Break in Protocol for a Rock Star With Putin

MOSCOW — The event seemed mundane enough: a televised meeting between Russia’s prime minister, Vladimir V. Putin, and the country’s cultural elite to promote a charity concert for children with cancer.

But then a guest, Yuri Shevchuk, a rock star and Kremlin critic, broke protocol.

“I received a call the day before yesterday, from your assistant, probably — I don’t remember his name — who asked me not to ask sharp questions,” Mr. Shevchuk said.

What followed was an unusually feisty debate between Mr. Putin and Mr. Shevchuk over free speech, the right to protest, police abuse and government corruption, among other issues. And it was broadcast for all to see on government-controlled television.

The exchange on Saturday sent pundits and bloggers racing to parse its significance: was it a sign of growing political openness or empty talk; an unscripted debate or a crafty public relations stunt?