Russian President Vladimir Putin is due to hold his annual news conference next month, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says.
"The news conference is traditionally held in December. This traditional format will be preserved," Peskov said on November 19, without announcing a precise date for the event.
Last year, Putin held his televised news conference on December 14 before some 1,600 Russian and foreign journalists, a nearly four-hour marathon during which he announced he would run for reelection in March.
He went on to win his fourth presidential mandate with more than 76 percent of the vote in an election that was widely criticized as unfair.
The televised end-of-year news conference has been a regular tradition of Putin's tenure, one of a series of high-profile set-piece events he uses to burnish his image, reassure Russians that they are in good hands, and send signals to the United States and the rest of the world.
