Kremlin launches new TV programme showing President Vladimir Putin’s softer side, including his love of children
Meanwhile, the Kremlin on Monday rejected claims by French President Emmanuel Macron over the weekend that Putin wished to break up the European Union
Russian Kremlin-controlled television has launched a new weekly show dedicated to President Vladimir Putin in an apparent attempt to stem a major fall in his approval ratings.
The first episode, which aired on Sunday on the Rossiya 1 channel, showed the long-serving leader picking mushrooms in Siberia and in meetings with miners and schoolchildren.
The president already dominates state news bulletins but Rossiya 1’s hour-long show Moscow. Kremlin. Putin provides a new format to showcase his activities.
The previously unannounced show comes as Putin faces a record fall in his approval ratings as a result of a deeply unpopular pension reform that saw thousands of Russians take to the streets in protest.
“This is the project of [state TV company] VGTRK, not the Kremlin’s,” Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday. “It is important for us that information about the president and his work schedule is shown correctly and without distortion.”
Putin not only likes children, he likes people in general. He’s a very human person
Peskov added that Putin himself does not plan to take part in the programme. But Peskov did take part in the first episode, interviewed by pro-Kremlin presenter Vladimir Solovyev, and praised Putin’s personal and professional achievements.