MOSCOW (AP) — The young journalist wearing a red tie stood at President Vladimir Putin’s annual news conference on Friday, holding a sign saying he wanted to get married. But his main question was not directed at Putin, but at the proposal of his girlfriend Olga.
Putin complimented Yekaterinburg Channel 4’s Kirill Bazhanov on his stylish tie, saying: “You are ready to go to the registry office!” Bazhanov told Putin “We are happy to see you at the wedding.”
Of course, the Russian leader’s year-end media conference raised some serious questions, including delayed pension payments, construction projects gone awry and Putin’s deployment of troops to fight in Ukraine nearly four years ago.
But every year, among the big questions asked by the domestic and foreign media, there are also some strange and lighter moments, such as this year, when people asked Putin what his license plate number was and whether love at first sight existed.
It was all part of a carefully orchestrated event – an opportunity for Putin, who has ruled Russia for 25 years, to address a wide range of topics and project himself as a father figure to address the concerns of ordinary Russians who asked questions in advance.
Bazhanov actually did ask Putin a question – about more support for young families. Later, at a 4.5-hour press conference, an anchor delivered the news that Bazhanov’s girlfriend had agreed. Putin immediately joked about raising funds for the wedding.
For those inside Moscow’s Gostin Niedvoll Amphitheater, the most important task was getting Putin’s attention. Most carried signs and some wore national costumes. One reporter brought in a collection of Ragdolls that had been personalized to look like Russian officials and one to look like U.S. President Donald Trump.
A reporter asked whether a comet approaching Earth might be a UFO and assured Putin that the city of Tyumen would be ready to welcome any extraterrestrial guests.
Putin always seemed unperturbed, despite a brief commotion when Tajik journalist Shamsuddin Boboev tried to give him a book. Two security officials quickly blocked him from taking the stage, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggested that Boboev briefly describe the gift, which would be given to him later.
Towards the end of the meeting, a reporter noted that Putin had earlier said he believed in love at first sight and asked him if he was in love. The Russian leader, whose private life remains closely guarded, replied simply: “Yes.”
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Davis reported from Manchester, England.
