The Kremlin says that President Vladimir Putin has ditched his annual marathon news conference following a series of battlefield setbacks in Ukraine. That is a tacit acknowledgment that the Russian leader’s war has gone badly wrong. Putin typically uses the year-end ritual to polish his image. He answers a wide range of questions on domestic and foreign policy issues to demonstrate his grip on details and give the semblance of openness even though the event is tightly stage-managed. With his troops on the back foot in Ukraine, observers say the risks of even a highly choreographed event may be too great.
Cornered in Ukraine, Putin ditches annual news conference
