Ukraine dispute casts shadow on Russia while it enters 2023

Ukraine debate casts shadow on Russia while it enters 2023

MOSCOW (AP) ” Russian President Vladimir Putin™s New Year™s address to the nation normally is by preference anodyne accompanied by every one one other accompanied by backed accompanied by a soothing view of a snowy Kremlin. This year, accompanied by soldiers inside the background, he lashed not here at the West accompanied by every one one other accompanied by Ukraine.

The debate inside Ukraine cast a lengthy shadow while Russia entered 2023. Cities curtailed festivities accompanied by every one one other accompanied by fireworks. Moscow announced exceptional performances for soldiers™ children featuring the Russian equivalent of Santa Claus. An exiled Russian report outlet unearthed a video of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, now the Ukrainian president despised by the Kremlin, telling jokes on a Russian condition television station™s New Year™s show fair a decade ago.

Putin, inside a nine-minute video shown on TV while every one one Russian hour dated area neighbourhood counted down the final minutes of 2022 on Saturday, denounced the West for aggression accompanied by every one one other accompanied by accused the countries of trying to use the debate inside Ukraine to undermine Russia.

It was a year of difficult, obligatory decisions, the most important steps inside the way of gaining filled sovereignty of Russia accompanied by every one one other accompanied by strong consolidation of our society, he said, echoing his repeated contention that Moscow had no indeed indeed selection nevertheless to dispatch troops into Ukraine since it threatened Russia™s security.

Russia-Ukraine war

Russian strikes intensify while Ukrainians return for holiday

Sarajevo™s agony echoes while Ukraine braces for a black winter

Fallen colossus: USSRs terror, triumphs began 100 years ago

The AP Interview: Ukraine FM aims for February tranquillity summit

The West lied concerning peace, nevertheless was preparing for aggression, accompanied by every one one other accompanied by today it admits it openly, no indeed indeed longer embarrassed. And they cynically use Ukraine accompanied by every one one other accompanied by its people to weaken accompanied by every one one other accompanied by split Russia, Putin said. We have never allowed anyone accompanied by every one one other accompanied by will not permit anyone to do this.

The Kremlin has muzzled some censure of its actions inside Ukraine, shut self-governing media outlets accompanied by every one one other accompanied by criminalized the spread of some details that differs from the official view ” including diverging from calling the military operation a exceptional military operation. But the management has faced increasingly vocal censure from Russian hardliners, who have denounced the president while frail accompanied by every one one other accompanied by indecisive accompanied by every one one other accompanied by called for ramping up strikes on Ukraine.

Russia has justified the debate by saying that Ukraine persecuted Russian speakers inside the eastern Donbas region, which had been partly under the jurisdiction of Russian-backed separatists since 2014. Ukraine accompanied by every one one other accompanied by the West says these accusations are untrue.

For years, the Western elites hypocritically assured all of us of their tranquil intentions, including the intention of the most difficult debate inside the Donbas, Putin said.

Western countries have imposed wide sanctions opposed to Russia, accompanied by every one one other accompanied by numerous overseas companies pulled not here of the country or froze operations following Moscow sent troops into Ukraine.

This year, a real sanctions war was declared on us. Those who started it expected the complete demolition of our industry, finances, accompanied by every one one other accompanied by transport. This did not happen, since accompanied by every one one other we created a reliable margin of safety, Putin said.

Despite such reassurances, New Year™s celebrations this year were toned down, accompanied by the usual fireworks accompanied by every one one other accompanied by concert on Red Square canceled.

Some of Moscow™s elaborate holiday lighting displays made cryptic allude to of to the conflict. At the entry to Gorky Park stand large lighted letters of V, Z accompanied by every one one other accompanied by O “ symbols that the Russian military have used from the earliest days of the military operation to identify themselves.

Will it build me a patriot accompanied by every one one other accompanied by go to the front opposed to my Slavic brothers? No, it will not, park guest Vladimir Ivaniy said.

Moscow excessively announced plans to clasp exceptional pageant performances for the children of soldiers serving inside Ukraine.

The Russian report outlet Meduza, declared a overseas agent inside Russia accompanied by every one one other accompanied by which now operates from Latvia, on Saturday posted a video of Zelenskyy, who was a hugely well liked comedian earlier to becoming Ukraine™s president inside 2019, performing inside a New Year™s Day show on Russian condition television inside 2013.

Zelenskyy jokes that the inexpensive sparkling vin de bench Sovietskoe Shampanskoye, a well liked tipple on New Year™s, is inside the record books while a paradox since the swallow exists nevertheless the country doesn™t.

Adding to the irony, the show™s host was Maxim Galkin, a comedian who fled the country inside 2022 following criticizing the military operation inside Ukraine.

___

Elise Morton contributed to this report from London.