President Putin, whose second term expires in March 2008, will begin answering questions from the Russian public at midday on Thursday. According to www.president-line.ru, the most popular question is about growing prices for food products, and whether this could be the beginning of another financial crisis like the one in 1998.
High global inflation, twinned with a grain crisis, has led to a recent rise in prices for some foodstuffs in Russia. In response, the government has tried to freeze food prices, causing protests among regional producers.
Another issue that Russians are concerned about is the country's declining population, which the UN has said could shrink by a third by 2050.
Employment for graduates without any working experience also worries young Russians, who say it is difficult to find a good job without high-level connections. In Soviet times, universities placed graduates in cities around the country in order to gain experience.
Russians also ask Putin why vacations abroad are often cheaper than going to the Russian seaside. Another question refers to air travel safety.
Ahead of the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi in 2014, Russians also plan to quiz the president about the environmental protection of the Black Sea region and the rights of local residents.
Another Internet user asks Putin what he thinks of censorship in the global information network.
Many questions focus on the parliamentary and presidential elections scheduled for December and March, respectively. Russians are curious to find out what "Putin's Plan," a reference to recent posters by the United Russia party, is all about, and whether a woman could be the next president. They would also like to know Putin meant when he said Russia would have a different configuration of power.
Others wondered if there was anything the president wanted to do for the country, but would not have time for, before his presidential term expires.
Russians also asked about measures to fight piracy and illegal deforestation, as well as his views on moving the capital from Moscow to another Russian city.
Over a million questions have so far been submitted.
