Russian social media and others poking fun at the fact that the Brexit question was asked by the "British" journalist, Sergei Brilev, who works for Russian TV and has admitted to having obtained British citizenship, and a London apartment.
Journalist asks about "Putin's chef," Yevgeny Prigozhin, and the Vagner private security company. Asks what Putin thinks about the work of such companies. Putin disputes the term "Putin's chef" for describing Prigozhin, who also owns the Internet Research Agency troll factory that interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and other Western political processes. Putin then says Vagner and other private security firms should not do anything illegal. Says the Russian journalists who were killed in Africa while reporting on Vagner were to blame themselves for traveling without letting the authorities know. But expresses his condolences anyway.
Journalist from Vladivostok thanks Putin for his recent decision to name the city the capital of the Far Eastern Federal District (some analysts say he moved the capital from Khabarovsk because that region recently elected a "protest" governor from one of the systemic "opposition" parties). The journalist then gives a list of local problems in Vladivostok until other journalists tell him to get to his question. He then launches into a tirade against the government decision to raise retirement ages. Asks Putin whether he would overturn that return. Then wishes Putin a happy new year.
Putin returns to a previous question about human rights activist Lev Ponomaryov and says he can't interfere with the decision of a court. (Ponomaryov was recently jailed for 16 days for organizing a protest against the arrests of activists from New Greatness and Network, two groups that the Russian authorities accuse of extremism.)
Putin then responds on the decision to raise retirement ages. Says doing this was inevitable sooner or later and doing it now allowed the government to do it gradually. Says he wouldn't have allowed it to happen if he was not convinced it was inevitable. Promises to look into all the specific local issues that the journalist raised.
Journalist from znak.com asks about numerous reports from around the country about torture in Russian prisons, most of which were uncovered by independent media and human rights activists. Asks what must be done and who will be held responsible. Putin says the situation in prisons must be kept under strict control by the Prosecutor-General's Office and the current situation is unacceptable. Says people are being held responsible as cases are uncovered. Says more must be done to increase public (civic) control over the prisons.
Putin says Vagner private security company has right to work anywhere in the world as long as they don't break Russian law
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A Russian journalist who lives in Daghestan asks Putin about the failure of media to reflect Russia's "multicultural" society -- says she sees only Slavic faces on TV. Putin says he has not noticed this and the journalists says, "I guess that means I only imagined it."
A journalist from Turkey asks what Putin's view of Kemal Ataturk is. Putin says he was definitely a major figure in Turkish history and did much for the establishment of an independent Turkish state and was a good friend of Russia. Putin adds that he is satisfied with how Turkish-Russian relations are developing.
Peskov warns journalists to be brief and says "we've been working nearly three hours."