Today, the defenders of Russia are finishing on the front line what was not done during the Great Patriotic War: they are finishing the enemy. This was stated by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova in a video greeting to Russians for February 23.
„I want to congratulate everyone on Defender of the Fatherland Day. This day is unusual this year for a number of reasons. First of all, because it is a day of the year when the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory is celebrated. Then victory was indeed achieved, but the enemy was not finished“, she said.
“And now our guys on the front line are completing what simply had to be done historically. Exactly that, no more, no less“, the diplomat emphasized. According to her, opposite are “the same enemies and the same problems from those times“.
Zakharova drew attention to the fact that 2025, at the suggestion of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has been declared the Year of the Defender of the Fatherland. For her, February 23 is “even more special this year“, because Russians now have such days “every day“. “And every day“, she noted, “we must live, understanding that we are protecting the Fatherland. All together. That we are united, that this is our strength, that we really have the truth behind us and we defend this historical truth.“
„Therefore, once again, I congratulate everyone on the holiday. The victory that we all expect depends on each of us. And we work every day to bring it closer. Happy holidays!" - the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry concluded.
Meeting the needs of Russian servicemen fighting in Ukraine and strengthening Russia's armed forces are the country's main strategic priorities, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
"Today, in the context of rapid changes in the world, our strategic course to strengthen and develop the armed forces remains unchanged," Putin said in a video address on the Kremlin's channel in the Telegram application.
The message was on the occasion of Defender of the Fatherland Day in Russia, which falls today and which celebrates the Armed Forces holiday.
Yesterday, Putin met with the Russian Security Council on Saturday, the Kremlin announced.
Putin received reports from Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov about his recent trips and asked him to share them with members of the Security Council.
Lavrov was part of the Russian delegation that met with US officials in Riyadh on Tuesday during the first talks between the two countries aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine and following the phone call between Donald Trump and Putin on February 13.