The Kremlin said Thursday that President Vladimir Putin would hold a press conference on December 14 looking back on 2023, his first annual briefing since large-scale hostilities erupted in Ukraine. Putin usually holds two highly-orchestrated, marathon public events each year — a phone-in show with Russians from across the country, and a press conference that routinely runs hours long. Neither event was scheduled last year, as Russian forces in Ukraine were suffering serious setbacks in their campaign to wrest control of the country. “On 14 December, Vladimir Putin will sum up the results of the year. It will be a combined format of the direct line and the president’s final press conference,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. He added that the briefing would be broadcast on state-run television networks. Putin is expected next month to announce that he will run in presidental elections scheduled for next March.