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.

President Vladimir Putin told Russians in a New Year address that the country would move forward with confidence in 2025, though he offered no specific promises on the economy or the war in Ukraine.

Twenty five years ago today, a somewhat undemonstrative technocrat became the acting president of Russia. In a surprise announcement, Boris Yeltsin handed over to Vladimir Putin, a former KGB officer whom he had chosen a few months earlier to be his prime minister.

Dear friends, in just a few minutes 2025 will be ushered in, completing the first quarter of the 21st century,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said in the televised remarks.

President Vladimir Putin told Russians in a New Year address that the country would move forward with confidence in 2025. Putin's seasonal message was being broadcast at midnight in each of Russia's 11 time zones,