The Russian President addressed his nation in a televised message for the first time since 2021. Referring to the conflict in Ukraine as “war” for the first time, he said: “They started the war and we used the force to stop it.” The Russian leader had been calling his country’s invasion of Ukraine “a special military operation” since the beginning of the war in February 2022.
Putin has frequently justified his invasion of Ukraine by accusing Western countries of threatening Russia. They say nothing could be further from the truth, saying that Moscow’s forces attacked Ukraine unprovoked.
While the Constitution mandates that the president deliver the speech annually, Putin never gave one in 2022, as his troops rolled into Ukraine and suffered repeated setbacks. Now the address comes days before the war’s first anniversary on Friday.
Before the speech, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that the Russian leader would focus on the “special military operation” in Ukraine, as Moscow calls it, and Russia’s economy and social issues. Many observers also expect the speech to address Moscow’s fallout with the West.
Underscoring the anticipation, some state TV channels put out a countdown for the event starting Monday, and Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti on Tuesday morning said the address may be “historic.”
More to follow…
