Russians' Main Question to Putin Revealed Ahead of Annual Q&A

The most pressing questions Russians have for Vladimir Putin during his televised Q&A session next week are about the war in Ukraine, a poll has found.

On December 14, Putin will hold the Direct Line event in which people from around the country ask questions that range from political to personal.

The event was cancelled last year amid the war he started in Ukraine but it returns next week during which he will also take questions from journalists.

Citizens have had since December 1 to send in their questions which will be vetted for the choreographed event in which dissent is unlikely.

Following a year of heavy Russian losses, a survey by the Levada Center, considered independent of the Russian government, suggests that the overriding concern for people is what the Kremlin calls a "special military operation" (SMO).

"Vladimir Putin's Direct Line event is taking place at the end of the year. If you have the opportunity, what would you ask him?" the survey stated.

It found that 21 percent wanted to ask about the war—nearly three times as many as the eight percent whose most pressing matters were pensions and social programs.

Levada found people wanted to ask, "When will there be peace? When will the SMO end? What will be done to end the operation?"

Another question was "When will mobilization end?" referring to the decree Putin announced in September 2022 but has not formally rescinded, amid reports a covert draft was taking place.

Eight percent of respondents wanted to ask about raising pensions and access to social services, while 7 percent want to ask about higher salaries, and 6 percent had questions about inflation, prices and the future of the country.

Russian opposition Telegram channel 7 by 7 Horizonal Russia reported women in the Volga region city of Samara in southwestern Russia from a group called "Way Home" want to air their grievances to Putin directly about the war during the Q&A.

The channel said that the women had applied to ask questions about how long troops would remain in Ukraine and when they would return home.

The day before the event, Putin is expected to declare that he will run for a fifth presidential term, according to state news agency RIA Novosti which reported that the announcement is expected to be made by Russia's Federation Council.

The elections, whose outcome is likely to be tightly controlled, will probably take place on March 17, 2024, a parliamentary source told the outlet. Newsweek has contacted the Kremlin for comment.