In his New Year's speech, Putin praises Russian unity as the conflict in Ukraine casts a shadow over festivities

 In his New Year's speech, Putin praises Russian unity as the conflict in Ukraine casts a shadow over festivities

In his New Year's speech, Putin praises Russian unity as the conflict in Ukraine casts a shadow over festivities

December 31, Moscow (AP) In his prerecorded New Year's message to the country, Russian President Vladimir Putin commended the country's cohesive community.

In the March 17 presidential election, which Putin is expected to win, he is running again.

In his prerecorded New Year's speech to the country, Russian President Vladimir Putin commended the country's cohesive society, according to reports released on Sunday by official news agencies in Russia. Putin spoke to Russians in a video that lasted less than four minutes, which is much less than the length of his speech he delivered at New Year's Eve last year, according to official news agency RIA Novosti.

When the new speech was shown on television on Sunday, millions of people were anticipated to watch it as each Russian time zone counted down the final minutes till 2023. About nine hours ahead of Moscow, those living in the Chukotka area and the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia were the first to witness it. Following his speech to the military the previous year, Putin followed tradition by addressing the country in front of a snow-covered Kremlin. He characterized 2023 as a year of great unity in Russian society in remarks to RIA Novosti.

The President said that our shared knowledge of the critical significance of the historical phase Russia is currently undergoing and our shared destiny for the Fatherland are what bind us together. He also complimented Russians for their tolerance, compassion, and unity. Putin openly addressed the Russian armed forces in what the Kremlin has referred to as its special military operation in the neighboring nation, with the almost two-year-old conflict in Ukraine at the forefront of his speech.

The President stated, "We are proud of you, you are a hero, and you feel the support of the entire public." He emphasized that Russia would never back down and said that no force could split Russians and halt their nation's progress, according to official media. The speech was shown the day after gunshots in the Russian border city of Belgorod on Saturday left 24 people dead, including three children. As of Sunday, Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported an additional 108 injured, making the strike one of the worst on Russian territory since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine began 22 months ago.

Similar to the previous year, Red Square performances and customary fireworks were canceled as part of Moscow's muted New Year's festivities. Local officials in Vladivostok, a port city in the Pacific, and other places around Russia cancelled their customary New Year's fireworks displays in the aftermath of the Belgorod bombardment. Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president and deputy secretary of the country's security council, also wished the Russian people a happy new year. He stated in a video message on Telegram that Russia has needed extra stability, unity, and real patriotism during the last year, and that his thoughts and prayers are with those fighting on the front lines.

Echoing Putin's assertion that he is invading Ukraine to combat neo-Nazis, Medvedev also urged Russians to make 2024 the year when neo-fascism is finally defeated. Historians see Putin's use of the Holocaust, World War II, and Nazism as a cynical tactic to achieve his goals, but they have been crucial rhetorical weapons in his effort to justify Russia's military activities in Ukraine. Are. According to analysts, Putin will have a generally successful year in 2023. It has been a successful year; according to Matthew Boulegue, consultant to the Russia-Eurasia program at the Chatham House think tank in London, "I would actually also call it a great year for the Russian leader."

After the fiercest and longest struggle of the war, Moscow emerged victorious in May in the bombed-out Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. Putin restored control of the Kremlin in June by putting an end to the opposition movement. There were high hopes for the Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russia, but they were dashed. Putin is speculating that as 2024 approaches, political rifts, war weariness, and other diplomatic demands—like China's threat to Taiwan and the conflict in the Middle East—will cause Western support for Ukraine to wane.It will gradually come to an end.

In the March 17 presidential election, which Putin is expected to win, he is running again. The 71-year-old leader may be able to hold office until 2036 if he is granted permission to run for two more six-year terms after the conclusion of his current term, as a result of the constitutional changes he championed.