Beleaguered Putin Cancels Annual Press Conference

The Guardian reports:

Vladimir Putin will not hold a year-end press conference for the first time in at least a decade, in what Kremlin-watchers view as a break with protocol due to his war in Ukraine.

The marathon press-conferences are traditionally an occasion for the Russian president to burnish his image, a campy spectacle that allows Putin to play the populist on national television each December.

On Monday, the Kremlin announced it would not be holding the press-conference this year. There would also be no new year reception at the Kremlin, officials said, possibly a decision influenced by the reluctance to celebrate because Russia’s war in Ukraine has not gone to plan.

The New York Times reports:



Often stretching to four hours or more, the December news conference is one of the few times during the year when reporters outside the Kremlin pool, including foreign correspondents, get the chance to ask Mr. Putin questions directly.

The December news conferences usually unroll in a circus-like atmosphere, with reporters waving signs containing some of Mr. Putin’s signature phrases, or wearing costumes from their native regions, in the hopes of catching his eye and getting to ask a question.

Questions from foreign correspondents are usually — to a certain extent — choreographed in advance, with the Kremlin asking reporters ahead of time what they might be inclined to ask Mr. Putin.