Russian President Vladimir Putin's approval rating has reached a new historic maximum of 82.3% in end-March, according to an independent pollster.

The majority of Russians believe the country is heading in the right direction, results of a sociological survey conducted by the All-Russia Public Opinion Research Center showed, cited by Itar-Tass news agency.

According to the poll, public support for Putin has increased by 8% mainly due to Crimea's accession in Russia and the situation in Ukraine, as 71% of respondents named these events, sociologists said.

Approval of President Putin's work has grown sharply among residents of Moscow and St. Petersburg and has reached a record level of 81.5% for the last week in the last six years.

Rating of ruling United Russia party has also increased in the last few months reaching the highest level of 56.2% for the last five years.

The nationwide poll was conducted on 22-23 March among 1,600 people in 42 regions.