MOSCOW –
President Vladimir Putin boasted that his military operation in Ukraine has strengthened Russia and denied that the ouster of key ally Bashar Assad in Syria had hurt Moscow’s prestige, as he held his annual news conference and call-in show Thursday.
He used the tightly choreographed event, which lasted over four hours, to reinforce his authority and demonstrate a sweeping command of everything from consumer prices to military hardware.
Sending troops into Ukraine in 2022 has boosted Russia’s military and economic power, Putin said, adding that if he could do it over, “such a decision should have been made earlier” and Russia could have “prepared for it in advance and more thoroughly.”
“Russia has become much stronger over the past two or three years because it has become a truly sovereign country,” he said. “We …