December 18. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold his 15th annual news conference in Moscow on December 19, 2019. TASS-FACTBOX offers statistics on Putin’s annual news conferences starting from 2001.

Timeframe and duration

Back in 2001, Putin’s first meeting with a large audience of media representatives was arranged in response to numerous requests for an interview with the Russian leader. In 2001-2018, a total of 14 such news conferences took place: seven in 2001-2008 (with the exception of 2005) and seven in 2012-2018. While serving as Russia’s prime minister — from May 2008 to May 2012 — Vladimir Putin did not hold such conferences with the media but the tradition resumed after his re-election as head of state.

The shortest of Putin’s news conferences lasted for one hour and 35 minutes in 2001. In contrast, the 2008 news conference set the record for being the longest one, running for four hours and 40 minutes. Starting from 2004, not one annual news conference has lasted for less than four hours.

Number of accredited journalists and questions

Since 2001, the number of media personnel attending Putin’s news conferences has more than tripled. About 500 journalists were accredited to cover his first news conference in 2001, while as many as 1,702 media workers gathered for the event in 2018, which is an all-time record. However, Putin’s 2019 news conference may break the record as 1,895 journalists have been accredited to attend it as of December 13.

In 2001-2008, the number of journalists who addressed their questions to Putin had increased with every passing year. At his first news conference back in 2001, the Russian president answered questions from 20 journalists, half of whom represented foreign media outlets. In 2008, a total of 80 reporters, including media staff representing 18 foreign news outlets, had a chance to address questions to the Russian president. The highest number of questions was asked in 2008. In 2012-2015, the number of journalists who addressed Putin somewhat declined. In 2012, Putin answered questions from 62 reporters (including nine foreign ones), there were questions from 52 (11 foreign) media workers in 2013, from 32 (5) in 2015, from 48 (10) in 2016, from 55 (6) in 2017, and in 2018, 53 reporters, including eight foreign ones, asked Putin questions.

Venues and broadcast details

At first, Putin met with journalists in the Round Hall of Building 14 (part of the presidential residence inside the Kremlin walls), which seated about 800. In 2012-2017, the building was first closed for renovation and then dismantled, so Putin’s news conference was moved to the International Trade Center on the Krasnopresnenskaya Embankment.

Putin’s first several news conferences were broadcast live on Channel One (known as ORT before 2002), the Rossiya TV channel and the Mayak radio station. Radio Rossii (or Radio of Russia) joined the team of broadcasters in 2006. In 2008, the two TV channels aired certain parts of the president’s news conference, which was broadcast in full by the Vesti-24 TV channel and the Vesti FM radio station. Since 2012, the Channel One, Rossiya-1, Rossiya-24 TV channels and the Mayak, Vesti FM and Radio Rossii radio stations have been broadcasting Putin’s annual news conferences live. They were joined by the Public Television of Russia in 2015 and by NTV in 2018.

2018 news conference

Putin held his 2018 annual news conference on December 20. He was asked questions about the implementation of Russia’s National Projects, the impact of sanctions on the Russian economy, the government’s waste management reform, the Kerch incident involving Ukrainian warships, the Constantinople Patriarchate’s activities in Ukraine, and plans to ease Russian citizenship rules for Donbass residents. Other questions concerned the detention of Russian nationals in the United States, the doping scandal involving Russian athletes, the activities of Russian private military companies in Syria and peace treaty talks between Russia and Japan.