Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be holding his annual year-end marathon news conference this month amid the war in Ukraine, a break in the long-held tradition that observers have attributed to the Kremlin’s uneasiness about a string of battlefield setbacks.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Monday that Putin wouldn’t hold the annual news conference for the first time in 10 years. He didn’t comment on the reason behind it, but many commentators attributed it to the Russian leader’s reluctance to face unpleasant questions about what he calls Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine.
The annual news conference has been used by the Kremlin to polish Putin’s image. The tightly stage-managed show televised live lasted for up to 4 1/2 hours and featured Putin talking about a wide range of domestic and foreign policy issues.
Political analyst Abbas Gallyamov said in a video commentary that Putin cancelled the annual news
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