Russian President Vladimir Putin mixed humor, sharp criticism and stark reminders of Russia's nuclear might at an annual news conference on Tuesday, seeking to burnish his image as a competent leader at the helm of a great and fast-growing country.
Putin delivered an upbeat assessment of his six years in office and a defiant warning against foreign meddling in Russia's affairs, playing to a massive crowd of journalists in a marathon session that lasted more than three hours -- most of it televised live nationwide.
Putin voiced pride in the economic achievements during his two terms, reeling off a slew of indicators that improved last year and favorably comparing the situation with the state Russia was in when he came to power on the last day of 1999.
High oil prices have helped Russia's economy rebound significantly from the economic collapse of 1998, and Putin said gross domestic product grew by 6.4 percent in 2005, with real incomes also rising.
Putin found cause for celebration in Chechnya, ravaged by two wars in the past 12 years and plagued by fighting and fear, saying one of last year's greatest political achievements was bringing it into the "constitutional fold" with November parliamentary elections that completed a campaign to restore local government structures.
The news conference came amid growing concern in the West over his moves to curtail representative democracy and tighten control over the economy and the country's political life.
Defending a recently passed law that restricts activities of non-governmental organizations, Putin called NGOs an important check on the authorities but emphasized they must not be "governed by puppeteers from abroad."
Putin said Russia welcomes constructive criticism but has no use for the words of Cold War throwbacks "who do not know what is going on in our country."
"There's only one response they deserve," Putin said, making a dismissive spitting sound that won titters from the crowd.
Putin defended Moscow's support of the Uzbek government's bloody crackdown during unrest last May, and dismissed critics who say Russia is unfit to chair the Group of Eight leading industrial nations this year.
He said Russia's economic progress proves its policies are effective and that as a nation still developing and dealing with pressing poverty, it "understands the problems of developing nations better than other G-8 members."
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