New Year Address by the President of Russia
{{expand Russian|date=December 2021|Новогоднее обращение президента Российской Федерации}}
The New Year Address by the President of Russia ({{langx|ru|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
{{see also|Novy God}}
File:Boris Yeltsin - 1999-12-31.ogv's 1999 New Year Address in which he announced his resignation]]
File:Medvedev new year 31 dec 2008.jpg's 2008 New Year Address]]
File:Vladimir Putin 2017 New Year Address to the Nation 01.jpg's 2017 New Year Address]]
In Russia, tuning in before midnight to watch the President's speech ({{langx|ru|новогодние обращения}}) has become traditional. 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.{{cite news|last1=Strelávina|first1=Daria|title=10 facts about the Kremlin Clock, Russia’s New Year symbol|url=https://www.rbth.com/arts/2016/12/31/10-facts-about-the-kremlin-clock-russias-new-year-symbol_659788|access-date=7 June 2017|work=Russia Beyond The Headlines|date=31 December 2016}} 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.{{cite news|last1=Zubtsov|first1=Vitaly|title=Survival guide: How to survive New Year, Russian-style|url=https://www.rbth.com/arts/2016/12/20/survival-guide-how-to-survive-new-year-russian-style_663723|access-date=7 June 2017|work=Russia Beyond The Headlines|date=29 December 2016}}
The speech is broadcast in each of the 11 time zones in the country.{{cite news|title=Vladimir Putin Congratulates Russians, Reveals New Year 'Secret'|url=http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/vladimir-putin-congratulates-russians-reveals-new-year-secret-1643870|access-date=7 June 2017|work=NDTV.com}} 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.{{cite news|title=New Years and Christmas in Russia has its own merry way|url=http://www.prospektmag.com/2016/12/5478/|access-date=7 June 2017|work=Prospekt Magazine|date=23 December 2016}}
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|date=June 2021}} 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".{{cite news|agency=Associated Press|title=Gorbachev's New Year Toast Hopeful for '90s|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-01-02-mn-172-story.html|access-date=7 June 2017|work=Los Angeles Times|date=2 January 1990}}
Boris Yeltsin generally avoided talk of politics during his new year speeches, preferring to talk about family values and the holiday spirit,{{Citation needed|date=June 2021}} though he did use his 1996 speech to promote economic reforms.{{cite news|title=Yeltsin rings in New Year on note of reform|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/yeltsin-rings-in-new-year-on-note-of-reform-1321958.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/yeltsin-rings-in-new-year-on-note-of-reform-1321958.html |archive-date=2022-06-18 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=7 June 2017|work=The Independent|date=1 January 1996}} Yeltsin famously resigned during his New Year speech on 31 December 1999.{{cite news|title=Yeltsin's resignation speech|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/monitoring/584845.stm|access-date=7 June 2017|publisher=BBC News}} 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.{{cite news|title=Новогодние обращения к россиянам в разные годы|url=https://weekend.rambler.ru/new_year/novoghodniie-obrashchieniia-k-rossiianam-v-raznyie-ghody-2016-12-30/|work=Субботний Рамблер|language=ru-ru}}
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 a backdrop of members 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.{{Cite web |date=2023-02-17 |title=Top Russian spy colonel and celebrated paratrooper killed in Ukraine |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ukraine-russia-spy-putin-killed-b2284688.html |access-date=2023-02-27 |website=The Independent |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2023-02-16 |title=В Украине погиб лейтенант, снявшийся в новогоднем обращении Путина |url=https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2023/02/16/v-ukraine-pogib-leitenant-sniavshiisia-v-novogodnem-obrashchenii-putina-news |access-date=2023-02-27 |website=Новая газета Европа}}{{Cite web |title=В Украине погиб лейтенант, снимавшийся за спиной Путина в новогоднем обращении |url=https://theins.info/news/259452 |access-date=2023-02-27 |website=The Insider |language=ru}}
References
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External links
- {{Commons category-inline}}
{{New Year}}
Category:Speeches by heads of state