Vladimir Putin cancels year-end press conference as Russian anti-war sentiment grows

Russian President Vladimir Putin has canceled his traditional year-end press conference, fearing it could be “hijacked” by anti-war protesters, according to British intelligence.

It will be the first time in a decade that the Q&A – normally a feature of Moscow’s political calendar – will not take place.

In its latest intelligence update on the conflict in Ukraine, the UK Ministry of Defense said: “The cancellation is likely due to growing concerns about the prevalence of anti-war sentiment in Russia.”

They added: “Kremlin officials are almost certainly extremely sensitive to the possibility that any event Putin attends could be hijacked by unauthorized discussion of the ‘special military operation.’

The cancellation came as Russia’s spokesman Dimitri Peskov admitted “nobody likes us” amid mounting evidence that Putin’s military strategy will go unplanned.

Ukraine has successfully reclaimed 54% of the land Russia has seized since its February invasion.

And in its assessment of the war yesterday, the Ministry of Defense said: “Russia’s strategy is currently unlikely to achieve its objectives: it is highly unlikely that the Russian military will currently be able to generate an effective strike force capable of retaking these areas.

“Russian ground forces are unlikely to make any significant operational progress in the coming months.”