PERTANIKA JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES

Since the Ukraine crisis in 2013, citizens of Russia have improved their attitudes toward the foreign and domestic policies of their government. This process culminated in an 89% approval rating (according to Levada Center) of President Putin in 2015. In particular, Russian citizens gave unusually full support to Russian authorities in the area of foreign policy. President Vladimir Putin and his foreign policy regarding the Ukraine crisis, which became the focus of Russian mass media, took firm control of the situation to a degree unprecedented for contemporary political regimes. This study examines effects of agenda-setting in the contemporary political process of Russia. The authors claim that public opinion in Russia has changed in favour of President Vladimir Putin after the Ukraine crisis as a result of agenda-setting. The findings suggest that public support was one of the main reasons for Russian foreign policy with regards to the Ukraine crisis.