MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a rare apology on Thursday when a pensioner complained to him about the price of eggs.
During Putin’s end-of-year question and answer session with the media and with members of the public calling in from across Russia, pensioner Irina Akopova was shown seated at her kitchen table and addressing the president by video link.
She complained that prices for eggs, chicken breasts and wings had all skyrocketed.
“Vladimir Vladimirovich, take pity on pensioners! We don’t get millions in our pensions. Sort this out – we have no one to turn to,” she said. “I’m very grateful to you, I’m counting on you to help.”
The question reflected real concern among Russians at the cost of living, and came after Putin had already acknowledged that inflation may approach 8% this year.
“I apologise for this, but this is a failure of the government’s work… I promise that the situation will be corrected in the near future,” Putin said.
The marathon Q+A is a format that gives Putin the chance to show he is sympathetic with ordinary people’s worries and is ordering the relevant officials to sort them out.
The government this week said it would exempt 1.2 billion eggs from import duty in the first half of next year to try and rein in prices that have risen more than 40% this year.
Some of those who brought their problems to the president received instant solutions during Thursday’s session.
Minutes after a group of young boys complained to Putin about the dilapidated state of their sports hall in Crimea, TV anchor Pavel Zarubin said volunteers from the Russian-annexed territory had called in and promised to renovate it.
(Reporting by Reuters, writing by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Gareth Jones)
