Russian President Vladimir Putin has a busy day ahead of him, with his annual “Direct Line” phone-in being combined this year with his year-end press conference, known as “Results of the Year.”
Previous events have lasted over four hours, with Putin answering up to 70 questions from the public and press. This year’s combined event begins at 9:00 a.m. London time.
The events take place against a backdrop of Putin’s decision, made last Friday, to run for office again in the March 2024 election. With little to no “non-systemic” opposition in Russia, he is highly likely to win the vote, keeping him in office until 2030.
The two-in-one press conference and “Direct Line” format was also used in 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic gripped Russia and the rest of the world. The last combined event lasted almost four and a half fours, and the head of the state gave answers to 50 questions asked by journalists and citizens, Tass news agency noted Thursday.
This time, correspondents from federal and regional media outlets, as well as foreign journalists accredited in Russia, will be present in the hall, the state-run news agency noted.
The discussion will be moderated by Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, Channel One TV host Ekaterina Berezovskaya and Rossiya-1 journalist Pavel Zarubin.