Russian President Vladimir Putin lashed out at the West in his yearly State of the Nation address delivered in Moscow.
The televised speech, which is being broadcast in Russia on TV screens as well as in some cinemas and big screens dotted around the country, saw the Russian president celebrating the invasion of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, which he claimed came after a plea for protection from locals, as well as stressing the “unity” of Russia – which the Kremlin claims it also includes occupied territories in Ukraine.
In his address, Putin claimed multiple times Russia is in danger due to Western ambitions to weaken the country.
He said: “The so-called West, with its colonial customs and its habit to kindle conflicts around the world, is not only trying to stop our development but they want instead of Russia a decadent space where they can act as they will.
“In essence, they want to do what they have done in many other regions in the world – including Ukraine – [which is] to bring discord to our home and to weaken us from within.
“But they have lost, this is evident, they have lost and they have encountered a steadfast of our people, our officers and our soldiers, Christians and Muslims, Buddhists and those of the Jewish faith, they have proven indeed, which is better than a thousand words, that our centuries of unity among the Russian people is a force that is invincible.
“Together, shoulder to shoulder, they are fighting for one joined motherland, we are all citizens of Russia.”
Putin, who is sure to be re-elected for yet another term at the upcoming presidential elections to be held between March 15 and 17, added nobody but Russia will “determine its own path”.
The Russian president then led a minute of silence for Russian soldiers taking part in the “special military operation” in Ukraine – as the full-scale invasion continues to be addressed by the Kremlin.
Speaking in front of high-profile Russian politicians including former president Dmitry Medvedev, Putin added, referring to the soldiers on the frontline: “I bow to your feet.”
