Just 6.3 percent of Russians tuned in to watch Mr Putin’s speech as opinion polls register a slide in the president’s popularity. The Russian leader used the major address last week to talk up his achievements and set out his aims for the coming year. He also warned Moscow would retaliate if Washington deploys any nuclear-tipped missile to Europe.
Mr Putin’s overall approval rating remains high at more than 60 percent, but his popularity has taken a hit following moves last year to raise the retirement age and hike sales tax, amid stagnating real wages.
The February 20 speech was watched by the lowest number of Russians in six years, according to nationwide data from market research firm Mediascope.
Just 6.3 percent of Russians watched Putin’s Feb. 20 speech to parliament, the lowest level since 2013, according to the firm’s findings which tracked viewership in towns and cities with a population of more than 100,000.
Viewership for Putin’s speech rose sharply to 8.9 percent in 2014, the year Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula.
Viewing figures have gradually fallen since then, to 8 percent in 2015, 6.7 in 2016 and 6.5 percent last year.
The Kremlin blamed the dip in viewership to the rising use of the Internet.
Mr Putin used last week’s address to lay out his plans for Russia’s economy, putting social welfare and combating poverty at the centre of the speech.
He also used the opportunity to criticise the United States for pulling out of a Cold War-era arms treaty which prohibited nuclear-tipped missiles from being deployed in Europe.
The Russian leader said Washington’s decision to quit the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), claiming US accusations that Russia was violating the accord were just a pretext.
Donald Trump announced he was withdrawing from the 1987 agreement earlier this month, saying Russia had refused to destroy its stockpile of 9M729 missile which the US and Nato say are banned under the INF.
Moscow insists it is complying with the accord.