president Vladimir Putin used his traditional New Year’s address on Wednesday to project an image of Russians as united behind the country’s armed forces adn the war in Ukraine, vowing victory on the battlefield as the conflict approaches its fourth year.”You have taken on the responsibility to fight for your native land, for truth and justice,” Putin said addressing Russian troops on the front lines. “Millions of people across Russia, I assure you, are with you on this New Year’s night.”
“I congratulate all our soldiers and commanders on the coming New Year. We believe in you and in our victory,” he added.
Dressed in a black suit and dark-blue tie and standing in front of the Kremlin, Putin said Russians were “united by a sincere, selfless and devoted love for russia.”
“The strength of our unity determines the sovereignty and security of the Fatherland, its advancement and its future,” he said, adding that “work, successes and achievements of each of us add new chapters to [Russia’s] thousand-year history.”
The address, broadcast first in the Far East before airing across the country’s 11 time zones as midnight struck, is a long-standing New Year’s tradition for Russian presidents.How Did Russia’s War Effort Change in 2025?
Read more