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

Image source, Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin has taken his seat ahead of his question and answer session.

Viewers from across Russia will be putting their questions to him over the next few hours.

Stick with us as we bring you the latest from his annual address.

Image source, Reuters

Here we go. Russian President Vladimir Putin is about to start speaking.

We'll be bringing you key lines from his speech and phone-in with Russians, who - according to state media - have already flooded the president with two million questions.

You can follow the address live, with translation, by pressing watch live at the top of the page.

Image source, Reuters

A 29-year-old man from Uzbekistan has been arrested over the killing of a senior Russian general, Igor Kirillov, and his assistant in Moscow.

An explosive device hidden in an electric scooter was detonated remotely on Tuesday, authorities say, killing Lt Gen Igor Kirillov.

Ukraine claimed it was behind the attack, adding that Kirillov, 54, was "a legitimate target" who had carried out war crimes. The day before, Ukraine charged the Russian general in absentia, saying he was "responsible for the mass use of banned chemical weapons".

Russia's Federal Security Services (FSB) has published a video of the suspect's interrogation.

In it, a dark-haired man in handcuffs with what appears to be a visible rip in his coat, is heard saying in Russian that he was offered a reward and a European passport in exchange for killing Kirillov.

It is unclear whether the suspect's confession was made under duress.

Image source, EPA

Several time zones away, EU leaders are meeting in Brussels today which is also being attended by Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky.

In the final meeting of the European Council before US President-Elect Donald Trump returns to office, it's expected that talks will focus on how best to prepare Kyiv for his second term.

Last night Zelensky met with several leaders and Nato chief Mark Rutte. He says he wants to use the summit in Brussels to talk about "security guarantees for Ukraine, for today and for tomorrow" and called for more weapons and air defences.

It comes as the UK's Ministry of Defence says it is considering sending British troops to Ukraine to help train the country's armed forces.

Will Putin try to send a message to the incoming US administration?published at 08:25 Greenwich Mean Time

08:25 GMT

Steve Rosenberg
Russia editor

Image source, SPUTNIK/KREMLIN POOL/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Once there were two. Now just one.

In the past, Vladimir Putin used to hold two marathon live TV events each year: A phone-in and an end-of-year press conference (each lasting more than three hours).

The two formats have now been merged into a single show called Results of the Year with Vladimir Putin. Last year’s edition went on for more than four hours. It’s hard to miss: the programme is broadcast on all the main federal TV channels.

For days now, Russian viewers have been sending in questions for the Kremlin leader, the subject matter ranging from domestic issues - like rising prices and health care - to global affairs.

In what is expected to be a carefully choreographed event, there will be live link-ups with different parts of the country; Russian journalists and some international media (including, hopefully, the BBC) will be in the hall.

Expect to hear a lot about what the Kremlin is still calling its "special military operation" (Russia’s war in Ukraine).

With a month to go before Donald Trump’s return to the White House, will Vladimir Putin use the event to send a message to the incoming US administration?

And will he say anything at all about the fall of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, formerly his closest ally in the Middle East?

The Kremlin leader has so far made no public comment about events in Syria.

Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor

Image source, Pool/AFP

State-run TV channels are all trumpeting the claim that Russians have made two million calls, text messages and appeals on social media to get their questions to Vladimir Putin today.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says any questions they ask about the "special military operation" - Russia's term for its full-scale war in Ukraine - will be "seriously analysed".

But it's not just the war that is worrying Russians, because the economy is overheating and in simple terms the price of butter has gone up by as much as a third this year.

Inflation has hit 9.14% and Russia's central bank may tomorrow have to increase interest rates above the current level of 21%.

A big part of the problem is that Putin has put Russia's economy on to a war footing. Next year defence spending will hit its highest level since the Cold War - accounting for 32% of all budget spending. That equates to 6.2% of Russia's economic output.

More is going on in the military than health, education and social security. So watch out for any questions that get through on how Russians are coping when such a big slice of their taxes is being spent on the war.