Putin gives rare glimpse inside his home - as he admits he thinks 'constantly' about who will replace him as president
Vladimir Putin has given a rare look inside his home for a new documentary.
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The Russian president invited guests inside his flat within the Kremlin complex in Moscow for the Russian film, where he gave them food and drinks.
Putin was seen pouring his guests kefir, a popular yoghurt drink that some believe reduces inflammation, while in the kitchen of his flat.
The kitchen is relatively modest, but the flat is otherwise decorated in a lavish gold-and-white style, similar to the rest of the Kremlin.
Documentary viewers were given a tightly choreographed look inside the flat, and, as well as the kitchen, saw a white piano - which Putin admitted he rarely plays - a large gym, and a private chapel.
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The flat is fitted with a range of chandeliers, large plants and a portrait of Tsar Alexander III, Russia's penultimate emperor, who ruled in the late nineteenth century.
Alexander III was known for his conservative leanings, and came to power after the assassination of his father, who was blown up by a terrorist.
But he was also known as the peacemaker, because the country was not involved in any wars during his reign.
Putin was asked in the documentary about his potential successor, and told the interviewer he thought about who would replace him as president "all the time".
Russia is nominally a democracy, although few international onlookers see its elections as free and fair. The next election is set for 2030.
Putin said he hoped “the people have a choice" of future president after the end of his administration.
He said that any successor would “no chance of doing anything serious” unless they enjoyed public trust.
It comes with Putin set to travel to China at the end of August, reciprocating Chinese leader Xi Jinping's visit to Russia this week.
Mr Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters that the visit will be part of a "good tradition," in which Mr Xi visits Moscow to attend celebrations of Russia's defeat over Nazi Germany in May 1945, and Mr Putin travels to China to attend events marking the Allied defeat of Japan.
"This was the case 10 years ago, in 2015, and this will be the case this year," Mr Ushakov said.
On September 3, Beijing is set to host an event marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, which China refers to as "the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression".
In 2015, China marked the 70th anniversary of its role in the defeat of Japan with a massive military parade involving more than 12,000 troops, 500 pieces of military equipment and 200 military aircraft.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry earlier this year announced that China and Russia would jointly mark this year's anniversary.
Mr Putin last visited China a year ago, in his first foreign trip after being sworn in for his fifth term in office. He also went in October 2023 and in February 2022, weeks before the Kremlin sent troops into Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Mr Xi's visit to Russia will be his third since then. China claims to take a neutral position in the conflict, but it has backed the Kremlin's contentions that Russia's action was provoked by the West, and it continues to supply key components needed by Moscow for weapons production.
After launching what the Kremlin insists on calling a "special military operation" in Ukraine, Russia has become increasingly dependent economically on China because of Western sanctions.
China's increased trade with Russia has helped the country mitigate some of the worst blows from the sanctions.
Moscow has diverted the bulk of its energy exports to China and relied on Chinese companies to import high-tech components for Russian military industries to circumvent Western sanctions.
Mr Xi last visited Russia in September 2024 for a summit of the Brics bloc of developing economies. He paid a state visit to Russia in March 2023. The two leaders also met in Kazakhstan in July 2024.