After Putin came to power, independent sociology in Russia was effectively destroyed: Yuri Levada and his team were forced out of VCIOM, and Valery Fedorov — a figure convenient for the Presidential Administration — was installed in his place. Since then, VCIOM has become not merely a research institution, but a key political instrument of the Kremlin.

It is institutions like VCIOM that have spent years telling Russians that the “majority” supports Putin, the war, repression, and virtually every decision made by the authorities. They create a sense of helplessness among those who disagree: the impression that Putin’s opponents are just a tiny minority, while the rest of society is supposedly united behind the regime.

The Anti-Corruption Foundation has released a new investigation into Valery Fedorov, the longtime head of VCIOM, Russia’s state-run public opinion research center. For more than twenty years, VCIOM has helped the Kremlin manufacture the illusion of overwhelming public support for Vladimir Putin.

The main figures in our investigation are Fedorov himself and his wife, Daria Vasilyeva. At first glance, Vasilyeva is a blogger, designer, socialite, and executive coach. But behind this glossy image lies a life of extreme luxury that cannot be explained by her husband’s official income.

We found Vasilyeva’s collection of Hermès bags, Cartier and Bulgari jewelry, expensive cars, elite Moscow real estate, and investments in luxury residential developments. The visible assets and luxury goods alone are worth hundreds of millions of rubles. Meanwhile, Fedorov’s official salary at VCIOM, although enormous by ordinary standards, cannot account for this level of spending.

In the investigation, we also examined bank transfers made by VCIOM-linked entities in 2022 and 2023. They show that hundreds of millions of rubles received from the state were channeled through a network of individual entrepreneurs. Among the recipients were people with no obvious connection to sociology: a photographer from Ryazan, his retired father, travel agency managers, and other contractors. ACF asks a direct question: what services were they paid for, and could this be a scheme to siphon off public money?

For years, Valery Fedorov helped the Kremlin replace reality with convenient numbers. Now we show the reality of his own family: million-ruble handbags, apartments worth hundreds of millions, luxury cars, boutiques, Dubai, and a glamorous lifestyle — all against the backdrop of war, poverty, and endless official lectures about “unity” and “modesty.”

Watch the new ACF investigation and share it with friends and family. This September, Russia will hold State Duma elections, and the Kremlin will once again try to convince everyone that the “majority” supports United Russia. Do not believe their manufactured sociology. Vote against United Russia and help spread the truth.