Unlike in previous years, the Russian president will be holding a Q&A session for both journalists and the public at once
FILE PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin answers questions from Russians during the annual special program ‘Direct Line with Vladimir Putin’ on Russian TV channels and radio stations. © Sputnik / Alexey Nikolsky
Russian President Vladimir Putin will answer questions from members of the press as well as the general public at an annual marathon Q&A session on Thursday.
The event combines two yearly question sessions that the Russian leader has been using to get feedback on his government’s policies. In previous years, the president held a large press conference with the media, as well as a separate discussion of pressing issues with ordinary Russians. His office has been experimenting with mixing the two formats since the Covid-19 pandemic.
The broadcast is scheduled to begin at 12:00 noon Moscow time (09:00 a.m. GMT) and is expected to last at least three hours.
The longest session in the past took almost five, but normally Putin aims at a four-hour benchmark. RT will be broadcasting the event in full and translate Putin’s answers in real time.
