Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia will achieve victory in Ukraine during his New Year’s Eve address, calling on citizens to support troops fighting in the nearly four-year conflict. He wished a happy New Year to “fighters and commanders” and said millions of Russians are thinking of them.
Putin’s speech was first aired in Kamchatka, the far-eastern region that enters the new year earliest. He urged Russians to back the country’s “heroes” in Ukraine, emphasizing confidence in Russia’s eventual success.
The conflict in Ukraine has caused immense human suffering, with military deaths on both sides believed to number in the tens or hundreds of thousands. Putin’s remarks come amid ongoing fighting and rising international concern over the war’s toll.
December 31 also marks the 26th anniversary of Putin’s rise to the presidency, when he succeeded Boris Yeltsin in 1999. The televised address continues a long-standing tradition, first started by Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev.
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The New Year’s Eve speech is broadcast on state television across Russia’s 11 time zones, reaching millions of households and reinforcing the Kremlin’s messaging on the Ukraine conflict.