New Year Address by the President of Russia
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The New Year Address by the President of Russia (Russian: Новогоднее обращение президента Российской Федерации) is a traditional speech given in Russia by the president to the citizens, and generally broadcast on Russian television.
History
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In Russia, tuning in before midnight to watch the President's speech (Russian: новогодние обращения) has become traditional.[1] The president gives the New Year speech from the Kremlin, a few minutes before the Kremlin Clock chimes at midnight followed by the performance of the national anthem of Russia.[2] The speech sums up the main events of the year and discusses prospects for the coming one. The tradition is observed by most Russians, regardless of political views.[3]
The speech is broadcast in each of the 11 time zones in the country.[4] Because of that, the video of the speech is already available on the internet to audiences in western Russia during the afternoon of 31 December.[1]
The tradition dates back to 1941, when the Soviet government broadcast a speech about the state of the country during World War II.[citation needed] Gorbachev gave a speech in 1990 saying the 1990s would be "a decade of the drawing of the United States and the Soviet Union closer together".[5]
Boris Yeltsin generally avoided talk of politics during his new year speeches, preferring to talk about family values and the holiday spirit,[citation needed] though he did use his 1996 speech to promote economic reforms.[6] Yeltsin famously resigned during his New Year speech on 31 December 1999.[7] In 2013 two different speeches were broadcast: the first one was only broadcast in the Far East, while a new broadcast for the rest of the country mentioned the December 2013 Volgograd bombings.[8]
Vladimir Putin's address on December 31, 2020 was the longest of all time - it lasted 6 minutes (not including the chimes and the anthem). On December 31, 2021, this record was broken again - the circulation lasted 6 minutes and 22 seconds. On December 31, 2022, Putin read out his New Year’s address against the backdrop of the Russian military; he mentioned the “protection of our people in the new regions of the Russian Federation” and the address lasted 9 minutes. One of the servicemen who was standing behind Putin during the address was later killed while in fighting in Ukraine in February 2023.[9][10][11]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "New Years and Christmas in Russia has its own merry way". Prospekt Magazine. 23 December 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ Strelávina, Daria (31 December 2016). "10 facts about the Kremlin Clock, Russia's New Year symbol". Russia Beyond The Headlines. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ Zubtsov, Vitaly (29 December 2016). "Survival guide: How to survive New Year, Russian-style". Russia Beyond The Headlines. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ "Vladimir Putin Congratulates Russians, Reveals New Year 'Secret'". NDTV.com. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ "Gorbachev's New Year Toast Hopeful for '90s". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. 2 January 1990. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ "Yeltsin rings in New Year on note of reform". The Independent. 1 January 1996. Archived from the original on 2022-06-18. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ "Yeltsin's resignation speech". BBC News. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ "Новогодние обращения к россиянам в разные годы". Субботний Рамблер (in Russian).
- ^ "Top Russian spy colonel and celebrated paratrooper killed in Ukraine". The Independent. 2023-02-17. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
- ^ "В Украине погиб лейтенант, снявшийся в новогоднем обращении Путина". Новая газета Европа. 2023-02-16. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
- ^ "В Украине погиб лейтенант, снимавшийся за спиной Путина в новогоднем обращении". The Insider (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-02-27.
External links
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Media related to New Year addresses of President of Russia to the Nation at Wikimedia Commons
