia say it is. Many supporters cite the eight-year-old war between Ukraine and Russian proxy forces in Donbas, using words such as genocide and comparisons to the second world war to justify the invasion.

Others have said that Russians are simply afraid to tell pollsters they are opposed to the war.

Yudin said that, according to his research, fewer Russians were willing to speak with pollsters since the beginning of the war, with only 25% of those approached now willing to answer questions on Ukraine, compared with 33% when the invasion started.