Russia’s President Vladimir Putin will not hold a major “press conference” at the end of the year. The Kremlin’s cancellation is not surprising.
Vladimir Putin’s year-end “press conference,” which can hardly be called a press conference by democratic standards, is a ritual with one-sided rules, but also a rare opportunity.
The orchestrated question and answer session, which traditionally takes place in December and often lasts several hours, is one of the few opportunities where journalists from abroad also have the theoretical opportunity to question the Russian president directly – if they are asked to do so.
Putin and his spokesman Dmitry Peskov use their fingers to choose who may ask questions (the direction of which must be submitted in advance), and strangely enough, the critical statements at the major event – which state television reports extensively and live – remain a pleasant rarity for the Kremlin.
Consequently, the annual press conference, which has been held since 2001 with few exceptions, is rather an opportunity for Putin to brush up on his image as a dutiful father of the country and to express himself verbally as he pleases. Inquire? “This is not a discussion”, . “You ask a question, I answer.”
He had a lot to say about Ukraine in particular at the past “press conferences” or: to correct things, at least according to his reading. In December last year, as Russia massed tens of thousands of troops on its border with its neighbor, Putin dismissed the scenario of a military escalation as if it were none of his business. “Everyone is talking about war, war, war”, . “But that’s not our decision.” That depends solely on the actions of the USA and NATO.
Now, a year later, Russia has invaded Ukraine – and Putin has nothing to add. His big performance was called off, for the first time in ten years. “As for the big press conference, no, it won’t be until the New Year,” without giving a reason for the cancellation. The reasons are obvious.
Vladimir Putin has a lot to say – but not like this
The West has imposed sanctions on Russia, which are increasingly affecting the economy. After a series of setbacks, Russian forces were forced to withdraw from many fronts. And , which became noticeable to many people after partial mobilization – and for which Putin is ultimately responsible.
The mere possibility of the failures being brought up could have made the Kremlin uncomfortable. It is true that the ranks of the independent media in Russia have been more than thinned out, as they have either closed down or migrated abroad. Criticism of the war, which must be called a “military special operation”, was made a punishable offence. Nevertheless, it would have been theoretically possible for both Russian and foreign journalists to address or at least describe some of the setbacks to Putin – live on state television.
“Kremlin officials are almost certainly very concerned about the possibility that an event attended by Putin could be hijacked for an illicit discussion of the ‘military special operation'”, . According to the assessment from London, the Russian leadership is concerned about the increase in anti-war sentiment in the country. The cancellation of the traditional annual press conference is an indication of this.
Putin may also consider the already questionable format to be obsolete. “I don’t think Putin has anything to say, especially since he’s been saying so much lately”. The founder of R.Politik, a French-based political consulting firm, sees the cancellation as a “psychological unwillingness” on the part of Putin to “explain himself” and “answer boring and routine questions”.
Most recently, Russia’s president had addressed his home audience several times, sometimes in a bizarre way. For example, he staged or organized a , where Putin was also able to demonstrate that he has an eye on what is happening in the war – without having to explain the overall picture.
“He believes that this is enough,” Stanovaya concludes, and that “there is no need to waste any more energy on another formality.” And if he wants to tell the foreign audience something that he thinks is necessary, there’s a good reason. “He sees no point in communicating with the public in the country. Let the subordinates do it.”
In addition to the “press conference”, the New Year’s reception in the Kremlin is also to be cancelled. In the meantime, it is questionable whether there will be a national television consultation hour, “Direct Line”, during which citizens can usually personally submit complaints to Putin every year. There is also no date for Putin’s annual speech to the two chambers of parliament.
Sources: , , .
Source: Stern
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
