“Listening to comments from Russian opposition experts about yet another live broadcast featuring Putin (I haven’t watched those broadcasts in years), I was reminded of a story from about 10 years ago.”

United Russia was holding a meeting in Khabarovsk. Boris Nemtsov and Alexei Navalny first called it the “party of crooks and thieves.” Putin was in attendance. It was yet another staged gathering of subordinates meeting their “tsar.” This event featured not only crooks and thieves but also various activists: environmentalists, youth representatives, philatelists, motorists, and others. Essentially, it was a curated group of leader-loving citizens. Representatives of Indigenous small-numbered peoples were also invited to this meeting.

Before the meeting with Putin, a person from the presidential administration gathered us together. They began handing out pre-approved questions. We were supposed to ask Putin those questions. I refused to take a scripted question. I said that I wanted to ask about an issue that truly concerned my people. The issue was the establishment of a traditional nature-use territory on the Bikin River. In response, I was told that I couldn’t ask my question. Only those willing to read the pre-approved questions would be given the floor. I left Khabarovsk that very day.

Our elder, who agreed to ask the prepared question, remained to represent our people. The question she was given went like this: “Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich! We know you care deeply about preserving tigers. There are many tigers and poachers in our land. I ask you to toughen the poacher penalties and share your plans for saving the Amur tiger.”

The evening of questions and answers began. When our elder was given the floor, she stood up and said: “Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich! I want to share one of our problems with you. Our life is already hard as it is. Now the authorities in Primorye won’t let us catch red fish. We’ve always caught it, and it is a traditional food for us.”

I was later told that Putin’s eyes widened at the unexpected question. He did not know how to respond. So, he turned to the head of the Federal Fisheries Agency, Andrei Krainy. He made Andrei answer it on the spot.

Afterwards, our elder called me. She told me that she had been summoned to the police for questioning. Governor Darkin had ordered a criminal case to be initiated against her. In the end, nothing came of it. They couldn’t find anything to charge a pensioner with.

And that’s what these live Q&A sessions with Putin are like…