Vladimir Putin Ditches Traditional Conference as Ukraine Troubles Mount

Vladimir Putin has decided to ditch his annual end-of-year press conference for the first time in a decade, the Kremlin announced Monday, as the Russian president's troubles in Ukraine continue to mount.

"There won't be one before New Year," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, without elaborating. He was referring to Putin's annual press conference, a major event that has taken place each year in December since 2012.

"But we hope that the president will still find an opportunity to talk with [journalists], as he regularly does, including during foreign [visits]," Peskov said.

Peskov didn't explain Putin's break in tradition, but the Russian leader appears to be avoiding speaking to the public amid a string of humiliating military defeats in his war in Ukraine, which began last February. The press conference is usually held in Moscow and brings together hundreds of journalists from across the country as well as representatives of foreign media.

Russian newspaper RBC first reported last month that the usual preparations for Putin's December annual press conference were not underway. One source told the paper that a final decision on the matter would consider the situation on the front lines in Ukraine.

"The situation in the special military operation zone will be taken into account, among other things," the source said.

Independent Russian news outlet Important Stories asked political journalists who have attended previous Putin press conferences why they think this year's event is not taking place.

Moscow Times correspondent Pyotr Kozlov, who has attended Putin's press conferences five times, told the news outlet that the events are held to "please the president's regular voters, to allow him to embody their expectations in such a New Year's image."

"A press conference before the New Year is a good moment, on the one hand, to congratulate, say nice words to people and, on the other hand, to remind what a successful and productive year Putin and Russia had," Kozlov said.

Political journalist Farida Rustamova, publisher of the Faridaily newsletter, told Important Stories that Putin is likely not holding his annual press conference because the war in Ukraine is not going to plan.

"It will be impossible for Putin to hold the event without noticing the monstrous events that are taking place in Ukraine and the effect that this war is having on the Russians," Rustamova said.

A poll commissioned by the Kremlin "for internal use only" shows Russian public support for the war in Ukraine has collapsed, with only 25 percent of those surveyed in favor of continuing the conflict.

Meduza, a Russian-language independent news outlet that obtained the private poll, published its findings on November 30. The survey—conducted by the Federal Protective Service, a Russian intelligence agency—found that 55 percent of Russians favor peace talks with Kyiv.

The Kremlin also commissioned polling in July, Meduza reported, and the results show public opinion has shifted considerably in just a few months. In the earlier research, 57 percent were in favor of continuing the war and 32 percent supported peace talks with Ukraine.

Meduza did not specify how many people were questioned for the two Kremlin surveys or when the new study was conducted.

Newsweek has reached out to Russia's Foreign Ministry for comment.

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