The annual year-end press conference hosted by President Vladimir Putin combined serious policy exchanges with lighter personal moments when Channel 4 journalist Kirill Bazhanov publicly proposed to his girlfriend, Olga, and later learned she accepted. The four-and-a-half-hour event covered issues such as pensions, construction delays and the war in Ukraine, while also featuring oddball questions and staged public-relations moments. Putin responded to the proposal with humor and later confirmed, when asked about love, that he was "Yes."
Journalist Proposes to Girlfriend Live During Putin's 4½-Hour Year-End News Conference
Kirill Bazhanov of Yekaterinburg's Channel 4, center, asks a question holding a sign saying he wanted to get married, during Russian President Vladimir Putin's annual news conference at Gostinny Dvor in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
A young reporter in a red bow tie interrupted the formal rhythm of President Vladimir Putin's annual year-end news conference by holding up a sign proposing marriage to his girlfriend, Olga. The moment, captured live at Moscow's Gostinny Dvor amphitheater, briefly shifted the spotlight away from policy to a personal, celebratory scene.
Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to a journalist's question during his annual news conference and call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Kirill Bazhanov, a journalist for Channel 4 in Yekaterinburg, stood and displayed the sign before directing a substantive question to the president about greater support for young families. Putin complimented Bazhanov's bow tie, quipping, "You’re ready to go to the registry office!" Bazhanov then invited the president, adding, "We’d be very glad to see you at the wedding." Later in the four-and-a-half-hour session an anchor announced that Bazhanov's girlfriend had accepted the proposal, and Putin joked about collecting money for the wedding.
A TV assistant attaches a microphone to Russian President Vladimir Putin's suit prior to his annual news conference and call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Despite the lighthearted moment, the marathon press conference also addressed weighty issues: late pension payments, stalled construction projects and the ongoing fighting in Ukraine, where Russia sent troops nearly four years ago. The tightly managed event — in which questions are submitted in advance — mixes serious policy exchanges with staged public-relations moments that aim to depict Putin as a paternal, reassuring figure to ordinary Russians.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, thanks a group of volunteers who worked preparing his call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
The audience in the amphitheater sought to catch Putin's attention with signs, national dress and props. One reporter brought a set of Labubu dolls modeled after Russian officials, including one in the likeness of U.S. President Donald Trump. Another asked whether a comet approaching Earth might actually be a UFO, assuring Putin that the city of Tyumen would welcome any extraterrestrial visitors.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, thanks a group of volunteers who worked preparing his call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
A brief commotion occurred when Tajik journalist Shamsudin Boboyev attempted to hand Putin a book. Two security officers prevented him from approaching the stage; Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggested Boboyev describe the gift so it could be delivered later.
Toward the close of the session — known for alternating between hard questions and human-interest interludes — a reporter reminded Putin of his earlier remark that he believed in love at first sight and asked whether he was in love. The Russian leader, whose private life remains closely held, answered simply, "Yes."
Where it took place: Gostinny Dvor amphitheater, Moscow
Duration: Approximately 4½ hours
Notable figures: Kirill Bazhanov (Channel 4), Shamsudin Boboyev (Tajik journalist), Dmitry Peskov (Kremlin spokesman)
