3-Million Messages: Putin’s Annual Press Conference and Direct Line to Begin Shortly in Moscow
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https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1LyGBXADpgpxN
https://www.rt.com/russia/629671-putin-nation-press-conference/
Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold his annual year-end press conference in Moscow on Friday, once again combined with the nationwide “Direct Line” question-and-answer session with citizens. The event is scheduled to begin at 12:00 Moscow time (09:00 GMT).
This annual broadcast is traditionally among the year’s most significant political events, serving as a forum for President Putin to address crucial domestic and international topics, covering key social, economic, and political spheres.
Interest in the combined format remains high. According to the Russian TV channel, the number of appeals submitted to the Direct Line exceeded 2.5 million just four hours before the start of the broadcast.
Historically, the Direct Line and the large annual press conference were held as separate events. During the Direct Line, the President responded directly to questions from citizens, including letters, text messages, phone calls and live video links from across the country. The press conference, in turn, focused on dialogue with Russian and foreign journalists.
Since 2001, Russia has hosted 18 separate Direct Line sessions and 16 large-scale presidential press conferences. The two formats were first merged in 2020 due to restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which made it impractical to hold both events separately. In 2021, the Kremlin briefly returned to the traditional, standalone formats.
However, beginning in 2023, the combined format was adopted on a permanent basis, bringing together public appeals and media questions into a single extended event.