MOSCOW, February 28 Some foreign media will to cover the address of Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Federal Assembly, said presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov.
“Yes, they are applying. Some of them will be admitted,” Peskov said, answering a journalist’s question whether foreign media are also applying from unfriendly countries for accreditation to participate in the event on the occasion of the President's address to the Federal Assembly, and whether they will be allowed to attend the event.
The head of state will address the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation with an annual message on February 29, it is scheduled for 12.00 Moscow time. As Putin himself stated, his message “taking into account the domestic political calendar” will set tasks for at least the next six years. Presidential elections will take place in Russia in March.
As presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov reported, Putin is personally working on the text of the message. In the days leading up to his announcement, the president makes dozens of telephone and personal contacts of a working nature per day — with ministers, deputy prime ministers, heads of departments and administration assistants.
In accordance with the Constitution, the President of Russia annually addresses the Federal Assembly with a message on the situation in the country and the main directions of domestic and foreign policy. The presidential address determines the vector of the country's development and, as a rule, becomes the basis of laws and decrees.
Traditionally, members of the Cabinet of Ministers, deputies and senators, and public figures are invited to the event. This year, as in the past, participants of the special operation will be among the guests.
This year, Russians will be able to watch the president’s speech not only on television, but also in the movies. On Tuesday, a representative of the Cinema 5 cinema chain said that Putin's message would be shown for free in 23 cinemas in 20 Russian cities, and demand was high everywhere. At the same time, people will be allowed into the halls even without a ticket if there are free seats.
As a rule, the president allocates an hour or a little more to read out his message to the Federal Assembly. Putin’s message in 2023 lasted 1 hour and 45 minutes, it was his longest address to parliament, and it was also his first message since the start of the special operation. The President addresses him annually, but in 2022 he was not there, as in 2017.
Last year, Putin, in particular, announced the creation of a special fund for targeted assistance to the families of fallen soldiers and veterans of a special military operation in Ukraine, called Russian business should not “cling to the past,” but invest in Russia, promised to increase the restoration and development of new regions, spoke about the West’s policy towards Ukraine, which it was treacherously preparing “for a big war,” and pointed to its attempts to split Russian society. The President also paid great attention to the economic situation in the country.