The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, praised this Tuesday in a new year speech the country’s achievements since he came to power 25 years ago. “We still have a lot to do, but we can be proud of what has already been done,” declared the Russian leader in his annual address, broadcast on state television. During his speech, the president who succeeded Boris Yeltsin made only a vague reference to Ukraine, where Russia launched an offensive in February 2022.
“On this New Year’s Eve, the thoughts, the hopes of family and friends, millions of people throughout Russia are next to our fighters and commanders,” Putin said. «Now, at the doors of a new year, we think about the future. We are sure that everything will be fine. “We will only move forward,” he added.
Putin’s speech comes at a key moment in the conflict that began three years ago. While the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, has promised a prompt ceasefire once he takes office, Moscow has made significant progress on the battlefield.
Putin was appointed acting president on New Year’s Eve 1999 when Yeltsin unexpectedly resigned and apologized for the situation in the country after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Since then, the Kremlin’s strongman boasts of having turned Russia into a great power againcapable of competing with the West, and having restored honor to the Russians after the humiliation of the disintegration of the Soviet empire.
The New Year’s Eve speech, which continues a tradition started by Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, is often seen in millions of homes in Russia. The address is broadcast on state television just before midnight in each of Russia’s 11 time zones, and is usually a brief summary of the events of the past year, as well as wishes for the coming year.
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