As he has already done in several notable moments and as a culmination of other years of campaigning, Russian President Vladimir Putin this afternoon went to the famous Great Moscow Stadium in Luzhniki To, this time, to congratulate the Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine and all the military in general. Tomorrow, February 23, Defender of the Fatherland Day is celebrated throughout Russia, just a day before the first anniversary of the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops.
Putin appeared on stage accompanied by land, sea and air military pilots he had previously announced were fighting in Ukraine. He told them that he had just received a report from the army’s high command confirming that “fighting is taking place in… historical borders From Russia.” “We have gathered here on the eve of Defender of the Fatherland Day. In this sentence there is something powerful and great, I would even say mystical and holy. It is not for nothing that one of the main prayers begins with the words Our Father.
Then he referred to the “Motherland” and stated that the father and mother are the main components of Russian families “who support our army (…) and have the support of all of Russia.” Putin stressed that they “protect our interests, our people, our culture, our language and our lands.” The Russian president insisted that the soldiers in Ukraine “They fight heroicallyWe are bravely proud of them.” Between prolonged applause, he asserted, “When we unite, we are matchless. For the unity of the Russian people, Russia, Russia, Russia! Then he shook hands with the soldiers present after the national anthem was played.
eight minutes
This time Putin did not criticize the West. He did so conscientiously yesterday during his speech to the Houses of Parliament. The last time the head of the Kremlin took part in a concert in Luzhniki was on March 18 last year, also in the middle of the war, and he did it on the occasion of the anniversary of the annexation of Crimea. Then his presence on the stage lasted even longer. Today has not passed eight minutes. The stadium that can accommodate 80 thousand viewers, only in the stands, it was fully packed. The central lawn around the stage was also filled with fans. This “patriotic” festival has been revived by pro-Putin artists such as Gazmanov, Leps or the legendary Lyubi group.
According to the Dozhd channel, which is banned in Russia and considers it a “foreign agent”, Pantsir-S1 air defense systems have been installed in the vicinity of Luzhniki today in anticipation of an attack. default attack with missiles. But this time, they were more careful and tried not to show snipers stationed on rooftops to protect Putin as happened last year when photos of camouflaged soldiers armed with rifles with telescopic sights were published on social networks.
