While Russian President Vladimir Putin responded to a large number of poignant questions during his annual Q&A session, the programme was also rife with more lighthearted and humorous occurrences.
Here's but a few such episodes that took place during the event.
Chill Out, Mulder
The Russian president responded negatively when one of the programme's participants inquired whether he's a space alien.
“I'm not, and I got proof of that, along with witnesses like my relatives and my children”, Putin pointed out.
Just Do It
When asked about how he deals with laziness, Putin remarked that feeling lazy is natural as your body is merely telling you that it needs rest, and rest is important.
The president's recipe for combating sloth, however, is simple– just start working.
Growing Among Polite People
Replying to a question about why he's so polite, Putin simply remarked that he grew up in the city St. Petersburg, which was called Leningrad back then, and that local environment must've rubbed off on him.
“Political culture is part of our common culture, and if someone lacks it, it's their problem”, he simply said.
Thanks for Asking!
One one member of the audience asked if Putin feels tired or bored of being the president of Russia, the latter's response was curt and to the point.
“No”, the president simply said, noting that he wouldn't have participated in this year's presidential election otherwise.
No Joke
In response to a question about whether he knows any jokes about himself, and if so, would he share one with the public, Putin said he'd do no such thing.
“I know have a colleague who does it better than me”, the president cryptically remarked, possibly referring to Volodymyr Zelensky, a Ukrainian comedian who recently was elected as President of Ukraine.
Feeling Regret
The president also recalled one event which makes him feel ashamed of himself, when replying to the final question during the program.
As Putin explained, during his visit to one of Russia's regions in early 2000s, a local woman passed him a note, even falling down on her knees when doing so.
And while the head of state promised to read the note in person, he passed it to his aides who subsequently lost the missive.
“I feel ashamed [of it] till this day”, Putin revealed, adding that he now reviews all such missives in person.
