From Yahoo News
By Steve Gutterman

President Vladimir Putin had sharp words for his critics and stark reminders of Russia’s nuclear might at an annual news conference Tuesday in which he sought to burnish his image as a competent leader at the helm of a great and fast-growing country.

Playing to a crowd of about 1,000 journalists in a nearly 3 1/2-hour session, Putin gave an upbeat assessment of his six years in office and a defiant warning against foreign meddling in Russia’s affairs.

At least three times during the marathon news conference — most of it televised live nationwide — Putin voiced pride in the economic achievements during his two terms, reeling off indicators that improved last year and favorably comparing the situation to 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 6.3 percent in 2005, with real incomes also rising.

He found cause for celebration in Chechnya, ravaged by two wars in the past 12 years, saying one of the greatest political achievements in 2005 was bringing the republic into the “constitutional fold” with November parliamentary elections that completed a campaign to restore local government structures.

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