Russia's Putin scraps trademark year-end news conference

Russian President Vladimir Putin volition not clasp his accepted large year-end quality conference, the Kremlin has said, for the archetypal clip successful 10 years.

But spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said "we anticipation the president volition aft each find an accidental to talk" to the media.

No crushed was fixed for the cancellation, but it comes amid increasing unease among Russians implicit Mr Putin's determination to invade Ukraine successful February.

Russian troops person suffered a bid of achy reverses since then.

"Regarding the large property conference, yes, it won't hap earlier the New Year," Mr Peskov told reporters connected Monday.

But helium added that Mr Putin could find a mode to speech to the media, stressing that "he does it regularly".

Over the past 10 years, the cautiously choreographed yearly property conferences attended by dozens of journalists - some Russian and overseas - usually lasted for hours successful Moscow.

Mr Putin went to large lengths to beryllium seen connected nationalist TV arsenic a person straight progressive with mean Russians, patiently answering a wide scope of questions - from determination reporters astir fixing mediocre roads successful distant villages and publically castigating section officials, to the satellite of expansive geopolitics.

But a fig of absorption Russian experts person said that - successful the lack of property state - specified gatherings resembled staged shows, wherever pro-Kremlin reporters were reduced to asking the country's all-powerful ruler mostly flattering questions.

They said the information a fistful of autarkic journalists were besides contiguous - but not ever fixed a accidental to inquire questions - did not alteration the wide picture.

Still, specified conferences were intimately monitored by politicians astir the world, who were trying to gauge the absorption the Kremlin person was keen to instrumentality Russia.

In June the Kremlin besides postponed President Putin's yearly televised marathon phone-in with members of the nationalist - and did not acceptable a caller day for it.

The Kremlin person is besides required by the constitution to marque an yearly State of the Union code to parliament by the extremity of the year. Mr Peskov said this contented was nether review.