Do Russian commanders really take care of their soldiers?published at 10:07 Greenwich Mean Time 29 February 2024

10:07 GMT 29 February 2024

Olga Ivshina
BBC Russian, in London

Nothing groundbreaking so far from Putin. But there is one quote that caught some attention, and is already being discussed.

Putin said that Russia now “has a generation of commanders who take care of their soldiers”. But this is in sharp contrast with what Russian soldiers have actually seen on the frontline.

During the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian commanders have become famous for widely using so called “meat grinder assaults” – during which poorly trained and equipped soldiers (often recently recruited from prisons) are sent forwards, wave after wave.

As several survivors told BBC Russian, soldiers are even sent to advance on well-fortified positions just to figure out exact positions of Ukraine’s firing points.

As a result, Russia has lost tens of thousands of troops.

Exact numbers have not been revealed - but Ukraine's President Zelensky recently claimed 180,000 Russian soliders had died, compared to 31,000 Ukrainians.

Image source, Getty Images

Putin's advice to the people of Russia, an old Soviet-era motto: "Stop drinking, take up skiing".

He is talking about the need to improve the health of the nation and to increase life expectancy from the current 73 years to 78 years by 2030.

He says that this will be part of a national project called a "Long and Happy Life".

Putin says he wants the Russian people to "devote most of their time to the family".

The majority of Russians are Christians and the Church plays a large role in the state, shown by the attendance of the Patriarch Kirill of Moscow - the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Putin praises the work of caring organisations who are "helping the aged and the sick".

Steve Rosenberg
BBC Russia editor, in Moscow

So, after talking about the war in Ukraine, accusing the West of trying to reduce Russia to a “fading, dying space” and mentioning the threat of nuclear war (again, blaming that on the West), President Putin moves on to domestic issues: reducing poverty, boosting the birth rate, repairing schools and kindergartens.

Putin continues to talk about his vision for domestic policies, and says particular attention should be paid to young families

He says the Russian government is putting huge sums into programmes that will reduce tax on families and pay mothers who have more children.

There will be significant tax incentives when a family has a third child, Putin says, adding that the amount of money paid to mothers who have given birth to a second child will be increased.

The Russian leader is sharing policies that will be extended to 2030. It is widely expected Putin - running for his fifth term in office - will win Russia's upcoming general election.

Image source, AFP

Putin is now speaking about family values, which he centres around giving birth to more children and "to multiply our multi-ethnic nation".

"We choose life, Russia remains the pillar of traditional values," he says.

The Russian president is briefly interrupted by a round of applause.

Putin says that in the next six years Russia must ensure "stable growth" in birth rates, to "improve the quality of life" for families.

"Be patient, I am only just beginning," he adds.

Pushing so-called "family values" in Russia has become a key message in Putin's election campaign. Our colleagues BBC Monitoring took at the policy in this piece here.

Done with criticising his enemies, Putin now praises Russia's allies and their policies such as the 'One Belt, One Road' initiative in China - a global infrastructure strategy.

He speaks of the need to make "new contact points" with Arab countries and nations in Latin America and Africa.

Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has been hit with waves sanctions from Europe, the UK and the US, including preventing Russian banks accessing normal trading systems, and the end to purchasing Russian oil and gas.

You can read more about those sanctions here.

In a message to Western nations who may be considering sending troops into Ukraine, Putin says: "They need to understand we too have weapons that can strike targets on their territory."

Putin also claims that Russians have been the victims of so-called "Russophobia".

He calls it "mindless", adding: "Without a sovereign, strong Russia there can be no stable world order".

He said Western rhetoric threatened a "conflict with the use of nuclear arms and consequently the destruction of civilisation".

Several Nato countries, including the US, Germany and the UK, have ruled out deploying ground troops to Ukraine, after French President Emmanuel Macron said "nothing should be excluded". You can read more about this here.

Image source, Reuters

Putin now turns his attention to the United States.

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, relations between the two nations have worsened significantly.

He says that in 2018, Russia put forward a proposal for a nuclear agreement between the two countries, but the US "torpedoed" it.

You can read more about the suspended nuclear treaty between Russia and the US here.

Putin says that the US are only ever interested in negotiating when there is a clear benefit. Ahead of the upcoming US election - which will take place later this year - he says US politicians want to show voters "they're still ruling the world".

He accuses the US of wanting to ultimately defeat Russian and "drag us into an arms race".

Putin praises military donations - but doesn't say why they were neededpublished at 09:36 Greenwich Mean Time 29 February 2024

09:36 GMT 29 February 2024

Olga Ivshina
BBC Russian, in London

At the start of the address, Putin said that since the start of the Ukraine invasion, Russian businessmen and ordinary people have donated millions of roubles to volunteers, who supply Russian troops with latest equipment.

But he didn’t mention why.

The Russian army turned out to be flooded with corruption and not equipped with basic things, like modern first aid kits.

Most of the units also didn’t have reliable systems of communications - not to mention more complicated pieces of military kit.

This directly influenced the Russian performance on the frontline, leading to significant personnel losses.

Putin now explicitly refers to the two years of fighting in Ukraine as a "war", despite his repeated insistence that Russia's invasion should be described as a "special military operation."

He also says the Russian military had the "initiative" in the conflict and people must stand together to fight for Russia's sovereignty.

The Russian leader tells those present that he is grateful for all those fighting for the interest "of the fatherland", adding: "I bow to your feet."

Putin describes Russian troops fighting in Ukraine as "going through the mincer of war".

He then calls for a minute of silence.

Image source, EBU

As is common with Putin's addresses, he takes the opportunity to criticise the West.

He says the West wanted to create a "decadent state", but instead they have "lost".

Putin continues to praise Russia and its people, saying that there has been "centuries of unity" which has created an invincible force.

He says that Russia is a "pillar of democracy" and again says that he will not allow anyone to interfere in its internal affairs - another thinly veiled attack on Russia's enemies in the West.

Remember: this speech comes less than two weeks after the death of Alexei Navalny, one of Putin's fiercest opponents. Navalny's family accuse Putin of orchestrating his death - which the Kremlin denies.

Steve Rosenberg
BBC Russia editor, in Moscow

The Kremlin leader kicks off with two themes common to Putin speeches of late: accusing the West of trying to destroy Russia, and claiming that the Russian people are united in their support for what he still calls the "special military operation", the war in Ukraine.

Putin says that Russian businesses have sent billions to charity in the last two years.

He says people are sending packages to the frontline to support the soldiers fighting in Ukraine showing that, "the whole country is with them".

He says the political unity of Russia is a key pillar and that he will not allow anyone to interfere with domestic affairs.

Without mentioning Ukraine specifically Putin talks of supporting "our brothers and sisters and their desire to be with Russia".

He calls the people of Donbas and Sevastopol (in Crimea) heroes and says that the "uprising is a matter of pride".

These Ukrainian territories have been illegally seized and annexed by Russia.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin has begun his address to the nation.

He begins by saying this speech is a "look to the future".

Putin says there are issues to be "solved" for the development of the country.

He says he has been speaking to Russians across the country including teachers, volunteers and soldiers.

The Russian leader says he will be focusing on the domestic agenda.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is up and has started addressing Russian officials and members of the public in his annual state of the nation address.

We'll bring you all the key lines right here on this page. You can also watch the speech with an English translation live by pressing the Play button at the top of our page.

We were expecting Vladimir Putin to begin speaking at 09:00 GMT - but we're still waiting for him to appear.

We'll have a live English translation of his speech in the stream above, so when he begins, click the Play button to watch along.

Steve Rosenberg
BBC Russia editor, in Moscow

Some Western journalists have been invited to Vladimir Putin’s state of the nation address.

But we’re not allowed in the hall itself. We’re in a press centre that’s been set up in the same building.

Instead, we’ll be watching the speech on a big screen.

Laura Gozzi
Europe reporter

Like last year, Vladimir Putin's state of the union message will be broadcast on giant advertising display screens in the streets of Moscow - so drivers stuck in the infamous traffic of the Russian capital will be able to follow along their president's address.

Excerpts of the speech will continue to be broadcast over the next few days.

Cinemas in 17 Russian cities will also be showing Putin's speech, free of charge. Earlier this month, some cinemas screened Putin's interview with US host Tucker Carlson. It's unclear how many people attended.

Image source, Priamoy Efir/Прямой эфир Telegram

Image source, Reuters

Vladimir Putin’s speech today comes at a particularly seminal moment in Russian politics.

On 16 February, the country’s main opposition figure, Alexei Navalny, died in his cell in a prison colony in Siberia where he was being held on a 19-year sentence over charges that were widely seen as politically motivated.

He is due to be buried in Moscow tomorrow.

Navalny's supporters have accused the Russian president of ordering his death, but the Kremlin has denied the allegations, calling the West’s reaction "hysterical".

The public profile of Yulia Navalnaya, his wife, has grown enormously since her husband’s death - yesterday she told the European Parliament, in person, that to defeat Putin MEPs had to “stop being boring”.

In the immediate aftermath of Navalny’s death, his wife vowed to continue his work to fight for a "free Russia".

Image source, EPA