MOSCOW (dpa-AFX) – The Russian President Vladimir Putin called on the population to stand together in his New Year’s speech. “I am sure that everything will be fine. We will only move forward,” emphasized the Kremlin chief. Without mentioning the war of aggression against Ukraine that he started in 2022, he praised the Russian soldiers who were deployed. “You are true heroes who have undertaken these enormous efforts,” said the head of state. They would protect Russia and ensure security and a stable peace for the Russian people.
Putin’s New Year’s speech, which was only three and a half minutes long, was broadcast first in the Russian Far East. The largest country in the world spans eleven time zones. On the Kamchatka Peninsula in the far east, the New Year begins nine hours before the capital Moscow, while Kaliningrad (Königsberg) on the Baltic Sea only celebrates New Year’s Eve an hour after Moscow./ast/DP/he