Putin to speak on pension reform in rare TV address

Russian President Vladimir Putin will deliver today a rare televised address on controversial pension reforms, with some expecting him to soften the measures to stem the fall in his approval ratings.

The government is planning to gradually raise the state pension age by five years to 65 for men and by eight years 63 for women, in the first such hike in nearly 90 years as the economy struggles amid Western sanctions.

The proposed move -- already approved by parliament's lower house in a first reading last month -- has led to a rare of outburst of public anger, with tens of thousands rallying across Russia in recent weeks.

Putin has sought to distance himself from the controversial reforms and said at a government meeting on Tuesday that any decision concerning the measures should be "just".

"I ask you not to forget that all our decisions will concern the fate of millions of people and should be just," he told top officials in the Siberian city of Omsk.

At the same time, the Russian leader indicated tough measures were unavoidable.

"We must take into account the real situation in economics, the labour market," he said. "We should understand what awaits the country in 10, 20 and even in 30 years."