Russian 'bear' fighting for survival: Putin

Though his country's economy is tanking, in part because of Western sanctions, President Vladimir Putin yesterday showed no sign of changing tack on war-torn Ukraine and compared Russia to a bear fighting for survival.
Speaking during his annual end-of-the year news conference, the Russian strongman, 62, showed no willingness to tone down his fiery anti-Western rhetoric and branded Ukraine's attempt to crush a Moscow-backed separatist uprising in the east of the country a "punitive operation".
Meanwhile, the EU yesterday imposed additional sanctions on Crimea, banning all investment and cruise ships from its ports to force home the message the bloc will not recognise Russia's "illegal annexation" of Ukraine territory.
"The annexation is illegal and what we are doing is part of the non-recognition" policy, European Commission spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic said.
At the news conference, Putin tried to quell fears of economic collapse and vowed rapid recovery from the worst financial crisis of his rule but stressed that his position on Ukraine has not shifted.
He conspicuously chose not to reply to the Ukrainian journalist's question on Russian regular troops, saying instead: "All people who perform their duty following the call of the heart or participate in the fighting voluntarily including in the southeast of Ukraine are not mercenaries because they are not getting any money for it."
"Our (Western) partners have not stopped. They decided that they are winners, they are an empire now and the rest are vassals and they have to be driven into a corner," Putin said.
He accused the West of wanting to tame the legendary Russian bear, the animal symbolising his country, and asserted its real goal was not to punish Moscow for seizing Crimea from Ukraine in March but to undermine Russia's independence.
The Russian strongman singled out the United States, whose Congress has approved fresh sanctions against Russia.
He claimed "almost official figures" in the West had argued that it was "unfair that Siberia with its immeasurable riches belong to Russia alone," and railed against this alleged affront.