Acting Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin doesn't plan to take part in public debates with his five rivals ahead of mayoral elections in the city, his representative says.

      Lyudmila Shvetsova, Sobyanin's representative, explains his decision by intentions to focus on direct interaction with the voters. However, she did not say what prompted the decision but added that debates is a possibility, not an obligation.

      Earlier in July, some media claimed Sobyanin would possibly refuse to dabate, as he was reluctant to face off against firebrand opposition leader Aleksey Navalny, known for his scathing attacks on the Russian ruling establishment, which he accuses of corruption. Later in his interview Sobyanin said he doesn't want to "publicize" less known candidates by debating with them.

      Navalny and the other four opposition candidates blasted last month Sobyanin’s reluctance to debate, in which the acting Moscow mayor follows his political patron, President Vladimir Putin, who never debated any rivals during his three successful presidential campaigns in 2000-2012.

      Navalny also reported earlier this week that Sobyanin's underage daughter owns a large apartment in a prestigious building in central Moscow that the family could not afford on income they specified in their publicly disclosed income declarations.

      Elections in Moscow will take place on September 8. The debates are set to begin on Monday, August 12 and will be broadcasted live on Moscow radio and television channels.