MOSCOW: Russian Kremlin-controlled television has launched a new weekly show dedicated to President Vladimir Putin in an apparent attempt to stem a major fall in his approval ratings. The first episode, which aired on Sunday on the Rossiya 1 channel, showed the long-serving leader picking mushrooms in Siberia and in meetings with miners and schoolchildren.

The president already dominates state news bulletins but Rossiya 1’s hour-long show Moscow. Kremlin. Putin provides a new format to showcase his activities.

The previously unannounced show comes as Putin faces a record fall in his approval ratings as a result of a deeply unpopular pension reform that saw thousands of Russians take to the streets in protest.

Much of the programme hailed Putin’s stance on the controversial pension reform, Russia’s top news story for weeks.

Published in Dawn, September 4th, 2018