Speaking on the 25th anniversary of his rule, President Vladimir V. Putin delivered an upbeat and vague New Year’s Eve message that did not address casualties in Ukraine or rising inflation at home.

Putin has approved an expansion of military-patriotic educational programs as part of his "Year of the Defender of the Fatherland" policies and to this end, he said that the year will honor current servicemen, the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, as well as other veterans who fought for Russia.