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Putin handles potholes, porridge, President Obama in call-in show

Since he divorced his wife Ludmila in 2013, rumours have swirled around Putin.

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“We didn’t just leave and abandon everything”.

It was basically a non-answer, but the story nonetheless soon topped the news section of Russia’s most popular search engine, Yandex.

At a marathon 80-question Q&A broadcast live on Channel One, Rossiya-1 and Rossiya-24 TV that lasted 3 hours and 40 minutes, Putin was asked about that response. Another question he partially deflected was, “Who would be better for Russia, Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton (as USA president)?” “I don’t even know what to say”, said Putin, who often comes up with salty answers to questions.”It is very hard but despite everything we are advancing in this direction”, Putin said.The conversation ranged over domestic dissatisfaction – with the country’s struggling economy and crumbling infrastructure – to worldwide relations with Turkey, Russia and Ukraine. He also said that the elections in Russian Federation are “fair and transparent”.

Although questions could be submitted by text message, email, or social media, the event was heavily stage-managed.

Thus far, the Russian government has refused to accept any responsibility for the offshore companies belonging to Sergei Roldulgin, famous Russian cellist, long-time friend of Putin and godfather to his eldest daughter.

He said Russia’s air campaign in Syria, which began on September 30, helped advertise the latest Russian weapons to global customers, with accumulated foreign orders now at about $50 billion.

In Russia, it’s not unheard of for puppies to be used as bribes, Putin said, but he suggested cellos weren’t almost so sordid. Putin dodged, saying, “Everyone reports to the president”.

“After the main part of our military contingent was withdrawn from Syria we left the Syrian army in a situation which enabled it to mount serious offensive operations with the support of the part of our military which stayed there”.

Putin explained that no one of the Russian leadership is included in these documents, but “there is an evident wish to link this problem to us”.

The Russian leader offered a number of criticisms of the United States, and alleged that a recent expose by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists that revealed the extent of global financial firms that facilitate tax evasion was actually the work of the USA government operating through the German newspaper that was central to the investigation. Some of the accounts detailed in the report allegedly belonged to close Putin associates.

The first question came from a woman from the Siberian region of Omsk who asked about potholed roads.

Real income of the Russians declined by 4 percent a year ago while real salaries dropped more, according to the president.

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A 12-year-old girl asked: “If Poroshenko and Erdogan were both sinking, whom would you save first?” Putin responded satirically, saying “if someone decides to drown, it’s impossible to save him”.

Putin Reassures Russians On Economic Hardship Calls Panama Papers A 'Provocation&#039 As Vote Nears