MOSCOW, July 29. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annual question and answer session, known as the Direct Line with Vladimir Putin, will not be held until fall, the dates may be determined in September, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Friday.
"The time will be determined, [the date] will be set. Due to the busy schedule, we did not have time to hold a Direct Line at the beginning of summer. Many people are on vacation right now, so they probably won't be able to watch it as much as they would like. Early September, the first half of September, is the beginning of the season: the political season, and in general, the revival of domestic life after the summer period. And then there we will definitely set a date, and we will inform you accordingly," he said, referring to the timing of the event.
The Kremlin spokesman responded negatively to a question about whether the Direct Line itself could take place as early as the beginning of September. "I said that in the first half of September is just the activation of life, the resumption of the political season, all events. And in the future a date will already be set," he explained.
The Direct Line with Vladimir Putin is a TV program during which the head of state answers questions from ordinary citizens of Russia and other countries live on air. This format of communication was first organized on December 24, 2001, and thereafter sessions were held annually, except for 2004 and 2012. In 2020, the event was not held in its traditional format, but Putin answered several questions from citizens during his annual news conference in December of that year. In 2021, the event was held on June 30.