For the first time in a decade, Russian President Vladimir Putin will not hold his annual year-end press conference, leaving many to speculate that the Russian leader is sick as the war with Ukraine enters its 10th month.
“As for the big press conference, yes, it won’t happen before the New Year,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday. “But we hope that the president will still find an opportunity to talk with [journalists], as he regularly does, including during foreign [visits].”
Peskov did not explain the decision, although it is likely that the conflict in Ukraine and the repeated retreats of Russian soldiers in recent weeks were both factors in choosing to break the tradition.
The move also brings attention to concerns that Putin’s health may be deteriorating, particularly in light of last week’s reports that he had fallen down the stairs and soiled himself.
The lengthy end-of-year press conference, which is carried live on television and frequently lasts longer than four hours, gives the Russian strongman the chance to polish his public persona while responding to inquiries from more than 500 journalists.
For almost ten years, Putin, who has been in office since 2000, has held an annual press conference in December. In 2019, a record 1,895 journalists were accredited.
Putin’s health has been the subject of considerable debate due to rumors that he has Parkinson’s disease and stomach and intestinal cancer that is progressing. He has not been diagnosed with any ailments, according to the Kremlin.
Since Putin launched his so-called “military operation” against Ukraine in February, more than 77,000 Russian soldiers have been killed, according to Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense on Tuesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said last month that Russian troops die by the hundreds every day in the fiercely contested Donetsk region in the east.
“The ground in front of the Ukrainian positions is literally littered with the corpses of the occupiers,” he said.
Zelensky and other top Ukrainian officials have repeatedly ruled out the prospect of engaging in negotiations with Russia so long as it’s led by Putin and said talks could only resume with his successor once the Kremlin relinquished all Ukrainian territory.
