Vladimir Putin's Disappearing Act

Vladimir Putin has made fewer public appearances in the past year than would be expected, given that he is soon expected to announce his bid for a fifth term as president, according to an independent Russian news outlet.

An investigation by Proekt, a Russian independent media outlet banned by the Kremlin, found that, from November 1, 2022 to October 31, 2023, Putin spent only 147 days in public. Newsweek has contacted Russia's Foreign Ministry via email for comment.

Putin, 71, is expected to announce his bid for another term as president soon. Following constitutional changes orchestrated by the Russian leader prior to the war in Ukraine, he may remain in power until 2036.

On Thursday, Russian lawmakers set next year's presidential election for March 17, 2024, marking "the start of the election campaign," Valentina Matviyenko, the chairwoman of Russia's Federation Council (upper house of parliament), said.

Proekt said that Putin's diminished public appearances in the past year is unusual, given that the presidential elections are to be held in 2024.

"Very soon, the president will announce his nomination for a fifth term... he is very tired of his own people," the outlet added. Newsweek has not as yet verified this claim.

Putin has not only made few public appearances this past year, but also, out of the meetings he has held, he has attempted to keep his distance from others in nearly half of them.

For example, Putin conducts many meetings virtually, via video link. Proekt said Putin held 113 "video meetings" in the past year, including almost all of his Security Council meetings and all those with members of the government.

The Russian leader has been pictured holding meetings with officials at a distance at long tables, prompting some to speculate that Putin is worried about COVID-19. In other cases, a barrier has been erected in front of the president on stage, which separates him from his audience.

"And on the street, Putin's interlocutors are forced to stand at a distance of more than 10 meters [33 feet] from him, behind a specially drawn red line," said Proekt.

"In theory, this can be explained by the desire to protect himself from [COVID-19]. But sometimes Putin still needs to communicate with people in person, and then the Kremlin resorts to wild (from the point of view of public policy) security measures," the outlet added.

A former Kremlin guard said in an interview earlier this year with the investigative website Dossier Center that Putin is "a self-isolating president". He added that even Kremlin staff "have to observe a strict quarantine for two weeks before any event, even those lasting 15 to 20 minutes."

Proekt reported that Putin didn't always work "so little." "For example, back in October 2007, with which we compared Putin's current performance, he had public affairs almost every day," the outlet said. "And if we exclude face-to-face meetings with officials (although at that time they could have been public), then Putin appeared in public for 23 days."

By comparison, Putin made public appearances on 15 days in October this year, Proekt said.

"At the same time, Putin not only appears in public less, but also holds fewer events overall. For example, in May 2017, the Kremlin press service reported 67 meetings with the participation of the president, and in May 2023 - only 40," the news outlet added.

Russia's Central Election Commission is set to hold a meeting on Friday on the presidential campaign.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has urged the public to be patient when questioned about whether Putin has decided to seek reelection.

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