Putin holds annual end-of-year news conference
/ CBS News
MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin is facing the media during a massive annual press conference for which a reported 1700 journalists have been accredited. In past years, the marathon conference has run for over four hours and has been known for its pageantry.
Though members of the international press do attend, the majority of questions are usually asked by local journalists from around Russia. Competing with one another for attention, they wave bright signs in order to get called on. This year, attendees have been asked to restrict the size of their posters so as not to block television cameras.
Though Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said this year's conference won't be an "orchestrated event," some journalists' questions have been screened in the past. In 2017, Russia's media was categorized as "Not free" by the group Freedom House.
The Russian president may be asked about his nation's relations with the United States, including about controversies over what the U.S. intelligence community says was Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
President Trump's decision to pull U.S. troops out of Syria, announced Wednesday, may also come up.
First published on December 20, 2018
© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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