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 the European Union 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.
EU leaders 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, a kindergarten assistant, who said she was married to a driver, described “working a lot” and having to do 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 is 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 struggle with rising prices and poverty. The president later addressed a pre-written question about the simplicity of his lifestyle, stating that he lives in a basic flat.
”Vladimir Vladimirovich, it’s Friday already – can we break out the booze?” asked one irreverent viewer.
The president’s unease at times was apparent to analysts, who noticed an increased rigidity of tone during the event.
“Putin’s obvious discomfort in the face of these questions illustrates perfectly the pressure that the regime is under as its economic problems intensify,” said Dr Lee Cooper, director of PeaceRep’s Ukraine programme at the London School of Economics’ foreign policy think tank, LSE Ideas.
“For all his apparent intransigence in the talks to end the war, it is proving enormously costly to Russia and its position in the global economy. The question is whether the regime – and Russian society more broadly – has the ability to correct course in the face of these growing hardships on the ‘home front’.”
Russia’s population is nervous about living standards; however, Putin “downplayed concerns about Russia’s slowing economy” having “prioritised defence over all other sectors”, said Dr Bulent Gokay, a professor of international relations at Keele University.
“We know that Russia’s economy is suffering; inflation is 8 per cent, interest rates are 16 per cent, growth is slowing, budget deficits are soaring, real incomes are plunging, and consumer taxes are rising.”
But Dr Gokay added that Putin was able to present this as a positive: “He stated that the Russian economy was stable, and contrasted it positively with slow growth in Europe. He acknowledged that growth was slow, but framed it as a strategic choice to preserve the economy’s quality and macroeconomic stability.
“However, I doubt this explanation fully convinces the Russian people,” added Dr Gokay.
Putin has dominated politics in Russia since 1999, but has isolated the country with some of his policies, most notably its war with Ukraine.
During the four-and-a-half-hour media session, the Russian leader provided advice on loving one’s mother, starting a family young, God, aliens, and the similarities and differences between religions.
Negotiations for a ceasefire and peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine continue, meanwhile, as President Zelensky met with Poland’s president Karol Nawrocki on Friday.
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