Defiant Putin Mocks And Praises Opposition, Touts Vague Reform

MOSCOW — Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on December 15 alternately praised and mocked opposition protestors and accused the West of meddling in his country’s affairs, as he tried to woo the public with a trademark macho style in his annual televised call-in program.   In the choreographed marathon phone-in broadcast on national television, Putin […]