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Russian frustrations cut through a meticulously controlled marathon press conference delivered by Vladimir Putin on Friday, revealing the hardships facing ordinary people.
The 73-year-old president delivered his customary end-of-year address, fielding questions from a public grappling with a stagnant economy, squeezed by international sanctions after almost four years of relentless war with Ukraine.
It comes after the European Union agreed to offer Ukraine a massive €90bn (£79bn) interest-free loan to fund most of Volodymyr Zelensky’s military needs for the next two ye
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