A brief New Year's address by Russian President Vladimir Putin has been broadcast on state television as the country’s eastern regions usher in 2024. Putin called on Russians not to look back but to “move forward and create the future.” He praised Russia’s military, which launched an unprovoked full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022 and has been fighting there ever since. Putin stood against a background of the Kremlin during the low-key address. He did not mention a December 30 incident in the western city of Belgorod in which Moscow claimed a Ukrainian air strike killed 24 people and injured more than 100. To read the original story in Russian, click here.
