Russia-Ukraine War
Russia-Ukraine War
Russia-Ukraine War
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Speaking on the 25th anniversary of his rule, President Vladimir V. Putin delivered an upbeat and vague New Year’s Eve message that did not address casualties in Ukraine or rising inflation at home.
By Anatoly Kurmanaev
Reporting from Berlin
A quarter-century after coming to power, President Vladimir V. Putin told Russians in his New Year’s address Tuesday that his country will overcome all difficult situations and move forward.
But he did not say where Russia was going, even as it takes huge casualties in its war in Ukraine, struggles with rising inflation and absorbs diplomatic blows abroad.
Much of his brief speech was characterized by omissions. As Putin revered the country’s “fighters and commanders” on Tuesday, he invoked Russian pride in defeating Nazism and declared 2025 “the year of the Defender of the Fatherland,” but did not specify who the country is fighting against or why. .
This is a glaring omission almost three years after his decision to invade neighboring Ukraine. The war claimed the lives of between 150,000 and 200,000 Russian soldiers, reshaped Russia’s economy, and upended its standing in the world.
Putin also failed to address inflation, the main fear of most Russians, or a host of other economic challenges. And while the speech was remarkable because it marked 25 years since he came to power in 1999 — an era in which he consolidated his dominance over Russia — it contained no allusion to Putin’s vision for the country beyond the broader topics.
“We believe everything is going to be fine,” he said.
Putin’s confusing speech on the eve of Russia’s main public holiday underscored the biggest contradiction of his wartime leadership: the willingness to mobilize society and prepare it for a protracted conflict while maintaining a sense of normality in life. .
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