Photo from the Kremlin website
It is known that a number of annual events attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin in the past have either been canceled or are being considered.
According to the British newspaper The Times, on the 16th local time, the Russian Kremlin announced that President Putin’s year-end ice hockey event would be canceled.
Since 2012, Putin has shown his fitness by playing ice hockey with his bodyguards every year.
In addition, the annual press conference and “Conversation with the People” event, which usually took place at the end of the year, have already been canceled, and state-of-the-art constitutional speeches to Congress are also expected to be canceled.
Analysts say the event’s cancellation was due to concerns that the press corps and the public would ask embarrassing questions about the progress of the war.
The Times reported that President Putin did not appear at official events and that rumors were again circulating about his personal health problems, such as health problems.
On the other hand, Russian pro-government media say it’s simply because Putin’s agenda is so tight with the war effort.
Russian political expert Ekaterina Shulman told the Times: “Everything is suspicious. Events like this are necessary to maintain (regime) stability. People are already nervous.”
On the last day of the year, The Times predicted that even if the ongoing televised address were canceled, rumors about President Putin’s personal situation could spread rapidly.
