TODAY: Putin’s annual presser shows confident President despite ruble woes; covers Ukraine, ruble, NATO, and love; economy to recover, President asserts; activists detained.  Law passed to give banking sector capital boost; Putin hopes to see newly released Sistema owner at New Year’s business meet. 

‘Sometimes I wonder, maybe the bear should just sit quietly, munch on berries and honey rather than chasing after piglets, maybe then, they would leave it alone? But no, they wouldn’t, because they will always try to chain it up.’  Putin’s annual Q&A with journalists offered his habitual colourful metaphors and a robust defence of Russian interests abroad, as well as the country’s ailing economy.  On the latter, the President expressed confidence that the economy will recover in two years.  ‘His words are unlikely to terrify the market, but probably won’t massively reassure it either’, says the Guardian’s Shaun Walker.  The Independent notes that the rouble ‘strengthened after he began speaking‘, indeed it remained relatively stable during the speech.  Putin denied that he had any responsibility for the Ukraine crisis and affirmed his hopes that the situation would be resolved diplomatically, whilst chastising NATO for its expansion eastwards.  He also stated that it was too early for him to say as to whether he would run in the 2018 presidential election.  The Moscow Times has some of the less remarked upon highlights of the presser, not including the much-reported question regarding his love life.   Moscow police detained 19 activists of a group of 40 who wished to ask the President ‘inconvenient questions‘.   This article suggests that some of the questions posed were more assertive than typically seen at the Q&A.