Putin lauds Russian unity in his New Year’s address as Ukraine war overshadows celebration

By The Associated Press

Russian state news agencies say President Vladimir Putin has praised Russia’s “united society” in his prerecorded New Year’s address to the nation. Putin addressed Russians in a video that ran under four minutes long, significantly shorter than the New Year’s speech he gave last year, state news agency RIA Novosti said Sunday. Millions of people were expected to watch the new address when it airs on TV as each Russian time zone region counts down the final minutes of 2023. The nearly 2-year-old war in Ukraine is front and center in the address, according to remarks carried by RIA Novosti. Putin emphasizes that Russia will never retreat.