09.21 (13.21) More from our man in Moscow Roland Oliphant:
Putin denies he met Snowden. "I've got my job, he's got his stuff to do... Nonetheless he is an interesting person for me. Lots of people including leading politicians and my colleagues changed their world view thanks to him."
Almost word perfect repetition of what he said last time he was asked about this.
09.14 (13.14) Nikolai Alexeyev, the gay rights activist, comments on Putin's statement about "traditional Russian values". Referring to the new law outlawing 'gay propaganda', he writes on Twitter: "But what are 'traditional Russian values'? Putin didn't explain. So nobody's any the wiser as to what 'homosexual propaganda' means either."
09.06 (13.06) Putin is asked whether he has ever met Edward Snowden. He says no, but he praises the whistleblower's resolve, saying he has caused many people to change their world view. Says Snowden has made a "noble but complicated choice". There is the assumption that he will not continue any "anti-American propaganda" as long as he lives in Russia. The government is not working with Snowden, Putin says.
09.02 (13.02) CNN asks why religion appears to have become so important in Russian public life. Putin says solid values are needed to fill the hole left by the collapse of the Communist regime.
08.59 (12.59) Some analysis from Roland Oliphant, our correspondent in Moscow:
Putin has referred to Medvedev in the same breath as plastic politicians such as Vladimir Zhirinovsky and Gennady Zyuganov. He cannot bring himself to mention Navalny [the opposition activist who was recently tried for fraud and has been described as 'the man Putin fears most'] by name, however.
Without mentioning Navalny by name, Putin appears to question the size of the opposition leader's manhood. Putin says of getting into politics: "You can loose your trousers. It's good if you have something to show, and if you have nothing..."
08.49 (12.49) A reporter from Komsomolskaya Pravda asks who the second most important politician in Russia is, and whether Putin has a successor. Putin talks about Gennady Zuganov, the leader of the Communist Party. Dimitry Medvedev, the Prime Minister and former President, gets only a brief mention.
08.44 (12.44) The first question from a regional paper. A journalist from the far east of Russia asks about recent flooding which has hit the region and plans for new hydropower projects to meet the area's energy needs. Putin says the recent flood was a natural disaster - not, as the journalist suggested, the result of a fault with a dam - and says green energy projects in the region will be backed with tax cuts.
08.38 (12.38) Question from the tabloid Argumenty i Fakty on a recent pay rise for Russian MPs. Putin says we need to employ "the cream of the crop, the best people" and lure them in from the business sector where salaries are higher.
08.34 (12.34) A tweet from Alexander Lebvedev, oligarch and owner of the Independent and London Evening Standard. He says: "The 18 billion dollars of aid to Ukraine, translated: "It's a massive boost to our own economy to the detriment of the EU"
08.30 (12.30) He says Ukraine is in a difficult situation right now (regarding the political protests happening). He says the flow of industrial goods goes back to the days of the USSR, and both economies will benefit from it.
Ukraine should make up their mind which options they should pursue, he says.
He adds that the $15bn is not a "spending spree" on Russia's part.
08.25 (12.25) He warns that if Ukraine went towards the EU rather than Russia, it would have become an "agricultural annex".
08.21 (12.21) "Make a little effort and you'll see the clear picture", says Putin. He says Russia is not against integration with the EU, but he says most of Ukraine's exports go to Russia. There are so many checks and balances in the EU.
Try and explain that [farmers] need to limit their production for the sake of Ukraine.
He says the decision was taken for the "sake of the Ukrainian people".
08.18 (12.18) The question is on Ukraine. The journalist asks Putin about gas prices and the $15bn deal they cut earlier this week.
He says that Russia worked closely with the previous government under Yulia Tymoshenko and that the gas contract is economically justified. Pricing formula is exactly the same as what they have with all users in Europe.
"No one is trying to suffocate anyone", he says. "If you want independence, there's a price to pay."
08.10 (12.10) And he's up and running. You can follow our Moscow correspondent, Roland Oliphant, on Twitter at @RolandOliphant. Roland writes:
Putin enters to absurd games how music, launches straight into a list of stats on the past year's economic performance.
8.05 (12.05) The press conference appears a few minutes late, but if you're a Putin-watcher, then the Moscow News has some (depressing) statistics for you.
8.00 (12.00) Roland Oliphant, our Moscow correspondent, is in attendance this morning.
While I am in here, there is a good chance that the Pussy Riot girls Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (who were amnestied on Wednesday) may be released from prison. Pyotr Verzilov is already in Krasnoyarsk, where his wife Nadezhka is in prison hospital.
7.55 (11.55) The New Times, a liberal, Soviet-era magazine, has invited its readers to suggest questions they would ask Putin. Topics range from gay rights to political prisoners and the Sochi Olympics.
One reader was keen to know about the President's attitude to the country's Soviet past, asking: "Why do we still keep Lenin's body in the centre of Moscow? If the 1917 revolution was such a terrible thing - seeing as we've cancelled the national day to mark the anniversary of this revolution - then why do we keep the body of its instigator on Red Square?"
Another of the 25 questions selected for publication in the magazine was more personal. "Why are you always so late? Last month you were even 50 minutes late for a meeting with the Pope. What's so urgent that you have to keep popes, kings, prime ministers and just ordinary people waiting? What point are you trying to make?"
7.50 (11.50) Dmitri Peskov, Putin's press secretary, says we shouldn't expect any big policy announcements.
The press conference format isn't for announcing big decisions... So I wouldn't get tied up expecting scandal. What's discussed will depend on the questions the President is asked. Obviously there will be lots of questions about Ukraine and other international affairs, for example Syria. Obviously there will be questions about the domestic economic situation and the banks. It's all on the agenda.
7.45 GMT (11.45 Moscow) Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of Vladimir Putin's annual press conference. The Russian president's press conference have always been lively (but marathon) affairs in the past. Last year, he covered a range of subjects - from backing plans to make US adoptions from Russia illegal, to predicting the end of the world (albeit in 4.5 billion years).
Putin denies he met Snowden. "I've got my job, he's got his stuff to do... Nonetheless he is an interesting person for me. Lots of people including leading politicians and my colleagues changed their world view thanks to him."
Almost word perfect repetition of what he said last time he was asked about this.
09.14 (13.14) Nikolai Alexeyev, the gay rights activist, comments on Putin's statement about "traditional Russian values". Referring to the new law outlawing 'gay propaganda', he writes on Twitter: "But what are 'traditional Russian values'? Putin didn't explain. So nobody's any the wiser as to what 'homosexual propaganda' means either."
09.06 (13.06) Putin is asked whether he has ever met Edward Snowden. He says no, but he praises the whistleblower's resolve, saying he has caused many people to change their world view. Says Snowden has made a "noble but complicated choice". There is the assumption that he will not continue any "anti-American propaganda" as long as he lives in Russia. The government is not working with Snowden, Putin says.
09.02 (13.02) CNN asks why religion appears to have become so important in Russian public life. Putin says solid values are needed to fill the hole left by the collapse of the Communist regime.
08.59 (12.59) Some analysis from Roland Oliphant, our correspondent in Moscow:
Putin has referred to Medvedev in the same breath as plastic politicians such as Vladimir Zhirinovsky and Gennady Zyuganov. He cannot bring himself to mention Navalny [the opposition activist who was recently tried for fraud and has been described as 'the man Putin fears most'] by name, however.
Without mentioning Navalny by name, Putin appears to question the size of the opposition leader's manhood. Putin says of getting into politics: "You can loose your trousers. It's good if you have something to show, and if you have nothing..."
08.49 (12.49) A reporter from Komsomolskaya Pravda asks who the second most important politician in Russia is, and whether Putin has a successor. Putin talks about Gennady Zuganov, the leader of the Communist Party. Dimitry Medvedev, the Prime Minister and former President, gets only a brief mention.
08.44 (12.44) The first question from a regional paper. A journalist from the far east of Russia asks about recent flooding which has hit the region and plans for new hydropower projects to meet the area's energy needs. Putin says the recent flood was a natural disaster - not, as the journalist suggested, the result of a fault with a dam - and says green energy projects in the region will be backed with tax cuts.
08.38 (12.38) Question from the tabloid Argumenty i Fakty on a recent pay rise for Russian MPs. Putin says we need to employ "the cream of the crop, the best people" and lure them in from the business sector where salaries are higher.
08.34 (12.34) A tweet from Alexander Lebvedev, oligarch and owner of the Independent and London Evening Standard. He says: "The 18 billion dollars of aid to Ukraine, translated: "It's a massive boost to our own economy to the detriment of the EU"
08.30 (12.30) He says Ukraine is in a difficult situation right now (regarding the political protests happening). He says the flow of industrial goods goes back to the days of the USSR, and both economies will benefit from it.
Ukraine should make up their mind which options they should pursue, he says.
He adds that the $15bn is not a "spending spree" on Russia's part.
08.25 (12.25) He warns that if Ukraine went towards the EU rather than Russia, it would have become an "agricultural annex".
08.21 (12.21) "Make a little effort and you'll see the clear picture", says Putin. He says Russia is not against integration with the EU, but he says most of Ukraine's exports go to Russia. There are so many checks and balances in the EU.
Try and explain that [farmers] need to limit their production for the sake of Ukraine.
He says the decision was taken for the "sake of the Ukrainian people".
08.18 (12.18) The question is on Ukraine. The journalist asks Putin about gas prices and the $15bn deal they cut earlier this week.
He says that Russia worked closely with the previous government under Yulia Tymoshenko and that the gas contract is economically justified. Pricing formula is exactly the same as what they have with all users in Europe.
"No one is trying to suffocate anyone", he says. "If you want independence, there's a price to pay."
08.10 (12.10) And he's up and running. You can follow our Moscow correspondent, Roland Oliphant, on Twitter at @RolandOliphant. Roland writes:
Putin enters to absurd games how music, launches straight into a list of stats on the past year's economic performance.
8.05 (12.05) The press conference appears a few minutes late, but if you're a Putin-watcher, then the Moscow News has some (depressing) statistics for you.
8.00 (12.00) Roland Oliphant, our Moscow correspondent, is in attendance this morning.
While I am in here, there is a good chance that the Pussy Riot girls Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (who were amnestied on Wednesday) may be released from prison. Pyotr Verzilov is already in Krasnoyarsk, where his wife Nadezhka is in prison hospital.
7.55 (11.55) The New Times, a liberal, Soviet-era magazine, has invited its readers to suggest questions they would ask Putin. Topics range from gay rights to political prisoners and the Sochi Olympics.
One reader was keen to know about the President's attitude to the country's Soviet past, asking: "Why do we still keep Lenin's body in the centre of Moscow? If the 1917 revolution was such a terrible thing - seeing as we've cancelled the national day to mark the anniversary of this revolution - then why do we keep the body of its instigator on Red Square?"
Another of the 25 questions selected for publication in the magazine was more personal. "Why are you always so late? Last month you were even 50 minutes late for a meeting with the Pope. What's so urgent that you have to keep popes, kings, prime ministers and just ordinary people waiting? What point are you trying to make?"
7.50 (11.50) Dmitri Peskov, Putin's press secretary, says we shouldn't expect any big policy announcements.
The press conference format isn't for announcing big decisions... So I wouldn't get tied up expecting scandal. What's discussed will depend on the questions the President is asked. Obviously there will be lots of questions about Ukraine and other international affairs, for example Syria. Obviously there will be questions about the domestic economic situation and the banks. It's all on the agenda.
7.45 GMT (11.45 Moscow) Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of Vladimir Putin's annual press conference. The Russian president's press conference have always been lively (but marathon) affairs in the past. Last year, he covered a range of subjects - from backing plans to make US adoptions from Russia illegal, to predicting the end of the world (albeit in 4.5 billion years).