MOSCOW, March 19. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin believes that the opinion of ordinary Russians and their sentiments are the most authentic source of information.
"Most of all, I trust the sentiments of ordinary people," Putin told TASS in an interview for the project entitled "20 Questions with Vladimir Putin". "When I communicate with people, when there's direct contact - even if it is brief - I think I feel the public’s mood. And that perception has not faded over the years, it is still with me, and it is crucial for me indeed. I believe that people are very sincere. Very sincere, sensitive and frank," he added.
"Ordinary people do not hesitate to speak their mind, or sound off. And they don't care what some Mr. Big might say. They just speak their mind. They may criticize and speak from the heart, they say what they like and what they don't," Putin said.
"I appreciate that. It is very important to me," he remarked. It is essential to turn an attentive ear to the problem of every person, he added, because "the problem of millions can be drawn from the problem of a single specific individual."
Asked what sources of information he used in his work, Putin pointed to opinion polls, reports from security services, and the mass media.
Episode 17 of the video interview is available at https://putin.tass.ru/en.