Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he does not consider himself a "great" person and does not suffer from depression.

Answering a question on how he resists depression, which the questioner said was a common ailment among great people, Putin said: "I do not consider myself a great person, that is why I do not suffer from depression."

The question was asked during Putin's annual televised question-and-answer session with Russians.

A nine-year-old girl asked the prime minister about the happiest moments of his life.

"I believe that the fact that we are alive is a happiness given us by God," Putin said. "We always forget that our life is not infinite. If we remember this, we will understand that each [day] we live gives happiness."

MOSCOW, December 3 (RIA Novosti)