During President Vladimir Putin's four-and-a-half hour press conference on Thursday - the second longest on record in Russia; the longest in the rest of the world — he was congratulated several times by the audience for the answers he gave about the running of Russia.
This is a regular feature. Putin's arranger Dmitry Peskov - his "boss" Putin called him at one point — didn't have to try hard to produce it.
After the conference concluded, the president's critics attacked him for saying nothing new, repeating himself, evading the point of the question, making promises he doesn't intend to keep, etc.
The critics always say this.
It's their regular feature. This is cyclical, according to one of the Twitter comments. "If there is anyone who wants to watch Putin's news conference but cannot do it today, don't worry. Next year you will watch a re-run."
What was new this time was that in Putin's performance, he cited 36 sets of state statistics in answer to 55 questions. Subtracting the time taken by the questioners and Peskov's audience management, Putin produced the numbers, new sets of them, every five minutes.
Comment: Many who have taken the time to listen to Putin talk at any number of his press conferences, town hall meetings or during major speaking events, such as the Valdai Discussion Club, would not argue against the notion that 'when Putin talks, people listen,' and are often awed by his grasp of subject matter, as discussed above. One particular aspect that also does not go unnoticed is Putin's ability to talk and connect with people on their level, including showing his humorous, genuine and compassionate side.
If the nation is not capable of preserving itself and reproducing, if it loses it vital bearings and ideals, then it doesn't need foreign enemies - it will fall apart on its own.
- Vladimir Putin
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