 However, at the beginning of December 2017, some experts said that Putin would announce his participation in the elections on 6 December, during the Volunteer of Russia 2017 awards.Putin's press Secretary Dmitry Peskov, commenting on these reports said that Putin could announce the nomination any day.On 6 December, after the presentation of awards, Putin declined to answer the question about participation in the elections, saying that in the near future he will decide on whether to participate in the election.