"Putin's Press Conference Reveals Russia's Parallel Realities and Confidence in Ukraine War"

During his end-of-year press conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin attempted to project confidence and downplay uncomfortable questions, highlighting the disconnect between the Kremlin's reality and that of the rest of Russia. Some government officials admitted to not watching the entire broadcast and instead followed updates on Telegram. Putin's annual press conferences have become tiresome for him, but they are seen as a necessary tradition. The Kremlin aimed to make up for embarrassments in 2022 and present a positive image ahead of Putin's fifth presidential campaign. The questions were pre-staged, and sensitive topics such as protests by family members of mobilized soldiers and the imprisonment of Alexei Navalny were avoided. The Kremlin used a technique of displaying critical questions on screens to create the illusion of addressing them, highlighting the parallel realities in Russia.