Russian President Vladimir Putin answered 68 questions from the Russian citizens on Wednesday during his annual Q&A live session called "Direct Line with Vladimir Putin," which this year lasted 3 hours and 42 minutes
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th June, 2021) Russian President Vladimir Putin answered 68 questions from the Russian citizens on Wednesday during his annual Q&A live session called "Direct Line with Vladimir Putin," which this year lasted 3 hours and 42 minutes.
Mandatory vaccination, relations with the United States and Ukraine, sanctions and economic recovery, and the president's private life were some of the most popular topics among the public. The live broadcast was targeted by hackers who launched DDoS attacks on the host's digital systems, which disrupted the connection with some citizens.
MASS VACCINATION ONLY WAY FORWARD
While Russia has been facing a resurgence of COVID-19, with daily cases rising and new virus strains taking hold, many regions have begun to introduce mandatory vaccination for certain groups of workers and at-risk people.
This initiative has received harsh criticism from the Russian population and, not surprisingly, became the first question of the Q&A session, confirming its place at the top of the list of public's concerns.
The Russian president affirmed that vaccination remains voluntary in the country and threats of firing non-vaccinated employees with medical exemption is illegal. At the same time, he said that local authorities have the right to make vaccination mandatory for certain categories of people during an epidemic under the relevant law of 1998.
"The coronavirus is life-threatening, the vaccination is not," the president said, stressing that the vaccine is the only way to stop the pandemic and urging citizens to overcome their "prejudice" and get the shot.
Putin also finally shed light on the exact vaccine he himself received it turned out to be Sputnik V.
UKRAINIANS NOT UNFRIEDNLY TO RUSSIA, KIEV IS
Ukraine was another hot topic on the direct line with the Russian president. Putin once again reiterated his position that Ukrainians and Russians are a single people, so he does not consider Ukraine an "unfriendly nation" despite the "certainly unfriendly" actions of the Ukrainian government.
Putin further slammed Ukraine's bill on indigenous peoples, from which Russians were excluded, and compared attitudes to the Russian population in the country to the use of "weapons of mass destruction."
Still, the Russian leader did not rule out a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, while expressing doubt that it would lead to any results.
"Why meet with Zelenskyy if he has put his county under full external control," Putin said.
According to Putin, people who are really interested in strengthening Ukraine and restoring normal relations with Russia cannot accomplish anything as they are being silenced. "Decisions on key issues of Ukraine's livelihood are being made not in Kiev, but in Washington, and partly in Berlin and in Paris. So what is there to talk about?" he added.
On the topic of tense relations with the United States, NATO and its Western allies, Putin answered that much now depends on US President Joe Biden, and wished for an eventual normalization of the situation.
"Much depends on the president of the United States," Putin said, adding that "although [the US] has its own political system there are certain checks and balances but a lot depends on the [president]."
Putin also lamented that the West failed to react to Moscow's signaling after it scrapped large-scale military drills along the Ukrainian border amid rising concerns, and, instead, NATO expanded its military presence in the region and the allies launched new provocations, such as the UK Defender incident in the Black Sea.
Of especially great concern was what Putin called the beginning of the military exploitation of Ukraine, where NATO can put their training centers and other facilities.
"Military exploitation of the territory, which directly borders us, creates significant security problems for us," Putin stated.
Despite the continued provocations, the president rejected the possibility of a third world war when answering a question about the consequences of the British destroyer passing through Russian waters near the Crimean shore.
As for Western sanctions, Putin called them an impetus for Russia to develop various industries domestically and remarked that the country has continued to make progress despite the restrictions, reaching new heights in defense capabilities and economic sovereignty, especially in the agricultural sector.
Asked whether Russia is planning any retaliatory measures in case of more sanctions, Putin said that Moscow does not intend to do anything that would harm Russia itself.
In the same vein, Putin said Moscow was not planning to block foreign social media platforms, such as Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and Twitter, but described it as "problematic" when they refused to comply with requirements and Russian laws.
The Russian leader further called on the US and the West to recognize that the world is changing and to review their priorities and policies accordingly.
"I hope that this attitude not only toward us but also toward many other partners [of the US] will change. By the way, their traditional partners, even allies, do you think they are happy about the way they are being treated? No one likes it," Putin remarked.
The majority of the Q&A session was dedicated to domestic issues, such as tourism, inflation and unemployment, regional infrastructure, climate change and waste management.
Following a heat wave that hit the European and central parts of the country last week, the effects of the climate change came to the forefront of the discussion.
"In the territory of our country, this global change the warming is happening even faster than in many other regions of the world. [This happens] not only in our country, but at this latitude, including in the Scandinavian countries," Putin noted.
Another important environment-related topic was connected to the waste management reform in Russia. According to the president, the country annually accumulates some 60 million tonnes of waste, and, so far, only the first steps have been made towards solving the issue. Currently, Russia has set out to achieve full waste sorting by 2030.
Of great concern to both the citizens and the government have been the unemployment and inflation rates, which far exceeded the expected levels. As such, the unemployment rate in Russia has grown from 4.6% to over 6% during the COVID-19 pandemic, while inflation is unlikely to return to the target level of 4% in 2021 and will remain at about 5%, Putin commented.
According to the president, the record high price of food in Russia are consistent with a global trend, as prices are on the rise across the world and this inevitably affects Russia, which is part of the global economy. At the same time, Russia's agriculture exports reached an all-time high of $30 billion in 2020, and Putin expressed hope that some of the prices would stabilize following the harvest this year.
Quite a few questions asked by the Russians concerned Putin's personal life. People were curious about the president's thoughts on happiness, choice of a political successor, life after retirement, dieting and love for singing.
When asked about a successor, Putin said his responsibility was to give recommendations to those people who would aspire to become new president. As for his plans for working after retirement, the Russian leader asked why he should work at all.
Putin explained that he does not have much free time, but, when given the opportunity, as "a true Russian" he sings "soulful and melodic Soviet songs."
"I don't have much time to relax. But, as they say, when people relax, they sit about for a bit, then drink, and once they raise their glass, they are sure to start singing something," he joked.
On existential questions about dreams and happiness, the Russian president mused that feeling like people need you is what makes one feel most accomplished, and insisted on hoping for the best in this regard.
Among the works of art which have influenced him the most, Putin named Leo Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace," Pyotr Tchaikovsky's First Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, and the Russian folktale Kolobok.
