MOSCOW — The discontent thrumming just below the surface in Russia was on clear display Thursday as President Vladimir V. Putin spent the bulk of his annual marathon, televised call-in program trying to convince the country that life was improving.

The president’s answers to 75 of the more than 2.6 million questions submitted were perhaps less compelling than the steady stream of text messages popping up on the bottom of the television screen, some of them surprisingly critical.

“You have been in power for longer than Brezhnev,” read one, referring to Leonid Brezhnev, whose 18-year rule is remembered as the era of stagnation. “But we continue to live in poverty as we used to live.”

“When will serfdom be restored? We’re waiting for the lord of the manor who will buy our village and organize jobs.”