Putin offers Russians his best wishes in traditional New Year’s address (VIDEO)

The country has managed to “stand up to the toughest of challenges” and looks forward to the future, the president has said

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered his traditional New Year’s Eve address on Tuesday, speaking about the challenges the country has faced since the beginning of this century and what it has achieved.

Many Russian regions have already celebrated New Year’s ahead of the time of this publishing in Moscow.

Putin highlighted the achievements of the nation’s military, who have taken on “the warrior’s noble mission of protecting” the country, its peace and security, and dedicated 2025 to them.

Over the past 24 years, Russia has managed to stay “independent, free, and strong” as it faced “many tough and historic challenges” thanks to its people’s unity, their faith and their abilities that have only grown stronger with time, Putin said. “We can rightfully be proud of what we have already accomplished. This is our common heritage, a reliable foundation for further development,” he added.

The president praised Russians for their love of their homeland and desire to contribute to its security and development, which “has become a matter of honor for us.” He hailed the soldiers and officers still fighting on the frontlines of the ongoing conflict between Moscow and Kiev, calling them “heroes” and saying that “2025 has been declared the Year of the Defender of the Fatherland in Russia.”

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“We are the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the generation that crushed Nazism. And we uphold the legacy and traditions of our veterans,” Putin said.

Russia’s leader also maintained that citizens’ well-being “have been, and will remain, our absolute value” as he wished prosperity to “every home, to every family, and to our beloved country, Russia.”

“When we’re together, everything is possible,” the president concluded.