‘PUTIN WILL SPEAK’

Kremlin Planning Massive Party to Mark Ukraine War Anniversary: Reports

As many as 200,000 people could attend the event.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will speak at a stadium event on Feb. 22 marking the anniversary of his war in Ukraine, state media reported on Friday. A source told the RIA Novosti news agency that as many as 200,000 people could attend a “rally-concert” at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. “Putin will speak,” the anonymous source said. Putin used the same venue on March 18 last year to hold a rally marking the eighth anniversary of the annexation of Crimea. A day before the new rally, Putin is also expected to address Russia’s Federal Assembly. The Russian constitution stipulates the president must address the national legislature at least once a year, but Putin has not done so since 2021.