Russian President Vladimir Putin resumed his traditional year-end press conference, after canceling last year, when Russia was doing badly on the battlefield. He combined it with a call-in program.
Lawyers of jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny say they have not been able to confirm his whereabouts for several days, raising concern among his allies for his health and safety.
Russia will end 2022 in a weaker global standing than when the year began. Its struggles in Ukraine surprised the Kremlin, and the global punishments are starting to hamper the Russian economy.
The Kremlin dismissed the idea of talks with President Biden to end the war in Ukraine and said its assault on Ukrainian infrastructure was an "inevitable" response to Kyiv s attacks.