Putin holds first nationwide phone-in of new Kremlin term

President Vladimir Putin on Thursday holds his first nationwide phone-in with Russians since he returned to the Kremlin for a third term against the background of protests and a crackdown that critics compare to Soviet repression.

The phone-in has become a traditional event during Putin’s 13-year domination over Russia, usually lasting a marathon span of up to five hours as the Russian strongman fields questions on everything from plumbing in Siberia to Kremlin’s foreign policy in the Middle East.

But this year it will be particularly closely watched as the first edition since Putin on May 7, last year returned to the Kremlin for a third term after his four-year stint as prime minister.

Russia is currently going through a critical moment in its post-Soviet development, with society seeing unprecedented change but the Kremlin hitting back with tough laws and the economy also starting to show troubling signs of weakness.

The event, which will be broadcast by several state television channels which have tirelessly promoted it in advance, will get underway at midday (0800 GMT) and may not finish until the early evening.

By Wednesday afternoon, Russians had already posed 1.2 million questions for Putin through call-centres, SMS messages and the Internet, the organisers said in a statement quoted by Russian news agencies.

Putin will likely comment on the trial of charismatic protest leader Alexei Navalny which the opposition claims is a set-up by the Kremlin to eliminate a dangerous opponent from politics.