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Russian President Vladimir Putin holds his televised question-and-answer session in Moscow on June 15.
Russian President Vladimir Putin holds his televised question-and-answer session in Moscow on June 15.

Live Blog: Putin's Call-In Show

Russian President Vladimir Putin is taking questions from Russians across the country in his annual Direct Line show, a lavish and heavily stage-managed production broadcast live by all major Russian state television networks.

-- Vladimir Putin took questions from Russians across the country in the Direct Line program, which lasted four hours.

-- Putin said there was no cause for the new sanctions against Moscow that are under consideration in the U.S. Congress, and that the aim of Western sanctions is to hold Russia back.

-- Putin said the country had pulled out of a long recession and that "the economy has moved to a period of growth."

-- The Direct Line program is one of three high-profile annual events that Putin uses to burnish his image in Russia, send signals abroad, and offer hints about future plans.

-- This year's rendition comes at a time of social tension in Russia, just days after police detained more than 1,500 people at anticorruption protests in cities across the country on June 12. In addition, Moscow has seen numerous protests in recent weeks over a controversial government plan to raze and replace thousands of Soviet-era residential buildings.

*NOTE: Times are stated according to local time in Moscow (GMT/UTC +3)

09:36 15.6.2017

Putin says that Russia lost $50 billion due to sanctions related to it actions in Ukraine, but the countries that imposed these sanctions lost $100 billion.

09:38 15.6.2017

Q: My house burned down in 2015 in the forest fires. I have two kids and no place to live. The new housing the local government gave us is unlivable. Please, help me. God bless you.

A: We will solve this. It's our duty, we've promised.

09:42 15.6.2017
09:44 15.6.2017
09:52 15.6.2017

Q from Moscow suburb: We live next to a giant garbage dump. We don't know what to do, addressing you is our last hope.

A: I understand you. Who would build houses next to the dump? We have a law, but it hasn't been implemented yet. As for you, we will try to fix your problem as soon as possible.

09:55 15.6.2017
10:02 15.6.2017

A baby was just born on TV. Not a Vladimir, a Mikhail.

10:08 15.6.2017
10:09 15.6.2017

Q: The demographics are terrible. Young families need help.

A: It is not too bad. World War II was damaging, the 1990's were damaging.

10:11 15.6.2017

Q: Do you have grandkids?

A: I do. But I want them to grow up like normal kids, so I’m not going to say anything. My second grandchild was born recently.

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