PRESIDENT Putin is holding his first staged TV call-in present since his invasion of Ukraine – and Russians are determined to know if he is dying.
The tightly-controlled “Outcomes of the 12 months with Vladimir Putin” has kicked off with the ageing ruler, 71, stating that Russia’s targets in Ukraine stay unchanged.
Within the marathon press convention, a handpicked number of questions from residents and journalists, probably even from western media, shall be answered by Putin.
When requested concerning the conflict in Ukraine, the president stated that his targets stay unchanged and that “peace will come after we attain out targets”.
The tyrant additionally stated that his primary precedence is strengthening the sovereignty of Russia, which “can’t exist with out it”.
The spectacle was cancelled final yr because of Putin’s brutal ongoing war in Ukraine – but it surely returns at the moment following the tyrant’s announcement final week he would run for president again in 2024.
The present began at 9am GMT and shall be an opportunity for him to talk to odd Russian residents and reinforce his grip on energy forward of the March 17 election.
The decision centre arrange by the Kremlin stated that many of the submitted questions concern utility payments, worth will increase and funds to the armed forces.
Nevertheless, a ballot carried out by The Times in Moscow this week discovered in any other case.
The survey in actual fact found that the most well-liked query was concerning the conflict – 19 per cent wished to ask when there shall be peace.
Solely 13 per cent had been interested by questions over pensions, requirements of residing and advantages.
One other 10 per cent had no real interest in asking Putin something.
However this adopted carefully with 9 per cent eager to ask concerning the well being of their long-term chief.
The Moscow residents wished to know when the despot would depart workplace and when he would die.
Their concern follows years of feverish hypothesis surrounding Putin’s ailing well being as questions have been raised over his changing facial features and signs of a possible serious illness, together with Parkinson’s and pancreatic cancer.
“What would I ask? Everybody has already requested every part. You realize what I imply. However the place are the solutions?” one respondent instructed The Occasions.
Open criticism of both the conflict in Ukraine or Putin’s regime is dangerous enterprise inside Russia.
The Kremlin has made it an official offensive to “discredit” the Russian army or unfold “pretend information” concerning the battle.
Solely 7 per cent of these surveyed expressed assist for the conflict or Putin, whereas one in 4 declined to state what they’d ask Putin at the moment.
Russia has lost 315,000 men in its grinding and bloody war of attrition in Ukraine, US intelligence claimed this week.
Putin’s final end-of-year information convention was in 2021 amid US warnings that Russia was on the point of sending troops into Ukraine.
Putin’s annual state-of-the-nation handle was additionally delayed till February of this yr.
The Russian chief has closely restricted his interplay with the international media because the preventing started in Ukraine however worldwide journalists had been invited this yr.
With the way forward for Western assist to Ukraine doubtful and one other winter of preventing looming, neither facet has managed to make important battlefield beneficial properties just lately.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky travelled to Washington on Tuesday to make an impassioned plea for extra US assist and weaponry.
Putin’s look is primarily aimed toward a home viewers and for almost all of individuals, it’s their solely hope and risk of fixing crucial issues, in keeping with Kremlin-controlled Russia 1 channel.
State media stated that as of Wednesday, about 2 million questions for Putin had been submitted forward of the printed, which is closely choreographed and extra about spectacle than scrutiny.
It comes as Russia stated its air defence methods had downed 9 Ukrainian drones headed in direction of the capital, solely hours forward of a extremely anticipated information convention.
“On-duty air defence items destroyed and intercepted 9 Ukrainian UAVs (unmanned aerial autos) over the territory of the Kaluga and Moscow areas,” the defence ministry stated as they blamed Kyiv for the assault.
Ukraine has been hitting Russia far behind enemy traces with common drone assaults because the summer time after it launched a fresh but troubled counteroffensive to regain territory misplaced to Moscow.
The drone assault adopted Kyiv enduring a “night of hell” as Russia launched a massive missile attack that left 53 injured.
Ukraine’s air defences downed ten strikes – believed to be highly effective Russian Iskander missiles – however harm was brought on by falling rocket particles.
The horror hit broken a kids’s hospital and condominium constructing and marked the largest variety of injured within the Ukrainian capital in months.