Overview
- Putin addressed frontline soldiers directly, declaring, “We believe in you and in our victory.”
- He framed the conflict as a shared national mission and said Russians are united in support of the military.
- The address began in Kamchatka and then aired across Russia’s 11 time zones as part of the annual New Year tradition.
- This year’s staging was more subdued than the overtly martial 2022 appearance flanked by uniformed soldiers.
- EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas rejected Moscow’s claims of Ukrainian drone attacks on Putin’s residence as a distraction, as reporting continues to cite military deaths in the tens of thousands.