Faced with foreign pressure, Russians rally around Putin, poll shows

President Vladimir V. Putin’s approval ratings have reached levels unseen in years, according to an independent poll released on Thursday, as many Russians rally around the flag in the face of mounting international pressure.

Eighty-three percent of Russians said they approved of Mr. Putin’s actions, up from 69 percent in January, according to a poll by the Levada Center, an independent pollster in Moscow. Ratings of many other government institutions, as well as the governing party, have also gone up, the poll indicated.

While some observers believe polls in Russia do not reflect public opinion accurately, with many people giving answers they believe are socially acceptable, most agree that they are useful in gauging the dynamics of people’s moods.

Many Russians live in a world, as presented by state-run media, where there is no war with Ukraine. Instead, their country is carrying out “a special military operation” to uproot far-right extremists in a brotherly country that went off track and has been pushed by Western countries to turn against Moscow.

WATCH: Florida high school track runner gets sucker punched in the middle of a race

A high school track and field event in Florida turned ugly on Saturday. The situation unfolded at the Tohopekaliga Tiger Invitational in Kissimmee, Fla. when an athlete punched the lead runner in the middle of the 1,600m race, according to a report from TMZ Sports.

It was all caught on video from the stands (warning: the video contains graphic content and language).

The lead runner of the race, who is wearing white and red in the video, had yelled at the athlete wearing the black uniform to move when he was running around the track during an earlier lap, according to TMZ. The athlete in the black uniform wasn't competing in this specific race. 

After being told to get out of the runner's way, the athlete in black then appeared to intentionally do it again despite the warning, which eventually led to the assault. According to TMZ Sports, it's not yet known if the lead runner, who fell to the ground immediately after getting punched, suffered any injuries as a result of the assault

Minneapolis City Council approves police union contract

The Minneapolis City Council has approved a police union contract that has been at the center of much debate.

The council voted 8-5 Thursday morning to approve the agreement after discussion that became heated at times.

As some members began attacking others during the discussion on the contract, Council President Andrea Jenkins had to step in and tell the group to show respect for each other.

The agreement includes increased wages, $7,000 retention bonuses for new and existing officers — when they meet certain requirements — as well as a market adjustment

Report: Russian Patrol Ship Hit By Ukrainian Coastal Defenses

Ukraine's military claims to have hit a Russian patrol ship with a shore-based rocket attack, marking the first reported casualty for a Russian Navy vessel since the start of the invasion in February. The vessel has been tentatively identified as the Vasily Bykov, the lead ship of the lightly-armed Project 22160 class of patrol vessels, and the extent of the damage is unknown. 

Documented losses indicate that Ukrainian ground forces have destroyed or captured nearly 900 pieces of Russian military equipment since February 24, and analysts suggest that the true total may be substantially higher. The Ukrainian military's Centre for Defence Strategies claims that the number exceeds 2,000. However, the Russian Navy has been largely exempt from these heavy losses: with the exception of an amphibious landing near Mariupol, it has had a standoff role in the conflict and has been little affected. 

A video released Sunday by the Ukrainian military shows a volley of unguided multiple launch rockets (Grad MLRS) followed by a dim fire on the horizon and cheers from the defenders. The footage was taken at night, and the information about the attack is still preliminary, according to BlackSeaNews. If the reports are correct, the strike indicates a rare coastal defense application for a low-accuracy, Soviet-era Grad rocket launcher.

Russian warships have been loitering off the coast of Odesa since last week, and Ukrainian defense forces in the city have been on high alert for the possibility of an amphibious assault. As recently as Thursday, U.S. officials told Fox News that an amphibious landing was likely in or near Odesa.