(Read the full article on TASS.RU)

The annual large press conference of Russian President Vladimir Putin will be held on December 23 in person, press secretary of the head of state Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

“Putin will hold an annual press conference on December 23. It will be a face-to-face press conference. The president will come to the journalists. Journalists will freely ask questions to the head of state in the usual, as always happens, mode,” Peskov said.

“This annual big press conference of the president will take place in the Manezh,” the Kremlin spokesman said.

However, due to covid restrictions, the limit on the number of media representatives who will be present at the event in person is set at 500 people, they will be determined by the Kremlin. “The number of seats will be limited, unfortunately, to five hundred. Usually we have over a thousand [journalists at this event], 1,100 and so on. Since the number of seats will be limited, we will not do free accreditation,” Peskov said. go out to journalists yourself. “

According to Putin’s press secretary, the federal media, which work on the presidential agenda, and foreign media will be invited. In addition, regional media will be invited through the representative offices in the federal districts.

The spokesman for the head of state stressed that the coronavirus pandemic continues, therefore, the main department to which everyone should listen and whose recommendations follow is Rospotrebnadzor. “We will follow all the requirements of Rospotrebnadzor, so the number of journalists will be limited, the space will be increased. In this regard, this year we have decided to move from our traditional International Trade Center to Manezh,” he explained.