Free Republic

President Vladimir Putin unexpectedly postponed his annual phone marathon on Wednesday, the first time in 18 years. Putin has held the "Direct Line" dial-in session for Russian citizens to fire questions at him each year since 2001, only missing it once, in 2004. Speaking to the state-run TASS news agency on Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov gave no reason for the change and said the dial-in wouldn't happen in June. Somewhere between two and three million Russians try to talk to Putin during the phone-in each year, according to TASS. Past "Direct Line" events have run for more than four...

ssian President Vladimir Putin's annual "direct line" call-in with Russia's citizens has been delayed and will not now take place in June as expected, a Kremlin spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday. Putin's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters in Moscow that the event will not occur earlier than July this year, according to Russian state-owned news agency TASS. The Russian president has held the annual call-in show for all but three years since it began in 2001. It has frequently taken place in June, including last year when Putin fielded Russians' questions on June 30. Peskov was asked if Putin would...