Russia's leading business daily Kommersant said on Friday that Putin's speech had for the first time been recorded in the Ostankino TV center in northern Moscow and not in the Kremlin, where other media events are traditionally held. The paper said the president wanted to be seen as the lead candidate of United Russia's election list rather than as the head of state.
Kommersant said it was unclear what Putin would say in the broadcast, but the paper hinted that details of the relationship between the president and the pro-Kremlin United Russia party could be revealed.
There has been wide speculation about what Putin, whose second presidential term expires in the spring, will do after he steps down. His popularity rating at home remains impressively high against the background of relative stability and economic growth.
The president has pursued an intensive election campaign for United Russia, promoted as a pledge for continued stability and sustainable growth. On Thursday, he addressed thousands of United Russia supporters at the country's major stadium in Moscow.
