Putin to address Federal Assembly ahead of anniversary of full-scale invasion and war
Vladimir Putin (Photo:RIA Novosti Host Photo Agency/Alexander Vilf via REUTERS)
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin will address the Federal Assembly on Feb. 22, two days before the anniversary of the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Kremlin press secretary Dmytry Peskov said on Feb. 10.
The Russian dictator had been expected to give the speech in December, but the address was postponed.
Peskov said Putin’s speech would pay special attention to "the current situation" – in particular economic and social conditions. Members of the military that have fought in the war in Ukraine may also be present.
"The work has begun. We're working on the guest list. There are traditional guests, but, of course, due to the current situation new guests will be introduced," Russian news site Interfax quoted Peskov as saying.
Another Russian outlet RBK wrote about a concert scheduled for Feb. 22 in the Kremlin, which might be attended by the Russian dictator. RBK said it had confirmed this with three independent sources.
The most likely venue for the event is Luzhniki Stadium in the center of Moscow. The last time Putin spoke there was on March 18, 2022. Back then, Russian propagandists dedicated the show to Russia’s military occupation of Ukraine’s Crimea.
Putin's annual address to the Federal Assembly was cancelled on Dec. 14, 2022. The day before, Peskov said it Putin had cancelled his big annual press conference – for the first time in 10 years.
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union the annual address to Russia’s Federal Assembly has been postponed only once before – in 2017, Putin's address was rescheduled to March 1, 2018.
Russian media speculated it was connected with his election campaign, as the presidential election was held on March 18, 2018.
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