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Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed on Thursday that there will be no peace in Ukraine until his goals are met and said those goals would remain unchanged at a year-end news conference that gives the leader a chance to tighten his grip on power.
Giving rare detail on what Moscow calls its special military operation, Putin dismissed the need for a second wave of mobilization of reservists to fight in Ukraine — a move that proved deeply unpopular in the past. He said there are some 617,000 Russian soldiers currently there, including around 244,000 troops who were called up to fight alongside professional Russian military forces.
The Russian president, who has been in power for almost 24 years and recently announced his candidacy for re-election, greeted his arrival at the central Moscow compound with applause.
Putin held his classic news conference last year after his army failed to take Kyiv and the Ukrainian army retook swaths of territory in the east and south of the country.
But now that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is forced to ask for more U. S. aid, a stalled counteroffensive and reports of a fractured West for Ukraine, the Russian president has made the decision to face the media once again, even if the display remains heavily choreographed and with more of a screen than a screen.
This year, citizens have the opportunity to ask questions by phone in addition to those they ask through journalists, and Russians have been submitting questions to Putin for the past two weeks. This is the first time that the Russian leader, who has seriously limited his interactions with foreign media, will potentially face multiple questions from Western journalists since the fighting in Ukraine began.
The press conference opened with questions about the conflict in Ukraine and highlighted concerns some Russians have about fears of another wave of mobilization. In September 2022 Putin ordered a partial military call-up as he tried to boost his forces in Ukraine, sparking protests.
“There is no need” to mobilize now, Putin claimed, as 1,500 men are recruited from the Russian army across the country every day. According to him, as of Wednesday evening, a total of 486,000 soldiers had signed a contract with the Russian army. army.
Putin reiterated that Moscow’s actions in Ukraine — Ukraine’s “denazification, demilitarization and impartial status” — remained unchanged.
He explained those goals vaguely on the day he sent troops into the country in February 2022.
“Denazification” refers to Russia’s claims that the Ukrainian government is heavily influenced by radical nationalist and neo-Nazi outfits, claims ridiculed in Kiev and the West.
Putin also demanded that Ukraine remain impartial and not sign up for the NATO alliance.
“There will be peace when we achieve our goals,” Putin said, repeating a common Kremlin phrase.
Putin’s last news conference was in 2021 amid U.S warnings that Russia was on the brink of sending troops into Ukraine. He delayed his annual state-of-the-nation address was until February of this year.
Putin’s appearance is aimed primarily at an internal audience and is an opportunity for him to get to know personally the disorders of ordinary Russian citizens on the eve of the March 17 elections.
Putin on Thursday answered questions from an organization of young people in Russian-annexed Crimea who were involved in roof leaks and mold in their gym, as well as a woman who addressed “my favorite president” and complained about rising egg prices.
“I’m sorry and for it. A challenge in the government’s job,” Putin told him, explaining that egg production has not kept up with demand and accusing the government of not expanding imports fast enough.
State media reported that around two million questions were sent to Putin during the broadcast on Wednesday.
Journalists queued for hours in freezing temperatures to enter the room and some dressed in classic clothing, adding elaborate hats, in an effort to catch Putin’s attention. Many journalists also hold banners, prompting the Kremlin to restrict the length of banners they can carry into the venue. press conference, which lasts approximately 4 hours.
Attendees will be required to take COVID-19 and flu tests before entering the press conference venue. Putin imposed a strict quarantine on visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic.