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Direct Line with President Putin: Kremlin promises technologically fine-tuned event

This year, The Direct Line will include various innovations, according to the Kremlin spokesman

SOCHI, May 22. /TASS/. The format of the 2018 televised Q&A marathon with Russian President Vladimir Putin, dubbed The Direct Line, will include various technological innovations, however, the essence of this unique event will remain the same, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov informed journalists.

"This year, The Direct Line will include various innovations. The essence of this unique world event with regard to its content and technology will remain the same, but it will be somewhat fine-tuned regarding the geographical and communication scale, using the technological achievements available to us," the Kremlin spokesman said.

He added that more details on the format of the upcoming Direct Line would come later.

On Monday, Peskov was asked to comment on the BBC Russian Service’s report stating that the Q&A marathon will be held on June 7. He replied that the date of The Direct Line would be announced "when the time comes".

The annual Direct Line with Vladimir Putin is a live TV broadcast, during which the head of state answers questions from the residents of Russia and CIS states. The very first Q&A session with the Russian president was held on December 24, 2001. Since then, Direct Lines have been held annually, except for 2004 and 2012.

In 2017, the Direct Line was held on June 15.