I am no fan of Vladimir Putin. But he does something interesting every year around this time. He gives a marathon press conference where members of the national and international media are allowed to ask him any question. It's a free-wheeling session and Mr. Putin generally speaks extempore without consulting any notes. So, two days ago was one of those days, and it lasted for more than 4 hours! And here I was thinking that our Prime Minister has not fielded a single question from the Indian media since he became PM in May 2014. I think Modi doesn't have the confidence to take on any uncomfortable questions. He's only interested in hearing nice things about himself.
Putin also has the power to silence (read kill) the reporters who contradict him publicly. He probably uses this session to identify his targets. I am just amazed at the kind of support he receives from the locals and Russians all over the world inspite of everything that actually goes on in the open.
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