Published on December 19, 2024 at 6:45 p.m. / Modified on December 20, 2024 at 07:00.
4 mins. reading
For the second time since the start of the war in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin engaged on Wednesday December 18 in an exercise that he seems particularly fond of: that of the annual “Direct Line” with his compatriots. In great shape, he continued the pleasure of these exchanges – his television marathon lasted four and a half hours – regularly taking on the role of moderator held by his faithful spokesperson Dmitri Peskov to leave his mark on the proceedings of the debates. “Don’t take it into account, I’m the boss,” he said, provoking approval from the room and a stoic smile from the person concerned who must certainly have seen others.
Traditionally organized before the end-of-year holidays, this “direct line” is a carefully staged television show during which the Head of State answers questions asked by Russians living in the four corners of the country but also by journalists present. in the room. If, last year, there was a lot of talk about the presidential election (which the “boss” won hands down a few weeks later), we could have expected that after almost three years of a war of large scale, the question of the prospects for peace is becoming more of a concern for Russians today. This was not the case. At least, not through the questions selected by the organizers, who explained that they even used in-house AI software this year to identify the main trends in the approximately 2.5 million questions addressed to the president. It emerged that what worries Russians most is access to housing and medical care, the state of the roads, pensions and, incidentally, the rise in plane ticket prices.
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