Show praises president’s physique, love of children and ability to drive away bears

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Vladimir Putin’s “wonderful” physique and his love for children have been hailed in the first episode of a new television programme devoted to the Russian president’s weekly activities.

Moscow. Kremlin. Putin, which aired at prime time on Sunday evening on the Rossiya 1 state television channel, also joked that even wild animals were afraid of the Kremlin strongman.

The hour-long show aired hours after thousands of people had marched near Red Square to protest against unpopular pension reforms that have driven the president’s approval ratings to a four-year low.

It praised Putin’s willingness to “take responsibility” for the “necessary” reforms, but made no mention of the protests.

More than 50% of Russians are prepared to take part in protests against the government’s plans to raise the national retirement age, according to an opinion poll published on Monday by the Levada Centre, an independent Moscow-based pollster.

After a segment on Putin’s attitude to young people, the presenter Vladimir Soloviev said: “When Putin talks to the mother of a child or looks at a child, it’s clear how much he loves children. He has a human, sincere attitude toward children.”

Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman and studio guest, replied: “Putin doesn’t only love children, he loves people in general.”

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TV Dozhd, an online opposition channel, likened the Rossiya 1 show to the Soviet-era personality cult around Vladimir Lenin. Other critics expressed disbelief that state media could find more space for coverage of Putin among its already wall-to-wall coverage of the president. Rossiya 1 devoted more airtime to Putin than all the other candidates combined in the run up to March’s presidential elections.

The programme also featured footage of Putin’s recent holiday in Tuva, a remote region in Siberia. “This is wild nature, there are bears there,” Peskov said. “Bodyguards are armed in an appropriate manner, just in case. Although if a bear sees Putin – they aren’t idiots – they will behave themselves properly.”

Amid the relentless praise for Putin there was also an unexpected mention of the prominent Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

During a segment about a meeting between Putin and some students in Sochi, a teenage boy called Yegor Ryabov could be seen wearing a “Navalny 2018” T-shirt partly covered by a grey hooded top. Navalny, who was barred from this year’s presidential campaign, is blacklisted by state media.

Ryabov said he had covered up the T-shirt during a briefing with Kremlin security officers before the meeting but unzipped his top when Putin appeared.

“This was an act of political disobedience,” Ryabov said.