Answered questions in several hours long press conference • Was asked about Sweden
This week, Russian general Igor Kirillov was killed in Moscow when an electric scooter suddenly exploded.
The Ukrainian security service has taken responsibility for the act and now Putin admits that it was a failure on the Russian side.
– We must improve this work, such serious failures cannot be allowed, it hit us hard, says Putin.
In a several-hour press conference led by state-controlled Russian media, President Putin answered questions from reporters and Russians.
The annual event is described by the independent Moscow Times as “carefully orchestrated” and according to state media, more than 1.5 million questions have been sent from ordinary Russian citizens to the Kremlin – hoping to get answers from Putin. Journalists from several international media were also present,
Putin’s on the attack: A failure
During the press conference, Putin spoke, among other things, about the attack that killed Russian General Igor Kirillov and his deputy lieutenant general earlier this week.
– We must improve this work, such failures cannot be allowed, it hit us hard, says Putin, who said that the Russian security services “failed to stop assassins”.
Kirillov – who was the top head of Russia’s nuclear, chemical and biological defenses – died when an electric scooter suddenly exploded early Tuesday morning. The Ukrainian security service SBU states that they were behind the act.
Russian state media claim that the SBU promised a man from Uzbekistan $100,000 to carry out the deed, he was arrested by the Russian security service FSB and now faces life in prison.
The question to Putin about Sweden’s NATO membership
International media also attended the over four-hour long press meeting and asked questions of the Russian president. The BBC’s Steve Rosenberg asked Putin if he felt he had taken care of the country since taking over from Boris Yeltsin.
Rosenberg highlighted, among other things, that Russia has suffered major losses in Ukraine, that Ukrainian soldiers have taken parts of Kursk and that Sweden and Finland have joined NATO – which can be seen as a failure for Putin’s ambitions that more countries should not join NATO.
– I have not only taken care of the country, I have brought it back from the edge of the abyss, answered Putin.
Before the BBC had the chance to ask its question, Putin took the opportunity to mock the British public service company.
– You promised to attack us, I think you are happy to do that, Putin said and added:
– That’s what you get paid to do.