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Kremlin: Putin’s 2026 Direct Line to Be Combined With Annual Press Conference
Коротко
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said preparation has begun for a combined direct line and annual big press conference with President Vladimir Putin in 2026, in the same format as last year and previous years. Vedomosti reported the direct line is usually held in Gostiny Dvor, while Kommersant said the joint format has been permanent since 2023. The two outlets disagree on whether the 2020 event was a single press conference or a first-time combination of both formats.
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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that preparation has begun for a combined direct line and annual big press conference with President Vladimir Putin, and that the format will be the same as last year and in previous years. “Yes, preparation has already begun, and we are preparing the same combined format as last year and in previous years. It will be both a direct line and the annual big press conference of the head of state,” Peskov said, according to Interfax. Kommersant reported that Peskov made the statement at a briefing. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The outlets differ on the history of the event. Vedomosti reported that the direct line is as a rule held annually in Gostiny Dvor, that between 2001 and 2019 it was not held only in 2004 and 2012, that in 2020 only the big press conference took place because of coronavirus restrictions, and that the event was cancelled in 2022. Kommersant gave a different account: it reported that in 2020 the two formats were combined for the first time because of the pandemic, that in 2021 they were again held separately, and that from 2023 the joint format became permanent. Kommersant also reported that since 2001 there have been 18 separate direct lines and 16 big press conferences. [ 2 , 3 ]
Both outlets reported that the 2025 event lasted 4.5 hours. Vedomosti added that the president commented on more than 70 topics, and that on October 4 Peskov said the volume of processed appeals this year would be increased using neural networks. The documents do not state when in 2026 the combined event will take place or what it will cover. [ 2 , 3 ]
Почему это важно
The combined direct line and year-end press conference is a platform on which President Vladimir Putin addresses domestic and international questions. The decision to keep the merged format sets the Kremlin’s communication plan for the end of the year, although the documents give no date, venue confirmation or topics for the event.
Ключевые факты
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said preparation has begun for a combined direct line and annual big press conference with President Vladimir Putin. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Peskov said the format will be the same as last year and previous years. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Vedomosti reported the direct line is as a rule held annually in Gostiny Dvor. [ 2 ]
- Kommersant reported that from 2023 the joint format of the direct line and the press conference became permanent. [ 3 ]
- Vedomosti reported that in 2022 the event was cancelled altogether. [ 2 ]
- The 2025 event lasted 4.5 hours, and the president commented on more than 70 topics, according to Vedomosti. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Vedomosti reported that Peskov said on October 4 that the volume of processed appeals would be increased using neural networks. [ 2 ]
Подтверждено несколькими источниками
- Peskov said preparation for the combined direct line and annual press conference has begun. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Peskov said the event will combine the direct line and the annual big press conference of the head of state. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Peskov said the format will be the same as last year and in previous years. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Пока неясно
- The format of the 2020 event: Vedomosti reported that only the big press conference was held because of coronavirus restrictions, while Kommersant reported that the two formats were combined for the first time that year. The two business outlets give conflicting accounts of the same year.
- Several historical details appear in only one document: that the direct line was not held in 2004 and 2012, that the 2022 event was cancelled, that more than 70 topics were covered in 2025, and that 18 separate direct lines and 16 big press conferences have been held since 2001. These claims rest on a single source and are not corroborated by the other outlets.
- The date, venue and topics of the 2026 event are not given in the documents, which say only that preparation has begun. The documents explicitly leave the event’s timing and content unstated.
Что пишут местные СМИ
Хронология, местное время
- Interfax reports Peskov saying preparation has begun for a combined direct line and press conference. [ 1 ]
- Vedomosti reports the same and adds that the direct line is usually held in Gostiny Dvor, along with other historical details. [ 2 ]
- Kommersant reports Peskov’s briefing statement and notes that the joint format has been permanent since 2023. [ 3 ]