Ask Putin: about flights to Egypt, offshore companies of the elite and family happiness
What remained behind the scenes of the annual communication of the President of Russia with its citizens
The 14th hotline of the Russian President was held on 14 April and ran for 3 hours and 40 minutes. During this time, the President managed to answer 80 questions. Unfortunately, the Tatarstan residents failed to get the President. What the lucky ones asked – in the brief overview of Realnoe Vremya.
Unanswered questions
This year, questions from Tatarstan have not got in the hotline. Unfortunately, on the official website of the event there are only the most popular questions. However, on the Internet there are also informal websites for the questions. It is unlikely that these questions were monitored by the organizers of the hotline but the Tatarstan citizens asked them there as well.
For example, on the website 'вопрос-президенту.рф' the family of the missing Suleiman Zaripov asked Putin to take the search for the missing imam under the personal control. A resident of Mamadysh asked why not to take up the search for cancer drugs 'all together'. Kazan old believers asked to return the temple on the Lokomotiv.
On another website kremlin.ru, a resident of Naberezhnye Chelny asked whether it is possible in Tatarstan to change the clocks: 'In mid-July at 21 p.m. it is already dark, it affects the mood very, very badly… it's SUMMER...! Usually at 21 p.m. it darkened only in the middle of August. Please, change the clocks back as it used to be!' (The grammar of the author is preserved).
Another appeal came from the parents of pupils of the Yalkynskaya secondary school of Alekseevsky rayon. They spoke about the threat of dissolution of the school, because the school is incompetent. For example, in the new academic year in 11th grade there will be to study only one student. The situation is similar in other areas.
So, the school is to be changed into middle school, which means that after the 9th grade children will have to go to one of the nearby schools. It is stressful for a child. Besides, it may affect their academic performance. 'We want to give children a good education and keep their health,' is in the address to the President, which was signed by 105 people.
16-year-old Daler from Elabuga asked Putin to help his parents. He said that due to the crisis the income in their family has fallen, and parents, in addition to three children, have a mortgage. 'Someone asks you a ticket to the Black Sea, but I ask the basic support, I don't need neither resorts nor any gadgets and so on. Just help my parents,' wrote the boy.
'Street magic' of Putin's words
80 questions found their answers. The first question was from a resident of Omsk. She complained about the roads which the local government do not repair. Putin noted that this is a problem not only in Omsk, and also the Ministry of Finance decided to take to the federal budget money, which Russia will receive from the increase in the excise tax on gasoline, although initially these funds (about 74 billion rubles) were to the regions to repair the roads. Putin promised to investigate the issue and to convince the Ministry of Finance to take only a half.
After some time, the media reported that in Omsk the 21th road will be repaired by 1 May. Later it turned out that the local authorities had already announced it in the middle of March.
An unexpected history was discovered in Sakhalin. Local residents said that recruitment agencies hire people, they go to the island of Shikotan and are virtually enslaved there. They are not paid wages, so they simply do not have money to go back.
Later, the media reported that local authorities had already learned about the debt in March. At first, it was about the debt at 10.6 million rubles before 229 employees of Rybokombinat Ostrovnoy CJSC and Ostrovnoy Rybokombinat PLC. The first company owes more than 6 million rubles. Against the Director it has been brought a criminal case. The second company returned money in full amount.
The agenda has been fulfilled
It is no sense to tell about the remaining 80 questions. So, we have chosen some of the key on which the President gave a definite answer.
Panama Papers. A man asked why Russia does not sue the authors of articles about the offshore accounts of his close friend Sergey Roldugin. Putin said that the information is true. 'It seems to me that it was prepared not by journalists but by lawyers. They do not accuse anyone specifically, they just throw dust in the eyes,' said the President of the Russian Federation. Moreover, according to Vladimir Vladimirovich, Roldugin used to spend money on expensive instruments. 'All these things are individual. It is impossible to sell them. He bought two violins, two cellos — unique things. The last bought thing costs about $12 million. Once Mstislav Rostropovich had a cello of this class, but Russia had the means to buy it, and it went to Japan,' said Putin. 'The specific instrument I'm talking about it is the cello Stuart of 1732 made by Stradivari. Its first owner — the legendary Prussian king Frederick the Great.'
The breakdown of weapons in Syria. A question from Tula revealed an interesting fact: the Russian weapons used during operations in Syria had to be repaired. According to Putin, sometimes the specialists from factories-manufacturers were event sent to the airbases. However, in general, they all worked well, foreign buyers are being interested in them.
Flights to Turkey and Egypt. The President explained that now the authorities of these countries cannot adequately ensure the safety of Russians in their resorts. 'In these conditions we have no right to tell people it is safe to go to the country' said Putin. He also added that the Egyptian specialists together with Russian colleagues solve the security issues.
Timiryazevskaya Academy. Putin put an end to the struggle of students and teachers of Timiryazevka with federal officials for the educational fields. The Russian President promised that the University 'will be left alone'.
National Guard. Putin explained that the idea to create the National Guard has being discussed for a long time. The specifics of the new structure will be that it will control the circulation of weapons in Russia.
Electricity in Crimea. Crimeans asked when the electricity supply will be fully restored in the peninsula. Putin announced that today is to be started a third branch of the power bridge. The last one, the fourth, will be connected in two or three weeks. As a result, the Crimea will receive 800 MW, which completely offset the volumes lost during the bombings of power lines.
Elections in 2018. Putin refused to tell whether he will run for presidential election in 2018. 'We now need to think about not where and how to work in the future but how to work today,' he said. The final decision will be taken depending on the results, added the President.
Personal life. A resident of St. Petersburg asked whether Putin will present his own 'first lady'. The President noted that he gets on well with his ex-wife and 'maybe even better than before'. 'She's fine. I'm also fine,' added Putin.