MOSCOW, December 8. /TASS/. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov is impressed by the fact that many of the appeals to the Direct Line (annual televised question-and-answer session) with President Vladimir Putin are not complaints or questions, but words of support for the head of state.

"I was struck, frankly speaking, by the huge number of words of support for the president without appeals. Just people saying that they support the president. People have written that the president has an obligation to go on and run [for another term]. And I was struck by this, because these are people from different regions and different generations," he said during a Rossiya-1 TV broadcast.

Peskov admitted that the nature of preparations for the Direct Line will change slightly after Putin's announcement today that he intends to participate in the 2024 presidential elections. "At least, now we have already noticed that the activity of citizens has increased significantly," the Kremlin spokesman added.

This year, the Direct Line (annual televised question-and-answer session) and the president's annual press conference will be held in a combined format. On December 14, the head of state will answer Russians' questions live on the program "Results of the Year with Vladimir Putin.".