Russian President Vladimir Putin canceled his annual end-of-year press conference Monday, causing speculation that he's in failing health.
Putin has not canceled the live televised event in 10 years and spoke for more than four hours last year, according to the Daily Mail.
"There will not be [a press conference] before the New Year," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Peskov added that Putin "regularly speaks to the press, including on foreign visits," but did not indicate why the event was scrapped this year.
Putin fields questions from the press and public during the media gathering, which is a major political event in the country, according to the Mail.
The decision to cancel was made despite reports suggesting Putin had already decided to ban Western journalists from the conference as the war in Ukraine continues.
Peskov said Putin would hopefully find an opportunity to speak with the press soon, but did not elaborate further.
The Kremlin spokesman also said Putin will not host a New Year's celebration and failed to give a date for him to address the Russian Senate, which is an annual formal duty under the country's constitution.
There has been significant speculation about Putin's health since his late-February invasion of neighboring Ukraine, with some media outlets citing videos of him seeming shaky or tense as evidence that he might be suffering from Parkinson's disease.
In April, Proekt Media claimed that Putin was accompanied by a thyroid cancer surgeon on trips from 2016 to 2019. The outlet also reported that Putin may have had surgery several years ago, but did not specifically say if he was diagnosed with cancer or another illness.
There have also been reports that he underwent surgery recently following an alleged fall down stairs at an official residence. The Kremlin denies any fall occurred.
Having ordered Russian troops across the Ukrainian border on Feb. 24 expecting a quick victory, Putin has since endured a series of embarrassing setbacks. Some have suggested the cancelation of the press conference served as a way to avoid public scrutiny and tough questions on his invasion of Ukraine.
Since the invasion began, Moscow has suffered casualties of more than 100,000 and has lost thousands of tanks and other types of military hardware.
According to the Mail, the press event usually takes place between Dec. 14-23.
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