Russia “hardly defended” its interests in 2023, he said on Sunday in his New Year’s speech. He did not explicitly mention Ukraine. “We have proven many times that we can solve the most difficult tasks and that we will never back down, because no force can tear us apart.”
And while he didn’t mention Ukraine directly, there were a number of allusions in his televised address. He expressly thanked the Russian soldiers, “our heroes.”
But unlike last year, when the president appeared with military representatives in uniform at his side, this time he declared 2024 the “Year of the Family.” Russia, which is going through a “historic phase,” will be “even stronger” next year, he assured.
In 2023, “we fiercely defended our national interests, our freedom and our security, our values,” he said. Last year, Putin emphasized that “moral and historical justice” was on Russia’s side.
