Russian president avoids 2014 disaster in annual Q&A but is confronted by journalists on subject afterwards

Vladimir Putin faced questioning on both domestic and international issues at his annual phone-in – but managed to avoid any mention of the MH17 plane disaster until journalists confronted him about it afterwards.

“There is no evidence of Russia’s blame for the downing of MH17,” Putin said. “Russia has its own explanation of the crash of MH17 but no one is listening to us,” he added.

On Wednesday four Russia-backed separatists were named as suspects in the shooting-down of the Malaysia Airways flight over east Ukraine in 2014, when Dutch-led investigators issued international arrest warrants for Russians Igor Girkin, Oleg Pulatov, and Sergei Dubinsky, and Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko. A total of 298 people were killed when the plane was downed.

The Russian president blamed Ukraine for setting the stage for the tragedy, saying the country failed to close its airspace to commercial flights despite the separatist fighting in the east. And he called on Ukraine’s new president to negotiate directly with separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Play Video 1:20 MH17: Four suspects named for shooting down plane – video

Putin also praised the release of beluga whales that had been captured and held in a cramped “whale jail” in the far east of Russia.

A deputy prime minister announced live on air that the law on hunting the animals would be changed.

Russia has begun releasing a group of almost 100 captive whales into the wild whose detention in Russia’s far east since last year has caused an international outcry, state TV said on Thursday.

Six beluga and two killer whales were being transported on Thursday, part of a four-month operation to return all of the orcas to their natural habitat, according to a report aired during Putin’s televised question and answer session.

Putin claimed western sanctions imposed over Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and support for rebels in eastern Ukraine had cost Russia $50bn (£40bn) and the European Union $240bn in missed opportunity since 2014.

Asked who was responsible for “raging corruption” in Russia, Putin said he was. “I do feel personally responsible. If I did not you would not see media reports about it. Usually both sides are responsible, some people steal, some people take bribes,” Putin said.

This year’s ”Direct Line” comes at a time when Putin’s approval ratings have dropped below 50%, among his lowest numbers since he first became president in 2000. The Kremlin is concerned over Putin’s falling popularity after a series of protests have forced officials to deal with nationwide discontent, leading to clampdowns on domestic issues ranging from waste disposal and growing problems with landfill to police corruption.

Last summer’s controversial move to raise the retirement age – from 55 to 60 for women and from 60 too 65 for men, is widely seen to have damaged Putin’s presidency. The reform was presented as a measure to counter Russia’s economic collapse in the future – after years of falling living standards – but was met with public outcry.

After about four hours of the phone-in marathon Putin was asked if he was “sick of being president”. He answered: ”No.”