“Any interference in the internal affairs of Russia will be punished and severely punished, according to Russian laws,” Putin said during a meeting with party leaders in the State Duma, the lower house of parliament.
“We protect the freedom of our people, their sovereignty, their right to choose their own future. Only the people, and only the Russian people, are the source of our country’s strength,” he said.
After Western sanctions and setbacks in Ukraine last year, Putin appears to have a new lease on life later this year.
Ukraine’s much-heralded counteroffensive has failed to breach Russian defense lines, the Russian economy is slowly recovering, and Western support for Kiev appears to be wavering amid delays in aid from the U.S. Congress and the United States. European Union.
According to Putin, the number of captured Ukrainian soldiers has increased significantly in recent times.
Last week he announced that he would run for president for the fifth time in the March 2024 elections. There is no doubt about his victory, because after almost a quarter of a century in power, under his leadership the opposition has essentially disappeared. Most of Russia’s opponents are in exile, eliminated in various ways, or in prison, like one of his most vocal opponents, Aleksey Navalny.
2023-12-15 21:40:00
putin-has-promised-severe-punishment-for-interference-in-russian-elections