Putin Insists That He Values a Free Press

President Vladimir V. Putin vowed to uphold free media, but the owner of an independent media empire often critical of the Kremlin, who was jailed in Moscow last week on fraud charges, said authorities only wanted a docile press. The Foreign Ministry, clearly irritated by the attention given to Vladimir A. Gusinsky’s case, accused the U.S. Congress of dwelling on the issue for what it said was a publicity ploy in an election year. As Gusinsky faced prosecutors, Putin told his advisory Security Council that democracy in Russia was inconceivable without a free press.