Last week, 29 of 89 Russian governors held a direct line with residents

On the eve of President Vladimir Putin’s direct line, scheduled for December 14, the governors noticeably intensified their communication with the population. Over the past week alone, every third head of the region carried out his own “line.” The governors resolved everyday issues, showed concern for the participants in the special operation and, in general, traditionally imitated the president. The expert recalls that for most regional leaders this is a kind of report to Moscow, but some approach the process more creatively.

Last week, 29 out of 89 Russian governors held a direct line with residents, Kommersant calculated. The real excitement happened on December 7, exactly a week before Vladimir Putin’s similar event, when ten regional heads simultaneously answered citizens’ questions live: Murat Kumpilov (Adygea), Kazbek Kokov (Kabardino-Balkaria), Dmitry Azarov (Samara region), Gleb Nikitin (Nizhny Novgorod region), Mikhail Razvozhaev (Sevastopol), Alexander Brechalov (Udmurtia), Oleg Melnichenko (Penza region), Valery Limarenko (Sakhalin region), Vitaly Khotsenko (Omsk region) and Mikhail Vedernikov (Pskov region). According to Kommersant’s calculations, the previous week was no less busy, with 14 “lines”. In total, since the beginning of November, 56 leaders have gone on air, that is, two-thirds of the governor’s corps.

Let us recall that such a format became actually mandatory for regional heads after Vladimir Putin’s direct line on June 30, 2021, in which someone suggested to the president (the question came via SMS) to “force all governors” to hold similar events “annually or once a quarter.” “I think that this will not hurt anyone,” the head of state said in response, and a week later he included the corresponding item in the list of instructions following a conversation with the people. True, it was formulated very vaguely: “Regularly, but at least once a year, conduct direct communication with residents of the regions.”

It is interesting that Mr. Putin himself has not drawn a straight line since then for more than two years. Previously, the head of state answered questions from citizens every year since 2001, and this tradition was not interrupted even during his premiership (then the event was called “Conversation with Vladimir Putin”). The only exception was 2012, when a final press conference was held instead of a straight line. In the pandemic year of 2020, events were combined. The “line” will be held in the same hybrid format on December 14.

Most governors, like the president, prefer a direct line on television. Sometimes federal presenters are invited for this, for example, the “line” of the head of Transbaikalia, Alexander Osipov, was led by Ekaterina Andreeva and Irina Rossius. An obligatory component is a block of questions related to the support of participants in the special operation and the restoration of “sponsored” territories. The head of Kamchatka, Vladimir Solodov, even used the premises of the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation for his “line”, and also broadcast fighters of the 110th Guards Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade, who were on the line of combat contact in the Donetsk People’s Republic.

However, the main part of the governor’s “lines” is still occupied by everyday problems of citizens. Thus, Vitaly Khotsenko dealt with the shutdown of several boiler houses in Omsk, which occurred exactly the night before his broadcast. The head of Karachay-Cherkessia, Rashid Temrezov, found out why children smoke vapes in one of the gymnasiums of the republican capital. Gleb Nikitin promised to reduce prices for eggs and meat, and Oleg Melnichenko promised to fulfill the wishes of six Penza children from the “Wish Tree”.

Dagestani leader Sergei Melikov, answering questions about the problems of specific municipalities, like Vladimir Putin, instructed his subordinates – heads of districts and mayors – to draw their own direct lines, and as soon as possible, before December 20. And Alexander Brechalov, following the president, decided to combine both “direct” formats and communicated not only with residents, but also with local journalists. By the way, he supported Mr. Putin’s nomination for another presidential term even before the head of state announced it (Mr. Brechalov’s broadcast took place on December 7, and the president announced his nomination on December 8).

Let us note that the series of gubernatorial direct lines has not yet ended: on Tuesday, the head of the Orenburg region, Denis Pasler, plans to answer residents’ questions. And some leaders will broadcast after the presidential one. For example, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov plans to do this in the near future, said Chechen Minister for Information Policy Akhmed Dudayev, without specifying the exact date of the event. The head of Crimea, Sergei Aksenov, according to Kommersant sources close to him, also plans to communicate with the population after Vladimir Putin’s direct line.

According to political scientist Ilya Grashchenkov, the governor’s “lines” can be divided into three groups: “The first is reports to Moscow, when stories about achievements and pre-prepared “homework” are “packed” on air. The second is a native communication system, for example, when the Murmansk governor Andrei Chibis took under the patronage of the municipality of a resident who called on the air. Well, the third is the collection of orders, complaints, and so on, a “mini-presidential” format.” Problems that come to light during the governor’s “lines” can “migrate” to the presidential “lines” – “especially those that the federal government can easily solve,” the expert adds.

Andrey Prah, corset “Kommersant”