Angry Russians turn on Putin over poverty and stagnant economy during marathon press conference
Russian frustrations cut through a meticulously controlled marathon press conference delivered by Vladimir Putin on Friday, revealing the hardships facing ordinary people.
The 73-year-old president delivered his customary end-of-year address, fielding questions from a public grappling with a stagnant economy, squeezed by international sanctions after almost four years of relentless war with Ukraine.
It comes after European leaders agreed to offer Ukraine a massive €90bn (£79bn) interest-free loan to fund most of Volodymyr Zelensky’s military needs for the next two years.
The European Union were unable to agree on a plan to use £185bn of Russian assets, an idea that Putin lashed out at as being akin to “daylight robbery” and the work of “burglars”.
But tensions were palpable within Russia, with the state of the economy at the top of the agenda.
One medical student expressed her concerns about starting a family when the “salaries of young experts is not great, and that does not allow you to create a family properly”. “We are losing young experts,” she said.
Putin responded with a description of the state-funded options and student loans available to young people, adding: “Getting an education or starting your career should not be the basis for postponing getting married or having children” – a response that seemed to indicate that he is out of touch with the realities facing his citizens.
A soldier’s widow asked about delays in paying out a pension, for which the president apologised, vowing that the issue would be resolved quickly.
One mother-of-six and kindergarten assistant, who said she was married to a driver, described “working a lot” and having several “additional jobs” alongside her husband to keep up with living costs and inflation. She said the family had exceeded the welfare threshold by 249 roubles (£2.49) and had “lost all the benefits”. “We want some more help from the government,” she said.
Despite censorship and the highly choreographed nature of the event, global media picked up on several sarcastic comments and criticism that broke through.
One text message that appeared on a screen during the event, which was billed as offering a “direct line” to Putin, described it as “not a direct line, but a circus”. Two messages complained about internet outages and rust-coloured water in the city of Saransk.
Another took aim at the Russian communications watchdog Roskomnadzor, which is responsible for limiting access to platforms including WhatsApp, YouTube, Snapchat and Roblox. “Block Roskomnadzor itself!” the person wrote. One person asked: “Why do ordinary people live worse than Papuans [citizens of Papua New Guinea]?”
Comments on a livestream seen by The Independent called out Putin and other Russian leaders for living in “mansions” while ordinary people struggled with rising prices and poverty. The president later addressed a pre-written question about the simplicity of his lifestyle, stating that he lived in a basic flat.
”Vladimir Vladimirovich, it’s Friday already – can we break out the booze?” said one irreverent viewer.
