MOSCOW, October 7. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin told TASS in an interview he was very happy to spend time with his grandchildren but did not delve further into the subject for security reasons.

"I have already said that I have grandchildren, I am very happy, they are very good and sweet. I really enjoy spending time with them," he said. "They are sweet little children. Well, for everybody, this feeling comes naturally, and I am very grateful that I get to experience it."

When asked who was an authority figure for his grandchildren, Putin recalled a conversation between his grandson and his mother: "When my daughter started to teach one of my grandsons he asked: ‘Why should I do as you do?’ She answered: ‘Because I am older.’ He said: ‘No, grandpa Vova (short for Vladimir - TASS) is older.’ So, for them at least so far - in any case so far, I am such an authority."

Speaking about his youth, Putin said that in high school he wanted to be "like [Richard] Sorge", a Soviet military intelligence officer who worked in Germany, Japan and other countries and informed the Soviet command about Germany’s plans to attack the Soviet Union in the summer of 1941.

Security matters

Speaking about his family, the president refused to specify how many grandchildren he has, citing security reasons.

"You don't live my life and you don't understand security issues. It’s just that when someone is far from these things, they simply don't notice them," Putin said.

When TASS journalist Andrei Vandenko mentioned other countries, where political figures and their family members are always in the spotlight, Putin replied: "when I run for office and the elections lead to a certain result, people vote for me, not for my family. And [they vote] for the hopes they have about me holding this office that I am occupying now."

"I know that Western political culture implies family members have to be in the limelight. I believe that we are not in a situation where such theatrics would be appropriate," the president continued. "Everything we do must be done in a mature way. That’s the first reason, and the second one is that there are security concerns. We must not forget about those. They are always on my mind."

Later, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained that it is Putin’s personal decision regarding public exposure of his family members, which sets him apart from many other world leaders. "He is the only president in the world who has the strength to act differently, the way he deems right and to protect his nearest and dearest the way he sees fit," he noted. Peskov admitted himself that he is "not at all" engrossed in the topic of Putin’s family. "Why should I, since it has nothing to do with my job? I don't poke my nose into it, it’s not my business," he added.

The issue of family was raised once again, when Putin was asked about his personal losses in the past 20 years.

"My parents died, right at the beginning of this journey. That was my greatest loss," the president said briefly.

Putin’s parents passed away in 1998 and 1999.

The project entitled "20 Questions with Vladimir Putin" and devoted to the 20th anniversary of Putin’s work at the helm of the Russian state, was launched on February 20, 2020. The TASS news agency has already released 17 episodes of the interview but decided to suspend the project due to drastic changes in the global information space. Today’s episode of the interview will be the final one.

The final episode of the video interview is available at https://putin.tass.ru/en.