President Putin emphasizes stance on continuing military invasion in speech, flaunts nuclear forces

In his annual State of the Union address held on the 29th, Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized his stance on continuing military invasion of Ukraine, showed off Russia's nuclear forces, and put a check on Western countries that continue to support Ukraine. .

On the other hand, a spokesperson for the European Union (EU) condemned the threat, saying, ``The threat of nuclear weapons is unacceptable.''

On the 29th, Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered his annual State of the State address near the Kremlin in central Moscow, setting out basic policies for domestic and foreign affairs.

In this, he asserted the legitimacy of the military invasion of Ukraine by stating that it was "supported by an overwhelming majority of the people," and also emphasized that the Russian side had the upper hand, calling for national unity against the continuation of the invasion. I appealed.

He also stated that ``Russia's strategic nuclear arsenal is fully ready for use,'' showing off Russia's nuclear arsenal and discouraging the West from continuing to support Ukraine. did.

In response to these comments, an EU spokesperson said on the 29th, ``President Putin started the war against Ukraine and takes full responsibility for it, including its impact on the world,'' adding, ``We absolutely do not threaten nuclear weapons. "Unacceptable and inappropriate," Putin said.

On the other hand, President Putin stated that last year's GDP (gross domestic product) growth rate was 3.6%, saying, ``Russia's economic growth rate not only exceeded that of the major EU countries, but also exceeded that of any of the seven major G7 countries. "It has become more expensive than the rest of the country," he said, stressing that the economy is growing despite sanctions from the West.

He also demonstrated his commitment to lowering the poverty rate and taking measures to combat the declining birthrate, and in view of the presidential election to be held on March 15th, he appealed to the people with an eye toward an even longer term in power.

Editor-in-chief of Russian independent newspaper temporarily detained, fined

Novaya Gazeta, an independent Russian newspaper known for its reporting critical of the Putin administration, announced that its editor-in-chief, Sergei Sokolov, was temporarily detained by authorities.

Mr. Sokolov was detained in Moscow on the 29th on suspicion of destroying the confidence of the Russian military, and was subsequently fined by a Moscow court 30,000 rubles, or approximately 50,000 yen in Japanese yen. is.

Dmitry Muratov, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021, has been the editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta for a long time. Mr. Sokoloff has been the editor-in-chief since November last year, due to the fact that he was designated as a "person".

The Putin administration, which continues its military invasion of Ukraine, is nervous about the media critical of the administration and is increasing its pressure.