Some experts consider that Russian President Vladimir Putin is dropping his annual marathon press conference for the first time in a decade, as Russian forces continue to stumble in their war in Ukraine.
Citing Kremlin and government officials, The Moscow Times says the cancellation of Russian President Vladimir Putin's annual press conference earlier this week was a last minute decision taken due to growing fears the televised event would be dominated by the Ukraine war.
Putin has reportedly held 17 such press conferences since he first became president in 2000 and they traditionally offer him a chance to showcase his command of the issues of the day.
According to The Moscow Times, there were worries in the Kremlin that Kiev might be able to stage a major attack in the run-up to the event.
“No one could give a 100% guarantee that such an attack wouldn’t take place,” one Kremlin official told The Moscow Times on condition of anonymity.
“The president was aware of this and it was a strong argument against holding the press conference.”
The decision to skip the press conference is a rare sign of how events on the battlefield are directly impacting political decision making in Moscow.
