Russian President Vladimir Putin held his traditional pre-holidays marathon press conference on Thursday
23 December 2021
The conference ended with happy new year wishes from the president.
Some personal questions from the floor now:
Journalist: “Do you feel isolated from people since you’ve mostly switched to video link conferences?”
Putin: “Not really. Modern communications technology is quite good. As for personal contact – it’s true there’s a bit of a shortage.”
Journalist: “What have you been doing in your spare time during the pandemic? Do you keep an eye on cultural trends and popular bloggers?”
Putin: “Keeping an eye on people hasn’t been in my job description since I left the office of FSB director! I don’t really have much spare time, but I do keep up with my fitness regimen. Keeping fit is one of the duties required by my job, I believe.”
A question about Afghanistan and whether Russia would be recognizing the Taliban government as legitimate.
Putin said good, stable relations with Afghanistan were an issue of national security for Russia, given that Afghanistan was a major source of illicit drug production.
However, it needed a government that represented all its people before it would be recognized, the president said. That said, the most important thing to do right now was to urgently alleviate the ongoing collapse there. The countries that had occupied Afghanistan for two decades should be the first to offer aid, Putin asserted.
A question next about criminal prosecutions for the promotion of extremist views and for insulting people’s feelings.
Putin refuted the view that a publicity stunt in which a photo of a Nazi criminal was uploaded to a website commemorating veterans of World War II should be protected under freedom of speech laws.
Likewise, one could not claim freedom of expression if one insulted Islam’s Prophet Mohammed, the president said. Such acts only bred disdain and led to yet more extremism, he asserted, citing recent terrorist attacks in Paris.
Asked what might offer people some optimism about the year to come, Putin said that, personally, he gained emotional energy from implementing plans that would improve others’ lives. That’s the attitude he expected from all of his officials, he added. He hoped Russians would become more optimistic themselves when they witnessed those positive changes.
The former US president who lamented the Cold War-era Olympic Games boycotts was not Donald Trump, Putin said, in response to a journalist who took up his earlier challenge to guess who he was referring to.
A question next about infrastructure development in Russian villages, where, in some cases, the priorities seemed to be skewed, the questioner opined, with broadband being provided before decent roads.
Putin replied that internet access was important too, and should not be looked down on. However, he agreed that the proper development of rural areas was of the utmost importance.
A journalist from the city of Penza posed a question about pensions, and whether they would be indexed to keep up with inflation. Putin said the government would definitely deliver on that promise.
A question next from the southern region of Dagestan about certain infrastructure issues it was currently experiencing. The journalist said Dagestan needed federal help to boost its economic development.
Putin enquired about the particular problems in the region and the companies involved, but said he would need to look into the situation further before he could comment.
The government subsidized bank loans for people in the region, the president said, which helped boost the local economy. Of course, that somewhat pushed up prices, but real estate prices were only one cause of the demographic problems there. Overall, such subsidies brought people positive benefits, however.
Nonetheless, efforts were needed to make life in the Far East more attractive, he conceded. It required more well-paying and interesting jobs, better social infrastructure, and so on. There were comprehensive plans underway to bring that about, he assured the questioner.
In some places, there had actually been population growth, but, over time, more needed to be done to improve matters in the region more broadly so as to dissuade people from leaving, he agreed.
A question from Vladivostok, in Russia’s Far East, about real estate prices. The journalist said they had spiraled out of control and were pushing people out of the region.
Putin said this decision had been wrong, and that a former US president had once told him the mutual Olympic Games boycotts by the USSR and the US had been a big mistake. “Guess which one,” he said, regarding the identity of that president.
The Beijing boycott was obviously aimed at undermining China’s rise, he said. It was a tactical, political move that had no place in the sporting realm, the president asserted.
He added that Western pressure on competitors, including participants from Russia, had been inappropriate and harmful, and had ultimately proved futile.
The US could not stop China from becoming the world’s leading economy, he said, and it should realize that. It must know its actions are wrong.
A question next about the forthcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing and the diplomatic boycott of the event by the US and its allies.
A question from Crimea about the challenges the region faces, for example, in terms of mobile phone coverage.
Putin said many of the problems were the result of Western pressure and the sanctions the West had imposed on Crimea after it split from Ukraine and rejoined Russia in 2014. He pledged further federal investment into projects in Crimea, especially Sevastopol, to help it catch up with the rest of the country. The problems would be resolved in time, and the people would hopefully soon begin to feel the benefits, the president reassured the questioner.
A question about rare diseases and Russia’s efforts to authorize and subsidize the costly drugs needed to treat them.
The president hailed the work of a charity created specifically to help fund the treatment of such patients. Paid for from taxes, it had radically increased coverage for the treatment of sick children, he said. Recent discussions in government about the charity’s operations had been really positive. The goal now was to expand the efforts to help adults as well as minors, Putin concluded.
A followup question about the possibility that the region would at some point in the future host the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship. Putin said he liked the idea, but it was up to a number of parties to make the final decision.
A question next from the Republic of Bashkortostan about upcoming celebrations in the region. Putin said the federal government was in touch with the regional government in Ufa, the capital, with regard to the celebrations.
A question from the Italian media about bilateral relations and Putin’s view of Italy’s current government.
The president complimented former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi for giving a boost to the Russia-Italy relationship and helping it transcend partisan politics. Russia expected the relationship with Italy to be good regardless of which political parties were in power, Putin said.
A journalist asked Putin why he and Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu did not take Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin along on their Siberian trips. “Well, somebody has to defend the fort,” the president joked. He added that his personal friendships did not affect his professional relationships with senior officials.
He said he preferred evaluating his government’s performance as a body rather than nitpicking about personalities. “If it fails in some way, it’s also my failure,” he explained.
The president said Russia would inevitably be influenced by cultural changes in other nations. Personally, he said, he favored traditional perceptions of gender. He had been disconcerted to learn of particularly outlandish cases, such as the one in which a biological male convicted of rape had declared himself to be a trans female to get into a women’s prison, and gone on to rape other inmates.
Russia had to follow other nations’ positive progressive trends and draw on its own wisdom in rejecting those that were harmful, he said. The country had a strong cultural identity that would help it find its way.
A question from RT about ‘cancel culture’ and the push for ‘equity’, which has led to the recent online shaming of writer J.K. Rowling over her stance on transgender rights, for example.
Putin chastised the municipal authorities for being too slow in reacting to the market situation, waiting too long before reporting their problems up the chain of command, and not asking for subsidies. He demanded details of which municipalities were facing such problems.
A question next about coal reserves in the Altai Region, which, some time ago, had reported shortages of the fuel due to high prices.
Putin said Rusnano’s new leadership was in the process of auditing its finances and the government was closely monitoring the situation.
Russia offered certain guarantees on investments made through Rusnano and received a number of benefits from the company’s activities, he said. For example, Rusnano’s involvement had been crucial in the development of the GLONASS satellite navigation system.
Rusnano is viable and can overcome its financial problems, the president concluded.
A question about Rusnano and the debts the Russian venture capital company has accumulated: “Will the Russian government cover those debts?”
A question from Kazakhstan about Russia’s relations with its Central Asian neighbor. Putin said the country was uniquely close to Russia and assured the questioner that the relative lack of contact during the pandemic was only temporary.
The president offered a brief overview of the areas that Russia and Kazakhstan had jointly developed. Kazakhstan hosts Russia’s primary space launch site, the Baikonur Cosmodrome, and so should develop its own space industry, and Russia is eager to help with that project, Putin said.
Kazakhstan is also an excellent security partner for Russia, which is why Russian defense equipment manufacturers offer preferential prices on their products to Kazakh buyers, he added.
Another question from the same region about a recent incident at a power plant, and the proposal to make Lake Baikal a separate region in Russia.
Putin said he was scheduled to receive an update on the incident at the plant immediately after the conference. As for federalizing the lake, that proposal had not so far been brought to his attention.
“Sure, your regional authorities want the federal government to pay for it and asked you to raise this question!” Putin mused. There had been a drop in the funding of certain healthcare projects due to Covid-19, but the government was looking for ways to deal with that, he reassured the questioner.
A question next from a regional media outlet about a particular hospital that has been closed down in the Republic of Buryatia.
Putin said many of the problems the questioner was inferring were the result of the aftershocks of World War II and the social and economic disaster brought about by the collapse of the Soviet Union. More than anything, people needed stability in their lives before they decide to have children, and that was what the government wanted to give them, he added.
But there were, of course, “finer things,” the president conceded. All developed countries saw birth rates drop when women changed their priorities and sought an education and a career before thinking about having children. And, naturally, there was a spiritual aspect to that, he said.
The president said he believed that, over time, many people realized that the joys of parenthood ultimately overrode material considerations. But that attitude could not be imposed on them, but rather only nurtured, he said.
A journalist from a religious media outlet suggested that Russia’s demographic situation, including its low birth rates, was a spiritual issue as much as a material one, and wondered if policies should be adjusted accordingly.
Helping people get out of houses that are no longer habitable was a clear priority for the government, Putin agreed. There were some issues in terms of the renovation programs having been co-founded by regional and federal governments, but all parties were working together to smooth things out. The funding for the scheme would continue, he assured the questioner.
As for the mortgage issues mentioned, Putin admitted he was surprised that such a situation had been allowed to occur and promised to look into it.
A more serious question next, about Russia’s housing renovation program and the continuation of its federal funding in the regions. The journalist asked about the issues that some people have with banks when benefiting from the government-subsidized relocation. They may have a mortgage on their current dilapidated property, which is slated to be demolished once they move out.
A light-hearted question about whether a lawsuit filed against Father Frost – Russia’s equivalent of Santa Claus – over the gift-bearing figure’s likely forthcoming failure to fulfill the plaintiff’s wishes would be considered by the courts to be frivolous.
Putin said that, as a jurist by education, he should point out that Father Frost only gives gifts to good boys and girls, so, before filing, the plaintiff – who appeared to be in his 20s – should reflect on his behavior in recent years.
In response to a question from the Republic of Mary-El about support for members of ethnic minority communities living there, Putin pledged continued government funding for relevant programs.
Putin said a center for improving the lives of disabled people in the Volgograd Region might be a good idea, but that he would need to see the details of it before he could commit.
As for World War II commemorations, the president said he would commission an investigation into the current funding situation and determine whether extra funds were necessary.
Another question from a regional outlet. The journalist wants to know about war memorials dedicated to the Battle of Stalingrad and possible funding for their renovation.
And a followup question about a local exoskeleton project aimed at people with disabilities.
Putin said he had some ideas as to how the federal government could improve the coordination of its efforts with regional authorities in that regard.
A question next about land subsidies for Russian families with lots of children.
As for Donbass, the president said, it was up to the people who lived there to decide their future. Russia was not a party to the conflict, contrary to what some might claim. Those Ukrainians who blamed Russia for their problems should instead hold their own elected officials accountable.
As for how somebody would order Russian troops to shoot at Ukrainians, he said – the leaders in Kiev didn’t hesitate to order Ukrainian troops to shoot at Ukrainans living in Donbass, even though they claimed to consider them their own people.
The roadmap for resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine is set out in the Minsk agreement, he reminded the questioner. It required an amnesty and constitutional reform, among other measures, which officials in Kiev have refused to implement. In fact, they wouldn’t even talk to the leaders of Donbass, and refer to them as terrorists. Why? Because President Zelensky had turned his back on the promise to seek peace and had fallen under the influence of radical elements in Ukraine, the president said.
Russia wanted peaceful relations with Ukraine, he added, but didn’t see a way to achieve this while the current leadership was in power. There were parties who would work with Russia, but those people faced political persecution, illegal sanctions, and even assassinations in Ukraine. And such crimes were not even being investigated.
US President Joe Biden had approached Russia and asked its opinion on how the tensions between the two nations might be resolved. Moscow had done what was asked of it and hoped its proposals would be seriously considered, he concluded.
In both crimes, the killers were found and sentenced, Putin replied. Investigators believe those people had acted as hitmen, but the parties who ordered the killings had unfortunately not yet been identified. Such acts could not be tolerated and the state had to do everything it could to punish everyone involved, he concluded.
A follow-up question about the killers of Anna Politkovskaya and Boris Nemtsov. Does Putin know who ordered their killing, the journalist asks?
Another question about Ukraine and what future its breakaway regions of Donetsk and Lugansk may have. Ukranians blame Russia for the situation in their country and many say their country is already at war with Russia, the journalist remarks.
Abuse of prisoners was not unique to Russia and was a very serious problem, the president said. Some nations and their institutions might be better at dealing with it, but many were also struggling to deal with it.
Answering a follow-up question about a particular general suspected of having turned a blind eye to prison abuse, Putin assured Sobchak that he drew on multiple sources of information when making decisions, including that provided by a range of senior officials.
The abuse unearthed this year had led to the investigation of dozens of potential criminal cases, he said. Obvious crimes had been committed in some prisons, and investigators had to get to the bottom of them, Putin stressed.
He added that human rights organizations had an important role to play in pushing for prison reform, and in ensuring that Russia’s penitentiary system is more humane. Suspects and convicts alike are human beings and deserving of respectful treatment, he asserted.
A question from Ksenia Sobchak about the recent scandal over credible allegations of abuse and torture in Russian prisons.
Putin suggested that the governor of the region would be better positioned to answer a question specific to St. Petersburg, before going into detail about how waste disposal reform was progressing in Russia in general.
It had been a serious domestic issue for the country for quite some time, he said, with mass protests erupting in some regions over plans to build incinerators or open new landfill sites.
Putin said the regional authorities should do a better job at explaining their policies to the people and at addressing their concerns, which in some but not all cases had no basis.
Putin picks from the crowd a journalist concerned about garbage collection and recycling. The reporter is from St. Petersburg and wants to know the president’s position on the public resistance to local policies.
A lot had already been achieved, Putin said, in terms of freedom of movement, for example. Now the focus was on synchronizing taxation in the two nations and eradicating trade barriers. Russia and Belarus had a common understanding on the pace of the integration process, and that would benefit both parties, he added.
The benefits from it would not be like some gift from God that would shower everyone, but they would be tangible. And the situation was already improving, Putin assured the questioner.
A question next about Russia-Belarus integration and when its effects might be felt.
The accusations were simply untrue, Putin said. Gazprom had delivered everything it was required to under the existing contracts, and then some. Meanwhile, American LNG suppliers had abandoned the European market to deliver their products to markets in Latin America and Asia, where the price was higher.
Other factors include the cold winter, the shortage of ‘green’ energy, the European drive to shut down hydrocarbon-based energy producers, and so on, the president said.
The Europeans had rejected Russia’s call for long-term supply contracts and were accusing Russia of trying to take over the market, he explained. They said spot prices were the way to go. And the situation they were in today was the result of those decisions.
The latest accusations that Gazprom has cut the supply through the Yamal-Europe pipeline are untrue, he said. Instead, it was because the buyers on the other side were not buying it. They were now using the same pipeline to pump gas from Germany to Poland. Why? Because Russia had been supplying gas to Germany at a price that was up to six times lower than on the spot market and they were reselling it. But that was just business, the president said. However, while they continued to do so, the pipeline obviously could not be used to pump Russian gas.
Moscow also suspected that the ultimate consumer of that gas was Ukraine, he said. Maybe the Europeans should investigate that and create the conditions to buy more gas to deliver it on the European market. That will push the price down, he concluded.
A question next about Russian gas supplies and the accusation that Russia has been manipulating the supply to put pressure on Europe.
Putin said the healthcare system had to be adjusted to respond to Covid-19, which required moving many patients with other health conditions further down the list. There had also been issues with hospital beds, PPE, and oxygen supplies. But Russia had managed to deal with those, in no small thanks to the volunteers who had stepped up to help the professionals meet the challenge.
The healthcare system needed to do more to help people with ‘long Covid’ recover, he said, because the disease often has long-lasting consequences. The groundwork for dealing with that was now in place.
The questions return to domestic health issues and possible Covid-19 lockdowns in various regions of Russia.
Our ‘partners’ apparently think Russia is too big, Putin said. This is probably because great European empires of the past are no more, and now European nations are small.
Russia did everything it could to become friends with the West, exposing its nuclear secrets to Western officials. Was that not enough? Why did it work directly to further hurt Russia by supporting terrorism in the Caucasus? Then came the five waves of expansion of NATO and the absolute disregard of Russia’s concerns.
Russia only wanted to be safe, Putin stressed.
Russia’s actions depend on the threats it faces, the president replied. In the current moment, it believes that further expansion of NATO in Europe would be unacceptable because it would threaten Russia’s national security.
The US would never tolerate deployment of missile systems close to its border, for example, he said. What would happen if relations between Mexico and the US worsened over some historic grudge and Mexico turned hostile?
Putin added that NATO had deceived Russia when it promised not to expand towards the Russia border, and it was up to the bloc to address Russian concerns.
This position was as clear as day, the president said, but the West pretends it doesn’t get it.
A question in English: “Can you give a pledge that Russia will not attack other nations? And what do you believe the West doesn’t ‘get’ about Russia?”
Puting said every new generation was better than the previous – that was natural progress. And new technologies help them work with information in more efficient ways. The government’s job is to make online content more available to more people, including by improving broadband access in remote areas.
That said, online life may lead to escapism and turn people away from real life, so some rules are needed to guard against that.
A question from the press about the youth of today, and whether Putin believed the younger generation had been dumbed down by its dependence on the internet and digital devices.
Policing social media was a challenging issue for many nations, Putin said. Private companies were interested first and foremost in profits and trying to avoid regulations. And it was right that those platforms should be “grounded” and subjected to national legislation in Russia, he said. If companies resisted, they might have to be subjected to measures such as traffic-throttling to bring them into line.
As for requiring the identification of users, it was common sense, he said, that activities online should be subject to the same rules as activities in the real world. But any restrictions should be proportionate, so they don’t harm freedom of expression, he concluded.
A question next about “destructive information” targeting the young and the proposal of requiring an ID to have a social media presence.
Putin said he and President Xi enjoyed good personal relations, so it was not just politeness that made them call each other friends. That helped build better relations between Russia and China.
China and Russia have close trade relations, technological cooperation, humanitarian and cultural ties, and security and defense cooperation in aeronautics and in space. There was also a close military connection, which was unprecedented for the two nations, which, historically, had at times been antagonistic toward one another, he explained.
A question from China’s Xinhua news agency about Putin’s recent talks with Xi Jinping and Russia’s relations with China.
Putin said the current tension had begun in 2014 with the coup in Ukraine. Before that, he said, Russia had been prepared to work with pro-Western governments in former Soviet republics. The coup had come after the conflict in Ukraine had been pretty much resolved, he added, with President Yanukovich agreeing to concessions and set to lose power during the next election.
But Russia had to act in Crimea and in eastern Ukraine, which was part of Russia before those lands were given to Ukraine by the Bolsheviks. The ripples from the crisis that happened back then is still being felt now.
Kiev twice used military force to quash the rebellion in the east, he said. It has refused to uphold its end of the Minsk agreement. It adopted policies that discriminated against ethnic minorities and went directly against its commitments under the agreement.
Moscow believes the current escalation indicates that there will be a third military campaign by Kiev, and that threats of sanctions coming from the West are meant as a warning not to intervene, the president explained.
There was also concern over Crimea, which Russia considers its territory, he said, and potential attacks against it. Russia had to be prepared for military action by Ukraine, he said. And Moscow had to know the West’s position on the issue of its national security.
The Americans said they wanted to negotiate a solution, and he hoped the diplomatic path would be the one that would be taken, he said.
Another question about the claims coming from Western nations that Russia wants to invade Ukraine, and about the security proposals Russia has sent to Washington and NATO: “What is the realistic scenario now? Is a war on the cards?”
Putin said Russia faced a serious threat from the inside from those pursuing the interests of foreign governments.
He reiterated Russia’s position on the alleged poisoning of Navalny, stating that nations accusing Russia of attempting to assassinate the opposition figure had offered no proof of their claim.
As for the foreign-agents registration law, Russia’s version was less restrictive than counterpart legislation in other nations, particularly in the US, he said. Russia simply wanted those involved in domestic politics who take money from foreign sources to be open about it. The number of identified foreign agents in Russia was similar to that in the US. And Russia’s punishments for violators was much less severe, Putin added.
A question from a BBC correspondent about Alexey Navalny and other opposition figures who have been targeted by Russia’s foreign-agent registration laws: “Isn’t the government concerned that this will lead to discontent and an uprising similar to what happened in Russian history?”
New waves could be explained quite simply, Putin said: the virus mutates. And it’s not surprising that new strains arise in places with less efficient healthcare systems or factors such as a large number of people with compromised immune systems, which is the case for some African nations.
Putin lamented that many people in Russia don’t accept that vaccination is important, but he rejected the idea of putting pressure on refuseniks. Such pressure would simply make people more creative in dodging coercion measures, he said.
The government had to respect people and convince them to take the jab, not crack down on them, in his view. Forced vaccinations is what the Soviet Union did, he said.
It’s ironic, the president added, that the same people who love the USSR are now leading vaccine skepticism in Russia – an apparent reference to the Communist Party of Russia.
As for breakthrough cases, the chance of catching Covid-19 was significantly smaller for the vaccinated than for the unvaccinated, Putin said, and the latter were much more likely to have serious symptoms.
One area where a crackdown was appropriate was on criminal activity such as the forging of vaccination certificates, however, he concluded.
The next question was about the efficacy of vaccines against Covid-19 and why new waves of the disease appeared to have become stronger and stronger, despite the availability of vaccines. The journalist suggested Russia should go hard on anti-vaxxers, Austria-style.
Putin replied that he loved his birthplace, St. Petersburg – but added that he didn’t like the framing of the question, which had excluded that city and Moscow from the options. Then he went into detail about infrastructure development in Russia and the importance of making travel between different parts of the country easier and more accessible. Russia could learn from countries such as China about how to raise interconnectivity in an efficient and affordable way, he suggested.
A question from a media outlet from the Novgorod Region: “Which city in that region would Putin choose to live in, and what infrastructure development can the Novgorod region expect?”
The president defended the federal government’s decision to delegate a significant portion of the decision-making process regarding Covid-19 restrictions to the regional level, arguing that regional authorities were in a better position to judge what would work better for their constituents.
Putin said it was true that helping big companies survive the pandemic had definitely been an easier task for the government than supporting small and medium-sized businesses. But many of the support measures had also been directed at the latter.
The government was in contact with the business community and receiving feedback from the owners of small and medium-sized businesses, he said. They were being quite understanding about the situation, he believed. And, in fact, Russia’s economic recovery was quite good, he reiterated.
A question next about support for small businesses in Russia, which have been impacted the most by Covid-19 restrictions.
All that having been said, inflation control remained a high priority for the government, Putin said. Other nations had relaxed their macroeconomic policies to stimulate the economy. The US, in particular, was facing serious inflation to which its citizens and businesses were not accustomed. There was a risk that inflationary pressure would undermine the economic recovery.
Russia has inflation problems too, he said, and the Central Bank was counteracting it, even if some major players were unhappy about that, he said. He felt that the bank’s policies were well into what he called the ‘Goldilocks’ area in terms of balancing macroeconomic stability with the promotion of economic growth.
Russia’s budget for the next year was certainly going to be socially oriented, Putin assured the questioner, going into detail about spending plans by the federal and regional governments for the likes of healthcare.
The government’s economy support programs in 2020 and 2021 were tailored to preserve industries that generate many jobs, indirectly helping the people employed by those businesses. There had also been direct payments of various kinds to the most vulnerable citizens, he said.
The overarching goal of helping those who need help most had not changed, Putin said.
The next question was about social spending and whether it would be boosted due to the pandemic, in the light of inflation concerns.
Putin acknowledged the difficulties with raising vaccination rates in Russia, but said some other developed nations, such as Germany, which has one of the best healthcare systems in Europe, faced the same challenge.
The government had set an immunity level of at least 80% and hoped to reach it next year, he explained. But other nations had more ambitious targets of as much as 99%, he added.
Addressing the issue of the labor market, Putin said the nation needed to increase its workforce to ensure economic development. A strong labor force was a key driver of growth, he said.
Other drivers were infrastructure and productivity, and Russia had invested heavily in both of those areas, he added.
The Russian economy turned out to be better prepared for the shock of the pandemic than some other nations in the world’s top-20-economies club. Russia’s hadn’t dipped as much, he said, and its recovery had been faster than that of some other of those countries.
Putin offered some economic statistics, explaining that there had been good performance in some key industries, including the export-benefiting agriculture and construction sectors. There had been some increase in real wages too, but, on the downside, there had also been an increase in inflation and some challenges in the labor market, he said.
He offered more metrics detailing Russia’s foreign trade, national debt, and foreign reserves, which, he said, indicate a healthy macroeconomic situation. Some worrisome news is coming in terms of life expectancy due to the pandemic, he warned.
Overall, the government’s performance was, he said, “Let’s put it in a humble way, satisfactory.”
Putin sounded amused: “So many questions from you alone! If I answer them all, we might as well wrap up the conference.”
An opening series of questions from Interfax about the Covid-19 pandemic and how it’s affecting the Russian economy. Among them: “Is full vaccination [across the nation] what will be required for economic recovery?”
Putin takes to the stage and the press conference begins.
The media conference is taking place days after Moscow made security proposals to Washington and NATO in an uncharacteristically public manner, using some of the strongest language heard from Russian officials. Many political analysts described the proposals as an ultimatum, and predicted they would inevitably be rejected. Putin is expected to talk about Russia’s next steps regarding the US-led transatlantic military bloc, Ukraine, and post-USSR regional politics during the conference.
Traditionally, Putin’s marathon conversations with journalists focus on domestic issues, with the Covid-19 situation, government policies, and the economic impact of the pandemic expected to be at the forefront. But the president is also widely anticipated to delve into some aspects of Russia’s foreign policy.
This year, Putin’s year-end press conference is relatively small, with about 500 journalists attending. It’s a far cry from some previous years, when up to 1,895 media professionals applied for credentials and were approved to attend. The entire press corps has been required to provide negative Covid-19 tests to enter the Manezh Central Exhibition Hall in Moscow, where the event is taking place.