Moscow, October 6, 2026 – The Europe Today: The Kremlin has begun preparations for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annual press conference and televised “Direct Line” call-in programme, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.
Peskov told reporters during his daily briefing that preparations were proceeding in the same combined format used in previous years.
“It will be both a Direct Line and an annual major press conference of the head of state,” he said.
The annual call-in programme and end-of-year press conference have been held in a combined format since 2020, when the two events were merged amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Peskov did not disclose the exact date of this year’s event. Last year’s combined programme was held on December 19, 2025.
Meanwhile, Peskov had said on Sunday that a more advanced neural network developed by Russian state lender Sberbank would assist the Kremlin in processing a significantly larger volume of public requests ahead of the programme.
More than three million requests were submitted for last year’s edition, according to the Kremlin.
Putin’s annual call-in programme, first launched in 2001, provides Russian citizens with an opportunity to raise questions and complaints directly with the president. The format has traditionally featured Putin responding to issues concerning citizens and matters they say have not been adequately addressed by regional or local authorities.
The Kremlin’s preparations indicate that the long-running televised event will again serve as a major platform for Putin to address public concerns and outline his views on key domestic and national issues.
