Vladimir Putin made only passing reference to the Ukraine conflict in his New Year address, hailing his soldiers as heroes but mostly emphasising unity and shared determination.
The Russian president is heading into 2024 with one eye on an election and his speech on Sunday follows his army striking Ukraine in retaliation amid a weekend of air strikes.
The pre-recorded address, which was being aired just before midnight in each of Russia's 11 time zones, was in sharp contrast to last year, when he stood behind grim-looking soldiers to make a stern call for sacrifice in what he cast as a fight for survival.
President Vladimir Putin praised the Russian army in his New Year's Eve address Sunday, calling for "unity" in a scaled-back speech that did not explicitly mention the conflict in Ukraine.
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) December 31, 2023
➡️ https://t.co/gTsDlpeMC3 pic.twitter.com/uJirPOLKpt
Mr Putin gave his address with the more traditional backdrop of the Kremlin walls.
"To everyone who is at a combat post, at the forefront of the fight for truth and justice: You are our heroes, our hearts are with you. We are proud of you, we admire your courage," he said.
Ukraine was not mentioned by name, nor the "special military operation", Mr Putin's term for the war he unleashed in February 2022 by sending Russia's armed forces into Ukraine.
‼️🇷🇺 1/2 #Putin made a traditional New Year's address.
— Maimunka News (@MaimunkaNews) December 31, 2023
Residents of Kamchatka and Chukotka were the first to see the solemn speech. #NewYear2024
(Translation following later) pic.twitter.com/e3iZj3Ir0x
With all significant opposition forces suppressed, along with any expressions of political dissent, the 71-year-old is certain to win the election and extend his 24 years in power.
Yet in the last few months, with the war largely deadlocked, he has toned down his previously strident, nationalistic messaging on Ukraine and given more public attention to the economy and inflation - issues likely to be closer to the hearts of voters.
"We have proven more than once that we can solve the most difficult problems and will never retreat, because there is no force that can divide us," he said.
There was no mention in his speech of the hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers estimated to have been killed or wounded, or the repeated spilling over of the conflict onto home territory, seen dramatically in Saturday's Ukrainian attack on the city of Belgorod, 34 km (21 miles) from the border.
The armed mutiny in June by the late Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner mercenary group, was also notably absent from Mr Putin's speech.
Instead, Mr Putin portrayed Russia and its people as united, supportive and "firm in defending national interests, our freedom and security, our values".
"Working for the common good has united society," he said. "We are united in our thoughts, in work and in battle, on weekdays and holidays, showing the most important traits of the Russian people - solidarity, mercy, fortitude."
It comes as Russia unleashed further attacks on Ukraine’s south and east as well as the capital Kyiv.
Saturday’s attack follows Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities on Friday, which killed 41 and were said to be the biggest missile bombardment of the war so far.
