The U.K. Defense Ministry reported on Dec. 13 that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not hold his annual end-of-year conference for the first time in 10 years.
“Kremlin officials are almost certainly extremely sensitive about the possibility that any event attended by Putin could be hijacked by an unsanctioned discussion about” Russia’s full-scale war, the ministry said.
The ministry noted that Russian officials likely remain concerned about the “prevalence of anti-war feeling in Russia” despite the fact that Putin’s questions are “almost certainly usually vetted in advance.”
On Dec. 11, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Putin could find other ways to take to the media.
"Regarding the big press conference, yes, it won't happen before the New Year," he said, providing no reason for the cancellation.
