The event will start at 12 a.m. Moscow time (09:00 GMT) and is expected to continue for three to four hours. It will be the Russian president's first "Direct Line" session since June 2021.
This year, it will take place ahead of the start of Putin's election campaign as he has announced his intention to run for president again in March 2024. The agenda of the press conference is expected to include Putin's election program and focus on the economic development and security, including collective global security, as well as issues related to nuclear weapons.
According to the Kremlin, over 2 million questions have been submitted for the event. For obvious reasons, only a fraction of them will be answered during the live event, the Kremlin noted; however, "everyone who posed a substantive question will receive an answer," after the requests are be processed by the All-Russia People's Front. The latter is an organization tasked with ensuring control over the execution of decrees and instructions of the president of Russia (who is the body's head).
The event will include a press conference. Besides Russian journalists, foreign media, including from countries that are considered unfriendly by Russia, will be present at President Vladimir Putin’s big press conference on Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
“They will be [present]. In general, there will be Russian federal media and Russian regional media. Representatives from all regions will come. And foreign media will represent both friendly and unfriendly countries,” Peskov said on air of Rossiya 24 broadcaster.
In 2001, Russian leader Vladimir Putin introduced a practice of holding large annual press conferences with the head of state. That same year Russian citizens had the opportunity to get answers on their questions from the country's leader in a live broadcast as part of the "Direct line" with the president.