‘I’m not into Instagram’: Russian President Vladimir Putin tries to woo Russian teens with live TV show
Putin likened chat names used on the internet with the use of pseudonyms when he trained at spy school to become a KGB agent
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday took part in a live television show, fielding questions from Russian youngsters in an apparent bid to connect with teenagers who have been flocking to opposition rallies.
Putin, his shirt collar unbuttoned, faced his young audience at an educational centre for gifted children from 10-to-17 years of age in the Black Sea city of Sochi for a show called A Grown-up Conversation televised by the pro-Kremlin NTV channel.
The 64-year-old leader revealed gaping holes in his knowledge of youth culture when asked whether he scrolled through Instagram or other social networks in his spare moments.
“I personally practically don’t use this,” Putin said of the internet, adding that members of his staff do get online. “My hard-working day finishes so late, I’m not up to Instagram.”
My hard-working day finishes so late, I’m not up to Instagram
However, he compared chat names used in the internet with the use of pseudonyms when he trained at spy school to become a KGB agent, revealing that his pseudonym was Platov.
Putin took part in the two-and-a-half-hour show, the first of its kind, as the Kremlin appears to be wooing youth support, following high turnout by teenagers at rallies organised by top opposition leader Alexei Navalny.