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Putin's Traditional Call-In Show to Return This Spring

President Vladimir Putin will hold his annual televised call-in show this spring, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday.

No date for the call-in show has been given, however, RIA-Novosti reported.

Putin didn't hold his traditional call-in show in 2012 and instead opted for a large news conference, attributing the move to the winter weather and saying he didn't want the few participants who pose questions from public squares to have to endure the cold.

The last such show took place not long before December Duma elections in 2011. During that show, Putin criticized the opposition movement and said he'd mistaken the opposition symbol — a white ribbon — for a condom.

The president's favored call-in show format began in 2001, and he's continued to interact with Russians in that format for 10 years, both as president and prime minister.

The show involves a moderator fielding questions for Putin from citizens, with the event broadcast on federal television channels.

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