War in Ukraine: Vladimir Putin's worrying headlong rush

Correspondent in Moscow

To discover

• Follow information on the war in Ukraine with the Figaro application

For the first time in a decade, Vladimir Putin's long-awaited annual press conference did not take place this year.

The event, which is ritually held in December, has been canceled.

Another key meeting, the “Direct Line” program, in which the head of the Kremlin answers questions posed by Russians from all over the country, is also not scheduled.

Third highlight, the annual address of the Head of State to the Federal Assembly, although enshrined in the Constitution, has been postponed to 2023. Ten months after the launch of his "special military operation" in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin seems running out of media ammunition.

In recent years, he was said to have grown increasingly irritated by the endless exercise of "Hot line" - four hours of

, in the words of political scientist Tatiana Stanovaya.

Now, with successive military setbacks, Western sanctions...

This article is for subscribers only.

You have 85% left to discover.

Freedom has no borders, like your curiosity.

Keep reading your article for €0.99 for the first month

I ENJOY IT

Already subscribed?

Login