Putin hits out at opponents: ‘We have been provoked’

Russian President Vladimir Putin adopted an avuncular tone during his lengthy press conference with 1,200 journalists, but he nevertheless took a hard line in defending his policies against a rising tide of criticism. Over four and a half hours in the close confines of Moscow’s World Trade Center, the 60-year-old leader insisted that it was not his approach that was aggressive. “We have been provoked,” he said.

The Kremlin would answer in kind recent provocations from the United States and from the Russian opposition, Putin made clear in the first press conference of this kind since 2008. During the mammoth press event, which was broadcast on state television, a court reduced the jail sentence being served by one of his most critical opponents.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky, perhaps the country’s best known prisoner and once one of Russia’s richest citizens, is to be released in 2014 and not 2016 as originally sentenced. Just a few hours after the conference Putin was set to fly to a Russian-European Union summit in Brussels on Friday, where he is likely to face renewed criticism of increased repression of the Russian political opposition.

Putin brushed aside these concerns, much in the way widespread concerns in Russia over the pending end of the world on December 21 have been dismissed. The president used the occasion to hit out at his opponents, rejecting reports that his health is ailing as merely an attempt to undermine his authority. To those expecting his imminent demise, he said: “I wouldn’t wait for it.”

The former KGB officer defended police raids and court proceedings against opposition politicians, saying that those who broke the law and planned to seize power by violent means had to face punishment. Critical remarks from one of the few critical Russian journalists were also waved away. He accused a “liberal reporter” from the gazeta.ru online newspaper of demanding “first this and then that” and of being inconsistent.

In evident good spirits the Russian leader told the assembled journalists who had travelled to Moscow from across the vast country, many of them from local and co-operative newspapers, that he had the confidence of the Russian people. His handling of the conference, his eighth in 13 years in power, was deft. He cited numbers – whose accuracy was difficult to check – showing the Russian economy was doing well, despite the global crisis.

Taking in world events, Putin justified Russian policy on Syria, which has been roundly criticised in the West. One of the key themes of the press conference was the controversial decision taken by the Russian parliament, the Duma, a day earlier banning the adoption of Russian children by US citizens, a decision that drew criticism from some of those present as wrong and excessive. Putin said he understood the motivation behind the ban and would look into it carefully. The central aim was to do more for needy children in Russia, rather than handing them over to foreigners.

The day was one of considerable emotion for the Russian journalists. Many thanked the president for his efforts, applauded or asked for greetings for their own children. Putin responded warmly. He also let slip a few private details, revealing that his two daughters were doing well in Moscow in both their professional and private lives. “I’m proud of them,” he said.

Putin also mentioned his friend, former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, and his adoption of two Russian children, as well as French actor Gerard Depardieu, who he said was going through a difficult patch but was welcome in Moscow at any time. Depardieu, who has faced criticism in France for changing his domicile to Belgium for tax reasons, could even have a Russian passport if he wanted one, Putin said. He subsequently also stressed with respect to the Khodorkovsky case that he would not involve himself in court proceedings.

Much remained unsaid. Repeated questions into how journalists in Russia could be better protected against assault or threats were evaded. The state was doing everything in its power to clear up wrongdoing, Putin said. Journalists were aware of the hazards of their profession and the perpetrators of crimes against journalists were seeking to “cause fear,” he said. “But that won’t work,” he added.

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