Putin delivers New Year's speech – after 25 years in power

Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasizes in his New Year's speech that the country should be "proud" of what has been achieved during his quarter-century in power.

The speech is held exactly 25 years after Vladimir Putin took over from predecessor Boris Yeltsin. He was appointed acting president in 1999 when Yeltsin unexpectedly resigned and apologized for the country's post-Soviet turmoil.

In the New Year's speech, Putin did not explicitly mention the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He praised the country's soldiers, a recurring theme since the invasion.