( CNN ) In Russia 's tightly-managed democracy , where being an opposition politician can seriously damage your health , chances to question the country 's leader are rare . President Vladimir Putin cuts an isolated figure , closely guarded behind the walls of the Kremlin , traveling to-and-fro by helicopter or high-speed motorcade . His almost daily appearances on state television often show him in formal meetings with subordinates , or visiting dignitaries . Interaction with ordinary Russians is usually carefully controlled and fleeting . That is why this annual Q & A session -- in which Putin will spend hours fielding questions from the general public on live television -- is such a widely anticipated event which provokes such excitement . It is direct access to the Russian leader , or at least as direct as most Russians will ever get . In recent years , sitting in a shiny studio surrounded by a hand-picked audience of soldiers , doctors , teachers , factory workers and so on , Putin has held forth on subjects from parenting to food prices , to relations with America . Last year he spoke for three hours and 55 minutes . In 2013 , it was a record-breaking 4 hours and 47 minutes . Organizers say this year , public interest is especially strong . At one call center in Moscow , where the public are encouraged to pitch their Putin questions , officials say more than 200,000 questions were submitted in the first hour after lines opened . The Kremlin says they will have to sift through well over 1.7 million emails , video messages and texts to decide who gets to ask what on the big day . A few would-be questions released ahead of the event give us a flavor of what 's on Russia 's mind . One man , who identifies himself as Vitaly from the Leningrad region , asks : `` Vladimir Vladimirovich ( Putin 's middle name ) , why are prices going up in the shops but wages are staying the same ? '' Sanctions and Russia 's deep economic crisis , which saw the value of the Russian currency , the ruble , plunge in value by 50 % against the dollar , is set to be a major a theme . So too is foreign policy . With Moscow at odds with the West over Ukraine , some of the released questions show how concerned ordinary Russians are about their country 's place in the world . One unidentified schoolgirl asks : `` Is there a threat to Russia 's interests from the United States and Europe ? And will there be a new Iron Curtain ? '' It 's not just Russian schoolchildren who want to hear Putin 's answer . Critics of the Kremlin , of course , slam this entire event as Russia 's imitation of democracy in action . It 's hard to imagine a truly critical question , they say , getting aired on national television here . In fact , its best not to look at this event as an opportunity for Russians to question their leader at all . Instead , it is more like a highly produced , highly choreographed chance for their leader to speak to them , and to the world . Sometimes , the Kremlin likes to throw in a nasty surprise , too . Last year saw NSA whistleblower , Edward Snowden , granted asylum in Russia , address Putin by videolink . Who knows who may pop up this time .
Putin to spend hours fielding questions from the general public on live television . Sanctions and Russia 's deep economic crisis likely to be a major theme . Critics of the Kremlin slam event as Russia 's imitation of democracy in action .