An occasional effort to cast Putin in the role of a regular guy -- but also a very hardworking one: A question about when he takes vacation and whether he sings, and if so, what.
Putin focuses more on the second question:
When he's relaxing from work, he sometimes sings "Russian and Soviet songs that are sweet-sounding and rich in content."
First question about September State Duma elections: Why do you support the "party of power" -- the unpopular United Russia -- and how would you evaluate the work of the current, outgoing parliament?
Putin answers the second question first, praising the work of the current Duma, the lower house, and saying that lawmakers did a good job in tough circumstances -- the pandemic. Notes that four Duma deputies died.
As for United Russia, he uses the question to say that lawmakers must be responsible and to criticize politicians who make calls for things that the people want but are impossible to provide. United Russia does not do this, he asserts.
This appears to be a dig both at "systemic" opposition that have parliament seats and are running against United Russia in the September elections, such as the Communists and Vladimir Zhirinovsky's LDPR, as well as imprisoned opposition leader Aleksei Navalny and his supporters, who will be unable to run due to laws and orders that Kremlin critics say are part of a concerted campaign to silence dissent and monopolize politics.
While barring Navalny and other opponents from elections, Putin and other officials have frequently and falsely claimed without evidence that they have not put forward any constructive ideas.
- By Mike Eckel
For the Kremlin, a not-insignificant foreign policy success in recent years has been the role Russia played in the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
A six-week war there last fall ended with Russia brokering a cease-fire between the two sides, and the deployment of peacekeepers.
The effort cemented Moscow's role as the kingmaker in the South Caucasus, and underscored the absence of other longtime players, notably the United States and France.
Responding to a question from a man with an Armenian surname (submitted from the Moscow suburb of Balashikha), Putin said no one was interested in a further crisis in the South Caucasus.
"If we live peacefully and amicably, we will create better conditions for the life of people. The residents of Nagorno-Karabakh cannot live in a constant state of anxiety," Putin said.
One commentator calls Putin the main "sound engineer" of the Direct Line show, for which a special app was created this year to help Russians send questions to hosts.
Putin, who has said he doesn't use the Internet, tells a firefighter calling in from Siberia that he should talk more slowly and lower the volume of his voice so there are no connection issues. The man smiles and says "OK then, Vladimir Vladimirovich." The connection remains dismal.
"You're all in masks, and that's great," Putin said to callers complaining about air quality in Omsk.
Question about climate, natural disasters, and extreme weather: Questioner cites flooding, wildfires, blistering heat wave in Moscow. Putin says that climate change is a serious problem and that when humans aggravate this process, it can push things over the edge.
Says that Russia must do what it can to avoid exacerbating climate change. Says Russia and other northern countries are particularly affected; if the permafrost becomes less firm, it could have major environmental and economic effects.
Uses question to suggest that the Kremlin is thinking about this and taking steps: Says the government has developed a plan involving numerous economic sectors, and that Russia will do its part in international efforts.
All in all, portrays himself and his government as responsible and ready. Makes no mention of incidents that have suggested otherwise: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-arctic-fuel-spill-norilsk-nickel-massive-fine/31143392.html
- By Mike Eckel
One of the issues that resonates across the Russian political spectrum is the environment: specifically concerns about pollution, contaminated water and air, radioactive dumping, and (as our previous blog post discussed) the location of trash landfills.
For his part, Putin has sought to put forth the image of a president who cares about environmental issues (not to mention issues involving Russia's endangered animal species).
A man from the Siberian city of Omsk (accompanied by a group of people) complained to Putin about the poor state of air quality in the city, which is home to 1.2 million people.
One of the focus area of the National Projects is the environment, and as the Omsk residents noted in their video address to Putin, the city is one of the priority areas under this effort.
However, the man said, little has changed and air pollution levels continue to be above the norm.
Putin promised to do more to help rectify the problem in Omsk, and across the country.
It's hard to see how this hours-long TV broadcast of illegal trash-heaps, gas leaks, collapsing schools and desperate petitioners from across Russia is good for Putin's image. Other than in selling the notion that 20 years is too little to solve such issues and that only Putin can see the process through, which is a common narrative on Russian state TV. Some analysts have argued that after 19 years of the Direct Line call-in show, it's largely inertia that maintains the yearly trend.
Presenter says there is a huge pile of questions about garbage -- a hot-button issue in Russia, where there have been big protests over landfills and residents in many areas say garbage is being dumped illegally with no plans to properly dispose of it.
Putin says this is a very important issue. In power 21+ years, but suggests past leaders partially at fault for long inaction. Says efforts are under way to deal with this through more, better collection and disposal, incinerators, and such -- and he suggests that in some cases, nearby residents will have to accept such facilities. Says current plans call for five garbage disposal and recycling plants, but more are under consideration.
"This is a big problem" that won't be solved immediately, he warns, but says exceptional cases must be dealt with swiftly and suggests offenders will be punished. Says government-sanctioned civic groups should help bring these to the state's attention and help resolve the problem in general.
- By Mike Eckel
Firefighters (or emergency responders) from the Siberian region of Chita used their video question to ask Putin a straightforward request:
We want better pay.
Putin offers sympathies, and offers thanks to the workers, some of whom are involved in fighting the growing number of wildfires that have popped in recent years, not just in Siberia but closer to major urban centers.
Putin also promised to have a conversation with the regional governor about salaries.