Putin’s annual press conference in a nutshell: The “special military operation” in Ukraine will continue until we have attained our goals; the prisoner swap will take place when our demands are met; and the appropriate government officials will fix the price of eggs “in the near future.” How enlightening! How hopeful for the coming year!

What a load of crap!

For anyone who follows the news from Russia, there is nothing new here. The commander-in-chief of Russia’s seemingly inexhaustible troops continues to exude complete confidence in his country’s ultimate victory — despite refusing to acknowledge that he’s talking about an actual “war.” And with the passage of time, as Western support for Ukraine sadly diminishes, his confidence grows. He now says that there is no need for a second mobilization of reserve troops, due to “a steady influx of volunteers.” [AP News, Dec. 14, 2023.] Well, maybe . . . we shall see. In the meantime, Ukraine’s future hangs by a thread.

*. *. *

Putin was also asked by a New York Times reporter about the possibility of a prisoner swap for Americans Evan Gershkovich (a Wall Street Journal reporter) and Paul Whelan (a U.S. Marine veteran), both being held on trumped-up charges of spying. His answer: “We want to reach an agreement, and these agreements must be mutually acceptable and must suit both parties.” Stating that talks with the U.S. have been ongoing, he added: “It is not simple, I will not go into details now, but in general, it seems to me that we speak a language that is understandable to each other. I hope we will find a solution. But, I repeat, the American side must hear us and make an appropriate decision, one that suits the Russian side.”

Once again, Vladimir Putin is both the irresistible force and the immovable object . . . the rock and the hard place. He holds the prisoners; he knows how badly we want them back; and he is calling the shots. John Kirby, the White House national security spokesperson, said that discussions were ongoing, but that “There was . . . [a serious proposal] put forward and they rebuffed it.”

Surprise, surprise, surprise!

And in the meantime, the futures of Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan also remain hanging by a thread.

*. *. *

Finally, after the usual bluff and bluster, came the entertainment feature of this year’s program: the questions from ordinary Russian citizens. One of the stars of today’s show was a pensioner, an elderly lady named Irina Akopova who is shown seated at her kitchen table, speaking to Putin by video link (obviously pre-arranged). She complains that prices for eggs, chicken breasts and wings have skyrocketed. “Vladimir Vladimirovich, take pity on pensioners! We don’t get millions in our pensions. Sort this out – we have no one to turn to. I’m very grateful to you, I’m counting on you to help.” [Reuters, Dec. 14, 2023.]

And the response of dear Vladimir Vladimirovich? Simply: “I apologize for this, but this is a failure of the government’s work . . . I promise that the situation will be corrected in the near future.”

Wow! How sympathetic! How heartfelt! How helpful!

Or in the words — or word — of my beloved grandmother: “Oy!”

But greater satisfaction was given to a group of young boys in the Russian-annexed territory of Crimea, who complained about the rundown state of their sports hall. A response from TV anchor Pavel Zarubin (who was apparently participating in the program) indicated that volunteers from that territory had called in and promised to renovate their arena. Terrific! Poor Mrs. Akopova can’t afford eggs, but we can fix a sports venue immediately. You know, that actually makes sense, in a perverse way — the first issue involves a nationwide increase in prices as high as 40%, whereas the second merely calls for some local “volunteers” with hammers and nails (and a big trash truck).

*. *. *

So how does this people-to-person marathon come about each year? It obviously is not a spontaneous exchange. To begin with, Putin speaks . . . and speaks . . . and speaks. On and on he drones, ad infinitum. I counted 209 paragraphs (even grouping together some of the shortest ones) from the transcript offered on the Kremlin’s own website. No, I did not read the whole thing; my tolerance for bullshit is not that great.

For those on the scene who managed to stay awake to that point, there followed the question-and-answer session. The journalists this year were hand-picked and carefully screened. And as for the citizen call-ins, I have no idea how they were chosen from the many applicants; but from the two examples above, I am quite certain that any attempt at improvisation would have been cut off by “technical difficulties.” The questions, though sincere, were pre-selected and carefully worded, and the answers obviously scripted. All very efficient.

But the desired effect has been obtained: the benevolent master has shown his concern for his serfs. All is well throughout the land.

That should hold them for another year.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
12/15/23