In a moment reminiscent of former ABP News anchor Rubika Liyaquat's epic softball question to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, "Why don't you get tired? Aap thakte kyu nahi ho?" The Kremlin’s English-language mouthpiece Russia Today channel showed India Today's Executive Editor-in-Chief, Kalli Purie, asking Russian President Vladimir Putin, "We've been shadowing you for three days, and we've seen how hard you've been working – as hard as our prime minister. Do you ever take a break? Are you going to get a break for New Year's or Christmas? 

Seemingly amused by this question, Putin said, "Who worked in [the] secret services, me or you? You’ve been shadowing me for three days already," following which Purie, Aaj Tak anchor Anjana Om Kashyap, Putin and his translator broke into smiles and laughter.

This exchange follows a scoop for the India Today Group, which managed to obtain an exclusive “100-minute” interview of the Russian Premier over state broadcaster Doordarshan and other private news channels. The channel sent Kashyap and Geeta Mohan, the foreign affairs editor at India Today, to conduct the interview, which Putin largely found comfortable. 

There were moments when the Russian Premier looked a little uncomfortable, when Mohan asked whether his decision to “annex Crimea” was the reason for the “isolation of Russia”. But Putin broke into smirks, and said, “We didn’t annex Crimea – we came to help people rejecting a coup in Ukraine.” He added: “There was a threat – not just of pressure, but of outright violence – against the Crimeans, and Russia stepped in to help them.” 

There was little to no pushback on these claims. In a revealing admission following the interview, Kalli Purie, while sitting alongside founder and chairperson of the India Today Group, Aroon Purie, Anjana Om Kashyap and Geeta Mohan, said how even though the original mandate was for a 60-minute interview, Putin was "enjoying the conversation so much” and was “so charmed” and “liked the questions”, the interview "ran for 100 minutes". 

Putin understood the assignment and the audience the channel was playing to. Mohan asked Putin, “You have worked with many Indian Prime Ministers in the past. Which prime minister, do you think, is the reason why Russia and India relations are so strong?”

Putin responded: “We are working with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We have a friendly and trustworthy relationship. He is a very reliable person. India is fortunate that he’s from India. He lives [and breathes] India. I'm only telling you what I see and think.” As Putin continues to lavish praise on Modi, you can see at least one anchor trying hard to not break into complete delirium.

While other news channels didn't get that Putin exclusive, they didn't want to be left behind in the glazing sweepstakes. Republic TV's Arnab Goswami presented his own "reading of the Modi-Putin bear hug" on the tarmac of the airport in Delhi. 

In his monologue, Goswami said, "Modi and Putin are two world leaders who have stood up for national interest. They've said, 'Nation First', and that is why Russian crude today is 35% of India's [oil] imports. We are pushing back against American sanctions, and Putin knows it. Narendra Modi stepped forward and refused to give in to pressure from America.” He went on to add that “Narendra Modi and India have made it clear to America that a 70-year partnership with Russia will not be sacrificed for a few months of Trump's pressure."

While Western publications like The Economist have acknowledged the optics of yesterday’s events, the fact of the matter is that Reliance Industries, India’s largest oil refiner, stopped importing Russian crude oil into its refining complex last month. As per Reuters, Reliance said it  would “abide by sanctions against Moscow while maintaining ties with current oil suppliers.”

Rubika Liyaqat, now with News18 India, wasn't to be left behind. She said, "The strongest country in the world" (Russia), and its "strongest face" (Putin), met with Prime Minister Modi to talk business. She recalled how Modi broke protocol and gave Putin a "pleasant surprise" on the airport tarmac and said the two leaders shared a "heartfelt moment". 

Another "important" thing Rubika noticed was the 'Fortuner' SUV in which both leaders left the airport tarmac last night. "Such was the friendship that they sat in that vehicle together, and it became a matter of discussion as to what happened here. Why did they sit together in this car?", as they show visuals of the two of them in the car and sharing a laugh.  

Even Rahul Shivshankar on their sister network noticed the same thing. Posting on X, he observed: “SIMPLICITY! Check this out. Putin didn't ride in a fancy car, but just another vehicle in the PM's security detail!” On his patented 'RAW DISPATCH FROM MY DESK', he noted, "THE MEETING IS ITSELF THE MESSAGE. Delhi's rewriting Trump's redlines, and he's not going to like it. Even if they don't sign a single deal, just by meeting [each other], Modi and Putin are signalling that their nations won't surrender their strategic autonomy." 

He even did his usual Opposition-bashing segment on News 18, calling out "Rahul's protocol provocation" and asking, "Fake' Raga sours India's moment?" This callout by RSS was in reference to leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s statement yesterday: “Generally, the tradition has been that whoever visits India, the LoP used to have a meeting. It used to happen in the Vajpayee government, the Manmohan Singh government But this is not the case now...PM Modi and the foreign ministry do not follow this now because of insecurity."

Last night, Amish Devgan on News18 India was heard quite literally screaming, "Vladimir Putin aapke screen par dikhai de raha hai" (You can see Vladimir Putin on your TV screen). 

The anchor went on to shout how a "fit" and "smart" Putin was running towards Indian soil in his "black suit" to embrace Modi in this "historic moment".  He then gives a play-by-play account of Putin shaking hands with Modi and giving him a hug, calling it "Bahut (very) strong visuals".  He went on to call it a "major day for the world" and showed how a 'Naya Bharat' will “not bow down” to American sanctions and knows how to do its work. 

NDTV and its sister channel NDTV India also ran "non-stop coverage of Russian President Putin's visit to India". While there were segments on some defence-related deals and their benefits to India's national security, there was also a lot of random, bizarre coverage. 

Syed Suhail of NDTV India did a monologue about the private dinner Modi hosted for Putin at his residence, calling them "two friends on a dinner table". He then went on to speculate what a dinner for a "fit" 73-year-old Putin would look like, noting his alleged preference for "healthy, fresh and very natural food in portioned amounts”, listing out items like porridge, quail eggs, cottage cheese, fresh fruit juice and beetroot fruit juice. He also claimed that Putin prefers “light and balanced” meals, opting for fish rather than meat, and vegetables and salads. 

To make this, Suhail claimed that Putin brings his “special chef” whom he takes all over the world, further adding that on his foreign visits. Putin takes a “portable food laboratory” with him, in which every dish is “chemically tested” before it is served. Suhail, similarly, also ran an equally pointless segment about Putin’s aircraft, “the flying Kremlin”.  

Suffice to say, Vladimir Putin wouldn’t have missed his home country at least when it comes to media coverage.

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