Putin’s wish for 2023

Following an unusually quiet December for the Russian president, Vladimir Putin has emerged to deliver his traditional New Year’s Eve address. The first since his invasion of Ukraine ten months ago, many across Russia’s eleven time zones will today be glued to TV screens and internet live-streams at five minutes to midnight to hear what he has to say. With 2023 already beginning in half of those time zones, we too have been able to view his speech.

In years gone past, Putin’s typically predictable and formulaic pre-recorded New Year’s Eve speech has been a staple fixture of Russia’s countdown to midnight. It is a useful touchstone for Putin and the Kremlin to feign a connection with the Russian people. This year’s speech has shown itself to be a complete departure from precedent. 

From the very beginning, it was obvious what the theme of Putin’s speech would be. Instead of posing against his usual Kremlin backdrop, Putin delivered today’s address flanked by 20 morose-looking Russian servicemen and women, all clad in army fatigues, with several sporting medals.