Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor

Image source, Reuters

A bit more context on those Russian bases in Syria.

Russia has had a military foothold in Syria since the Cold War in the early 1970s, and Putin doesn't want to lose it. That's why he's suggesting Russia's two bases in Syria could be put to humanitarian use, however unlikely that might be.

When Syria's civil war started in 2011, Putin decided to give full support to dictator Bashar al-Assad, so Russia built up its base at the port of Tartous and established an airbase further up the Mediterranean coast at Hmeimim.

The bases were used not just to shore up Assad before he was deposed, but to bomb opposition groups as well as civilians in Syria's biggest cities.

Syria's new rulers haven't yet said whether they want the Russians out, but there have already been signs of at least a potential partial withdrawal.

The two bases are a vital hub for Putin, not just for maintaining Russian influence in the Middle East but also for supporting Russian paramilitary operations in Africa.

Putin has told his audience that Assad's downfall is not a "defeat" for Russia, but if he loses his two bases in Syria it certainly would be.

Returning to the topic of Syria, Putin is now discussing the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Russia had been military supporting the country for years and Moscow's firepower had helped keep Assad in power throughout Syria's civil war.

Putin begins by saying the former president's forces abandoned their posts without resisting, which explains the speed of the defeat. He denies the collapse of his ally represents a defeat for Russia

Putin goes on to talk about the status of Russia's military bases in Syria, saying they are talking to partners on the ground and claims they will keep control of them.

He adds the claim that these bases will be used to distribute humanitarian aid.

For context: Satellite imagery shows Russian forces appearing to be readying to withdraw their equipment from their bases in Syria

Image source, Reuters

Vitaliy Shevchenko
BBC Monitoring's Russia editor

A bit earlier, President Putin spoke of a “construction boom” in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol - and he may have a point.

When I spoke to local residents 10 months after its occupation, they spoke of a massive reconstruction effort involving thousands of construction workers brought from Russia.

It was clearly designed to turn the city into a showcase of how Russia rebuilds rather than destroys.

The Russia-installed "mayor" of Mariupol said there were 70,000 construction workers and members of the Russian military in the city.

The Ukrainian authorities say 20,000 people died during the siege of Mariupol.

• Read more about what life is like in Mariupol under Russian occupation

Image source, Reuters

Putin says he hasn't spoken to US President-elect Donald Trump in over four years and is not sure when he will meet or speak with him next.

"I am ready to meet him if he wants it," he says.

The pair met at the G20 summit in Japan in 2019, where they held talks on the sidelines.

Since winning the US presidential election last month, Trump has spoken with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky and the pair met in-person during Zelensky's visit to New York in September.

During that visit Zelensky said he was "certain" the war with Russia would end sooner with Trump as president.

The next question is also about Syria's former president, Bashar al-Assad.

Putin is asked if he will ask Assad for information about the people still missing in Syria, and about US journalist Austin Tice - who went missing in Syria back in 2012.

Tens of thousands of families in Syria have been searching for relatives who disappeared into Assad's notorious prison system, or into its military interrogation centres.

Tice's mother says she is prepared to come to Moscow, the journalist adds.

Putin again says that he hasn't "seen President Assad yet" - but plans to do so.

"And I will have a conversation with him. We're adults. We understand."

Putin adds that he promises he will ask Assad if he knows what happened to Austin Tice.

Putin is then asked about Syria's ousted President Bashar al-Assad.

Russian media said last week Assad and his family had been given asylum in Moscow - even though there had not yet been any official confirmation from the Kremlin.

“I’ve not seen President Assad after his arrival in Moscow, but I’m planning to do it. I will definitely talk to him," Putin says, in what are his first comments about Assad since his government was toppled in Syria.

Assad was nowhere to be seen earlier this month as Syrian cities and provinces fell to rebels led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) within a period of 12 days.

Putin is now being asked about reconstructing Russian occupied territory in Ukraine.

He claims the Moscow government has invested in roads, which he says will be bought up to a "Russian national standard", along with medical facilities and other infrastructure.

"Work is under way on a number of spheres," he says, mentioning housing reconstruction, public utilities as well as cultural and social sites.

Roads will be bought up to a Russian standard, he says, adding this is ongoing and they are planning to build a circular ring road around the Azov Sea, which he says is now an inland sea.

He mentions Mariupol in southern Ukraine, saying a new road will link it to Donetsk.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is currently taking questions on domestic issues but over the last hour he has spoken about his country's ongoing invasion of Ukraine - which he refers to as a "special military operation".

Here's a quick update on the recent developments in the nearly three-year-long war.

A Russian general in Moscow was assassinated this week – which Kyiv has since taken credit for.

It comes the month after Western powers – including the US and UK – bolstered Kyiv’s military arsenal by green-lighting the use of long-range missiles inside Russia. Moscow, for its part, responded by launching a first of its kind intermediate range hypersonic missile on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has in recent weeks described the conflict as taking on elements “of a global character”. This fact was further underscored with the news this week that North Korean troops – who have been deployed to fight alongside Russia – were reported for the first time to be killed while fighting Ukrainian forces in Russia's Kursk border region.

Moscow’s repeated attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have also intensified in recent weeks, resulting in emergency shutdowns and scheduled power cuts. A massive aerial attack in western Ukraine marked the 12th large-scale attack on energy facilities this year.

Russian forces have slowly expanded the amount of territory they control over the last year, mostly in the east of Ukraine, but Kyiv’s forces have made those advances as slow and difficult as possible and even staged a counter-offensive into Russian territory.

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Now, a question to Putin asking about the nuclear doctrine amendment.

As a reminder, the Kremlin leader approved changes last month that set out new conditions under which the country would consider using its arsenal.

The doctrine now says an attack from a non-nuclear state, if backed by a nuclear power, will be treated as a joint assault on Russia.

He is asked whether "the message has been received from the West".

"I don't know, you should ask them," Putin replies.

The changes to the doctrine, Putin explains, are that "we talk about the emerging military threats... like the emergence of anti-missile systems".

He says if countries create a threat to Russia, Russia believes it has the right to use nuclear weapons against them.

Vitaliy Shevchenko
BBC Monitoring's Russia editor

Asked about Oreshnik - Russia's new ballistic missile used against Ukraine in November - Putin insists Western technology “stands no chance” of intercepting it.

Let’s hold “an experiment or a duel”, Putin goes on: select a target in Kyiv, bring Western air defences there and see if they are able to intercept it.

“It will be interesting for us”, he says.

For context: Putin has previously said that the weapon, when it was used on Ukraine last month, travelled at a speed of Mach 10, or 2.5-3km per second (10 times the speed of sound), adding that "there are currently no ways of counteracting this weapon".

Putin's carefully choreographed positive messages on warpublished at 10:03 Greenwich Mean Time

10:03 GMT

Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor

Putin fields several questions in a row on the war, insisting Russian forces are fighting as heroes and getting closer to realising the goals he set out in February 2022.

This year, he's able to deliver a message of relative success with claims that Russian forces are "regaining" square kilometres of territory every day along the front line.

Putin has declared four Ukrainian regions as part of Russia - even if the international community sees them as sovereign Ukrainian territory.

But several follow-up questions relate to Russia's Kursk region, invaded by Ukrainian forces in August. Putin has tried to put a brave face on that enormous setback to national pride, displaying a flag from the 155th naval infantry brigade currently fighting there.

There is no sign yet of Russia regaining control of Kursk and all he can do is promise it will, because he cannot say when.

In the follow-up questions from viewers, Putin says he cannot give a date when Russia will regain control of the Kursk region following the Ukrainian offensive earlier this year.

He is asked several questions including: when will the region be "liberated", when will residents be able to return home, will the infrastructure be rebuilt and will citizens be put on the list for assistance to rebuild homes destroyed by fighting.

"It makes no military sense for Ukraine to enter the Kursk region," he says, adding that "for sure, we will get rid of them" saying if he publicly commits to a date, troops would "try to deliver on that without regard for their own lives".

Putin adds that once this happened they will "evaluate the determent" and everything will be rebuilt - "there is no shadow of a doubt about it".

Schools, kindergartens, road infrastructure will all also be rebuilt, Putin adds, and says everyone who has had their home destroyed will be compensated.

Image source, Getty Images

Next up, a question about the Russia's war in Ukraine - or as the Kremlin calls it, a "special military operation" - where the president is asked if "victory is any closer".

Putin begins his answer by having two people unfold a banner behind him, which he says was given to him by a Russian marine brigade, signed by active soldiers. This gets an applause from the crowd.

He says the situation is "changing drastically" and that Russian soldiers are "regaining territory" by square kilometre every day.

"Warfare is complicated... but we are getting closer to solving our primary tasks of the special operation," he tells the audience.

Putin talks about the brigade in the banner fighting in the Kursk region, calling them "heroes" and wishing them victory.

Vitaliy Shevchenko
BBC Monitoring's Russia editor

The co-host of today's Q&A maintains the economic focus by telling Putin that many of the questions received from the public today are about rising prices.

Putin responds by saying that supply is struggling to keep up with demand as salaries are rising, as he plays down the impact of Western sanctions - "they are not a key factor".

'Putin says he is aware of rising butter prices'published at 09:41 Greenwich Mean Time

09:41 GMT

Vitaliy Shevchenko
BBC Monitoring's Russia editor

This flash by official news agency Tass reflects one of the key reasons why events like this phone-in are held:

"Putin says he is aware of rising butter prices in some regions."

The follow-up questions to the Russian leader from the public addresses concerns over rising prices - especially bread and fuel.

"How can these be addressed?," he is asked.

Putin replies by saying consumption of some goods have risen beyond supplies, adding that Russians eat "significantly" above the global average of meat - which, he says, consumption has doubled.

On butter, he says there isn't enough milk being produced to meet demand for the product.

Interest rates have been risen by the central bank, he says, noting that experts did say this should have been done sooner.

Putin goes on to say that price growth is bad, but says keeping macroeconomic conditions stable will lower price rises.

Economy a chief concern for Russians - and Putin knows itpublished at 09:33 Greenwich Mean Time

09:33 GMT

Vitaliy Shevchenko
BBC Monitoring's Russia editor

Putin's focus on the economy at the very start of his presser suggests he's very conscious of Russians' concerns about their well-being at a time of war and as Western nations continue to impose sanctions on their country.

The message is soothing as always: "The situation is on the whole normal and stable."

Putin admits 'alarming signal' of high inflation as holiday food costs soarpublished at 09:31 Greenwich Mean Time

09:31 GMT

Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor

As usual, Vladimir Putin has started with the economy, and he’s highlighted how Russia’s economic growth is higher than it is in European countries - such as Germany.

He’s not wrong, but he’s being selective. Russia’s economy is overheating, but Putin prefers to use the word “stable”.

Putin has admitted “some problems” with what he calls the alarming signal of inflation running at 9.1%.

Frankly, that figure is more serious for Russians than economic growth right now.

Last year, Russians were complaining about a shortage of eggs. This year it’s butter prices that are soaring, and the cost of food more generally.

The big holiday for Russians in the coming days is New Year's Eve, when they traditionally splash out on foods such as Olivier salad and Herring under Fur Coat.

Statistics provided by state-run news agency Ria Novosti suggest the cost of the "New Year's food basket" is running at 11% higher than last year across Russia.

In Moscow alone, costs are up by 26% for foods including tangerines, apples, gherkins, tinned peas, fish, chicken and eggs.

Image source, Getty Images

For the first question, President Putin is asked how the Russian economy is able to keep afloat.

Putin says that the economic situation is stable, and "keeps advancing against all odds" despite what he calls "external threats".

He says that growth this year will be 3.9%.

On inflation, Putin acknowledges that inflation reaching 9% is an "alarming signal", but that "on the whole the situation is stable".

He also claims Russia is ranked fourth in the world in purchasing power parity - a measure of the relative costs of goods between country.

Steve Rosenberg
Reporting from the event in Moscow

Image source, BBC/Steve Rosenberg