The Russian president is set to go ahead with his annual marathon press conference at 12 pm Moscow time (9 am GMT) on Thursday.
Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed ahead of the event that it will be held in the traditional, comprehensive format it has become known for.
“There is a certain time limit of course, but along with this there is a certain amount of flexibility, so there is sufficient time for the press conference to be held in its traditional, a quite exhaustive format,” Peskov said after being asked about the expected length of the event.
Thursday’s press conference will be Putin’s thirteenth. The tradition of holding comprehensive press conferences attended by both Russian and foreign journalists stretches back to 2001. Putin has held the presser every year from 2001-2008, apart from 2005, and after his reelection for a third term from 2012-2017. Thursday’s press conference will be the last during Putin’s third term in office.
The average presidential press conference lasts over three hours and includes dozens of questions by reporters on topics ranging from the economy and foreign policy to Putin’s personal life.
This year, the number of journalists accredited for the event broke last year’s record, with 1,640 journalists expected to attend. Alongside journalists from Russia’s regions are reporters from the US, Germany, Japan, France, China, Poland and other countries.