The Russian Invasion|Putin's Russia

Putin mentions Sweden in a speech - promises to strengthen the border in the west 

Russia must strengthen its military districts in the western parts of the country in response to Finland and Sweden's NATO membership. That's what Vladimir Putin said in his annual address to the nation, which began at 10:15 a.m. and lasted more than two hours. 

In the breath after, Putin also said that it is "nonsense" that Russia is planning to attack European countries other than Ukraine. However, he claimed, without evidence, that NATO is planning attacks on Russian territory. 

- They should eventually realize that we also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory. What the West is doing creates the real threat of a nuclear conflict and thus the destruction of civilization.

Putin also threatened to use nuclear weapons if NATO troops are deployed in Ukraine, as French President Emmanuel Macron suggested this weekend.   

The speech also covered a number of other topics, including the country's economy, investments in families and the need to become independent when it comes to technology. In one passage, Putin also said that, in order to increase life expectancy, Russians must drink less alcohol and ski more. 

One man Putin did not mention at any point during the speech: dead opposition politician Alexei Navalny.  

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Analysis: Nuclear weapons are usually empty threats  

Vladimir Putin shows a new confidence regarding the war in Ukraine. That's what Sky News military analyst Sean Bell notes after listening to Putin's two-hour address to the nation, which pointed the finger at NATO and the West. Bell recalls that all previous attempts to escalate the Ukraine war into a nuclear war have been empty threats.  

"His arms-rattling about NATO is not as significant as it might first seem." 

In their live report, the BBC's reporters continuously wrote small short analyzes of the speech. The BBC's climate reporter Esme Stallard notes that Putin somewhat surprisingly devoted part of the speech to climate change. She notes that it is impossible to know if Putin keeps his promises, but that it would be "very important" for the world because the Russian taiga is the largest forest area on earth. 

Several Russian reporters have followed and commented on the speech. Financial Times Moscow director Max Seddon writes that the speech was "very dark", while former DN correspondent Anna-Lena Laurén notes in a post on X:  

"Lots of clapping hands when Putin, the president who invaded Ukraine and had Navalny assassinated, speaks to the Russian Federation about the importance of renovating daycare centers." ​

 

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Russian Invasion|Russian Reactions  

Russian plane near Helsinki chased away by France 

A Russian reconnaissance plane of the IL-20 type was located southeast of the Finnish capital Helsinki on Monday evening. The plane was escorted away by French fighter jets, writes Helsingin Sanomat.  

The plane was not in Finnish airspace, according to the Finnish Defense Forces, which is otherwise brief about the incident.  

- The plane flew without a transponder, so it needed to be identified through an identification flight. I will not comment on whether the Finnish air force was involved in the identification, says spokesperson Henrik Gahmberg.  

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Expert: Could be a Russian show of force  

The fact that a Russian reconnaissance plane of the IL-20 type was in the Baltic Sea near Helsinki on Monday is not an exceptional event, but may raise questions. That's what Jarno Limnéll, member of parliament for the Samlingspartiet and doctor of military science and associate professor at the Finnish Defense Academy, tells the newspaper Ilta-Sanomat.  

As long as the plane stays outside the airspace of other countries, they are allowed to fly in the area, he states.  

- When particular aircraft or ships move close to state borders, there may be some kind of show of force in the background. It shows that such equipment exists and is flown this close, says Limnéll.  

The plane could be escorted away by French planes in an undramatic way.