Prime Minister Vladimir Putin Address to Duma In his annual address to the Russian Parliament, known as the Duma, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin spoke about the state of the country’s economy. He praised Russia’s efforts to maintain stability during the global economic crisis and talked about increasing the country’s defense spending and modernizing the weapons program. Following his remarks, he answered questions from members on the anti-government protests in the Middle East and Internet freedom and security. This was a 50-minute portion of a speech that lasted several hours. Translation was by voice over. close