Putin praises Russian ‘unity’ at rally as glitch hinders state TV broadcast | Russia

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Vladimir Putin has praised Russian “unity” over what the Kremlin is calling its special operation in Ukraine during a rare public speech at the national stadium in Moscow.

“The country hasn’t seen unity like this in a long time,” Putin said, addressing a large flag-waving crowd on Friday from a stage decked out with slogans such as “For a world without Nazism” and “For our president” .

As Putin was finishing his speech, the broadcast was suddenly cut off and state television showed patriotic songs performed earlier in the day by the popular Russian musician Oleg Gazmanov. Soon afterwards, Putin’s speech, which lasted about five minutes, was re-aired from the start, with the Russian leader ending his speech and walking off stage.

The Kremlin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov blamed a “technical failure” for the cutoff. One concertgoer told Reuters that Putin left the stage after his speech, with no interruptions having taken place.

The event officially marked the eighth anniversary of Russia’s annexation of Crimea, but many of the speeches were aimed at rallying the country behind the current invasion of Ukraine. Moscow police said more than 200,000 people were in and around the Luzhniki Stadium, which in 2018 hosted the men’s football World Cup final.

Many were seen waving flags emblazoned with the letter Z, which has gone from a military marking to the main symbol of public support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

During his speech, Putin sought to justify his actions by repeating his unfounded claims that Ukraine was committing genocide in the Donbas region. “This really was genocide. Stopping that was the goal of the special operation,” said Putin, adding – contrary to evidence – that Ukrainian civilians had welcomed Moscow’s invading troops.

The Russian leader also hailed the actions of the military fighting in Ukraine by paraphrasing a Bible saying. “There is no greater love than giving up one’s soul for one’s friends,” he said.

In the run-up to the rally, Reuters and a number of Russian outlets reported that state employees had been ordered to attend. Russia has a long history of state employees being coerced to attend pro-government rallies.

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