New Year Address by the President of Russia

The New Year Address by the President of Russia is a traditional speech given in Russia by the President to the citizens, and generally broadcast on Russian television.

2000s

• Dear friends, respected citizens of Russia, during these minutes, we are not only checking our watches, we are also checking our intentions and our feelings, checking our expectations and what we have in reality. One more year is behind us. A year of joyous and tragic events, a year of difficult decisions. Nevertheless, things that once seemed quite impossible are becoming a fact of life.

  Notable elements of stability have appeared in our country, and that means a great deal for politics, for the economy, and for all of us. We have realized at what cost our country's dignity comes, and how highly it is appreciated. But we all know that on this festive night, far from everyone has a bountiful table, nor is there happiness and success in every home. Let us remember that and not forget that we still have a lot of work to do. But only together can we accomplish this. And then the time will surely come when we no longer need to worry about our elderly or our children.

  Dear friends, I know that all of you are already looking at your watches. In just a few seconds, we shall simultaneously enter a new year, a new century, and a new millennium. This rarely happens, but it will happen again for our descendants, whose lives are difficult for us to imagine today. It is to them that we will leave our legacy of both successes and mistakes, but during these minutes, each of us is thinking of our nearest and dearest.

  • Vladimir Putin [1] (2000)

• My fellow citizens of Russia, dear friends. In a few minutes another year of our lives will become the past. It is fast receding into history, and we are remembering the key events.

  There have been many. Some have been good and some dramatic. For Russia as a whole it has been a successful year in domestic affairs and in foreign policy. And every day of the year put more and more distance between us and the difficult times of economic and social upheavals.

  We have contributed much to this end. We have worked together to make our lives more predictable. We have achieved modest, but visible results.

  2001 has been very different from the previous year. We have not just maintained economic growth, but also improved the life of our people, if only slightly. We have proved that the good results of the previous year were not accidental, that they are not just an episode in our life.

  Much has been done in the outgoing year that will be useful in the future. A legal framework has been created for new and serious steps in the economic and social policy. Decisions have been taken to change the business climate in the country in the long term, for several years ahead.

  Russia has come to be regarded with greater trust and respect in the world. The world has come to understand us better. It has become obvious that a consistent fight against terror is prompted not only by our national interests, but by the fact that it is a global threat. The world community responded with an unusual degree of international cooperation in facing the challenge of terrorism. Nations have rallied and have taken a stand together with Russia in the defence of peace, calm and life itself.

  Dear friends. We have not accomplished everything that we have planned. Our challenges still outweigh our achievements. Not all the citizens of our country have come to live better in the outgoing year. And not all of them can achieve it by themselves without the support of society and the state.

  • Vladimir Putin [2] (2001)

• Dear friends. Another year has gone by. And at this moment we are remembering what we consider to be of the greatest importance to us. One way or another we are symbolically summing up our experience. And the whole country is summing up the results of the year.

  On this New Year’s night I thank you for everything. For everything that we have achieved in the past year. What lies ahead depends on what has already been done. Each of us had his own experiences this year. But now, not forgetting about the past, we think of course of the future. So first of all I hope that all your wishes will be fulfilled. I want all your plans and your thoughts and wishes to be fulfilled. Let all your good undertakings, plans and ideas come to fruition.

  • Vladimir Putin [3] (2002)

• There were difficulties and mistakes, and many unsolved problems remain. However, together we searched for and found the necessary solutions. Everything that we achieved is not simply a gift of fate, because we persistently worked throughout the year. We worked for ourselves and for our families. And all this has served our common success. The country has gained authority, and the entire Russian nation dignity.

  There were obvious achievements in the economy and in public life. We have every reason to say that the outgoing year was successful.

  In these minutes, each one of us remembers the most important events for both ourselves as individuals and our families. One particularly pleasing fact is that more new Russian citizens were born this year in comparison with last year.

  This is a good sign. It means that people in our country are looking towards the future with confidence. I hope that both children and parents bring each other nothing but joy. That they will understand and care for each other, and live in peace, love and harmony.

  Dear friends. New Year’s Eve is a holiday that has always been and will remain a symbol of kindness and hope. And we, with every justification, can believe in the best. And we hope that we can do everything that we have so far not been able to do.

  • Vladimir Putin [4] (2003)

• These moments always bring together the people of our huge country because now each of us recalls the past, thinks about the future and, of course, hopes for the best.

  When evaluating the events of 2005 we think first and foremost about how we, our family and friends spent this past year. And the destiny of the whole country basically takes shape from each of our lives.

  We can say with confidence that as a whole 2005 was a positive year in practically all areas. It has convincingly proven that we are capable of a great deal. Certainly we still have plenty of problems and we know that we alone can resolve them.

  We have ambitious and very important plans in economy and social sphere. We shall strengthen Russia's defences and protect the interests of our citizens in the widest sense of the word. And we shall do this.

  • Vladimir Putin [5] (2004)

• Today I would like to say something special to you. As we see off the outgoing year, I want to sincerely thank you for everything that we have done together with you during the past eight years.

  All that we have managed to achieve would have been simply impossible without your steadfast support, without your trust, without your direct participation in the revival of our country.

  We have not only restored the territorial integrity of Russia. But once again we are able to feel we are a united people. And all these years we worked together to preserve our country, to transform it into a modern, free, strong state able to provide its citizens with a convenient and comfortable life.

  We have seen how, from year to year, Russia has been gaining in strength and becoming stronger. How our economy has been growing. How new opportunities have been opening up for the people.

  To be sure, we have not managed to do everything. But I am quite certain that the road the people have chosen for Russia is the right road and that it will lead us to success. We have everything to achieve our goal – our great history, colossal resources, courage, industriousness and intellectual potential of our great nation.

  • Vladimir Putin [6] (2007)

2010s

• Very soon, as the Kremlin tower chimes strike twelve, 2010 will pass into history, and with it the first decade of the 21st century. As we see the old year out, we remember its joyful and sad moments, and hope that next year will be good and successful for all of us and for our country. We will build a modern Russia together, a strong, open and friendly country.

  We have a rich and ancient history, and we are rightly proud of it. At the same time Russia is a young country: in the coming year it will be only twenty years old. That is no great age for a country, but the children born in the new Russia have already grown up. The way we live in the second decade of this century will depend on them, too.

  Everything we do, we do for our children, to make sure that they are healthy and successful, and the country they live in is safe, prosperous and happy, a country that respects its elders, cherishes its multiethnic traditions, and is committed to achieving new goals. I am confident that is our future.

  Everything we do, we do for our children, to make sure that they are healthy and successful, and the country they live in is safe, prosperous and happy.

  • Dmitry Medvedev [7] (2010)

• By tradition, we use these moments to bid farewell to the outgoing year. It was not an easy year but its outcome for our country has been positive. This is the result of our joint efforts, and what next year will bring also depends on us.

  Exactly 20 years ago we celebrated our first New Year in a country called Russia – a name celebrated for the illustrious deeds of our great ancestors, who over the centuries built up a huge and very strong power, a great country. It is our duty to preserve it and to build a progressive state, where all of us can live comfortably and do stimulating work.

  It is our duty to preserve it and to build a progressive state, where all of us can live comfortably and do stimulating work.

  Yes, we are all different, but this is precisely where our strength lies, as well as in our ability to hear, understand and respect each other, to tackle challenges together and achieve success.

  • Dmitry Medvedev [8] (2011)

• In these moments, we are particularly aware of the fleeting of time, of how quickly our children are growing, how much we value our families and friends, and how much we love them.

  Right now, each of us recollects the events, encounters and words that have been most important. We all hope that New Year’s Eve will bring us good luck and a bit of a miracle – which, they say, the New Year sometimes brings.

  But ultimately and above all we rely on our own strength and on the people near us; on what we ourselves can achieve in our work, our studies and our creative expression; on how we can improve life around us and improve ourselves. We should become more responsive and benevolent, more generous and caring toward our loved ones, our children and parents, our friends and colleagues, and everyone who needs our support.

  As we face the future, we naturally hope for positive, joyful changes, and our personal plans are inseparable from Russia, from our heartfelt, noble feelings toward our Fatherland. Its development and further advancement of its thousand-year-long history fully depend on our joint efforts and energy, our unity and responsibility, our aspiration to do as much good as possible. After all, only together can we, the people of Russia, move confidently forward, withstand all challenges, resolve the most difficult problems, and build a powerful, successful nation and a modern, prosperous, free society.

  • Vladimir Putin [>http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/17260] (2012)

• Welcoming in the New Year is one of our most cordial and heart-warming traditions, passed from generation to generation to bring us all together.

  In the outgoing year, we had to face problems and tough challenges, including the inhuman terrorist attacks in Volgograd and the unprecedented natural calamities in the Far East. In times of trial Russia has always been united.

  This year, my friends, I am addressing you not from the Moscow Kremlin, as is the tradition, but from the Far East where I have arrived to welcome in the New Year with those who have overcome with pride and honour the natural disaster, but cannot yet celebrate this night in their own homes. I would like to greet the entire nation, to raise my glass together with them to our people, to the health of all those who selflessly struggled with the flood, who showed mercy and selfless generosity.

  Dear friends, we bow down before the victims of the terrible acts of terror. We will remain confident, tough and consistent in our fight to destroy the terrorists completely. We shall support all the victims; we shall implement everything we planned; we will build and restore everything that needs to be built and restored. At the same time, we have many achievements to speak of in the outgoing year. Our country has become better, richer, and more comfortable; we persistently promote our interests in international affairs. Therefore, today we are sincerely happy to welcome in the New Year with hope and dreams of the future.

  Wherever this moment finds us, the atmosphere of this wonderful night warms our hearts. We look into the future with optimism, we sincerely believe that the best is yet to come, we believe in good luck and success. Every one of us understands that prosperity does not come by itself. It is achieved through hard work and personal deeds, through our endeavours to implement everything we planned. These achievements make up the fate of our Motherland, while care for one’s family, children and parents is inseparable from responsibility for Russia, for the country we live in and which we hope to see successful and prosperous.

  These feelings and ambitions strengthen our unity. It is only together than we can be truly strong, guarantee the progress of Russia and implement all our common plans and ideas.

  • Vladimir Putin [9] (2013)

• As always, we look forward to it with anticipation, making wishes, giving gifts and traditionally seeing in the New Year with family and friends. An atmosphere of kindness, goodwill and generosity warms our hearts, opening them up to pure thoughts and honourable deeds and giving hope.

  Naturally, everyone is concerned primarily about the well-being of their own family, wishing health and happiness to their near and dear ones. The happiness and success of each person makes up the well-being of Russia.

  Love for one’s Motherland is one of the most powerful and enlightening feelings. It has found its reflection in our fraternal aid to the residents of Crimea and Sevastopol, after they made the firm decision to return to their native home. This event will remain a landmark in national history.

  Friends, now, as we reflect on the outgoing year, I would like to sincerely thank you for your unity and solidarity, for your innermost truthfulness, honour, justice and responsibility for the fate of your country, for your invariable readiness to defend Russia’s interests, to be with it both in days of triumph and in times of trial, to strive for the implementation of our bravest and grandest of plans.

  • Vladimir Putin [10] (2014)

• Traditionally, we celebrate it with our families, with all our near and dear ones. Of course, not all manage to see the New Year in with their families.

  People have to work at hospitals and production facilities, perform their service and combat duty, defend our borders, and be on regular duty ensuring our security on land, at sea and in the sky.

  We are grateful to all those who are always on their post, day and night, weekdays and holidays. Today, I would like to extend special greetings to those of our service members who are fighting international terrorism, defending Russia’s national interests at distant frontiers, showing their willpower, determination and staunchness. Though, these are the qualities we need all the time, whatever we are doing.

  The success of the entire nation depends on the efficient labour and achievements of each one of us. We are united by the same goals, by our common desire to benefit our Motherland and by our sense of responsibility for its future.

  In the outgoing year of 2015, we marked the 70th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. Our history, the experience of our parents and grandparents, their unity in times of trouble and their willpower shall always serve as an example for us. They have helped and will help us to meet all current challenges with dignity.

  • Vladimir Putin [11] (2015)

• Citizens of Russia, friends, the year 2016 is coming to a close. It was a challenging year, but the difficulties we faced have brought us together and allowed us to reveal enormous resources for our movement forward.

  The main thing is that we believe in ourselves, in our strengths and in our country. We are working, and working successfully, and we are achieving much. I would like to thank you for the victories and achievements, for your understanding and trust, and for your true, sincere care for Russia.

  We have a vast, unique and wonderful country! We are united by common concerns and common joys, by our long-standing good tradition of meeting the New Year with our families and with hope for the best.

  But not everyone is at the holiday table today. Many of our citizens are away from home, ensuring Russia’s security, working at enterprises, on duty in hospitals, ad operating trains and aircraft. I would like to convey my very best wishes for the New Year to all those who are now fulfilling their labour and military duties.

  • Vladimir Putin [12] (2016)

• Citizens of Russia, friends, a new year, year 2019, is right around the corner. Behind us is the busy month of December, when we rushed to complete all our urgent tasks, finalised our plans for the future, and of course, got ready for New Year celebrations. Filled with excitement and hope, we are now waiting for the New Year to arrive. We see the eyes of our children shining with enthusiasm. We feel the joy of our parents and grandparents, if the entire family is together at this moment. Their hearts are warmed by the tenderness and attention, and they can experience the New Year magic created by the generosity of our spirits. This generosity is essential not only when we celebrate, but also in our daily lives, when we are there to support those who need our help, those who are alone or not well. After all, we must be responsive to the misfortunes of others, and care is always repaid in kindness and gives us the joy of involvement.

  Friends, while our expectations at this very moment may differ, what we all want is for our loved ones to be healthy, our home to be full of harmony, our children to bring us joy, our life to be peaceful, and our dreams, even the most sacred ones, to come true.

  Just like in our childhood, on New Year’s Eve we make wishes and expect this night to bring us luck and success. May all this come true. At the same time, we all know for sure that only through our own efforts and by working together can we build a better life for ourselves, our families and our homeland.

  We face many pressing tasks in the economy, research, technology, healthcare, education and culture. What matters the most is that we make steady progress in improving the wellbeing and quality of life in Russia, so that all its people, each and every one of us, feel the change for the better as soon as next year.

  We will succeed, but only if we are able to work together. We never had any help in these endeavours, and never will. For this reason, we must form a team that is united, strong and acts as a single whole. Let the friendship and good hopes that bring all of us together accompany us moving forward and help us in our work and in achieving our common goals.

  • Vladimir Putin [13] (2018)

• The year 2020 is just around the corner. We are on the threshold of the third decade of the 21st century. We are living in turbulent, dynamic and contradictory times, but we can and must do everything for Russia to develop successfully, so that everything in our lives changes only for the better. In excited anticipation, we are awaiting the chiming of the clock, and we believe and hope that all our wishes will come true.

  Our personal plans and dreams are inseparable from Russia. Our present and future, and the future of our children depend on the efforts and the contribution of each one of us. Only together will we be able to resolve the tasks facing our society and country today. Our unity is the foundation for achieving the loftiest goals.

  These values were passed on to us by our ancestors, the heroic and unbending generation of victors. Next year, we will celebrate the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. With all my heart, I would like to extend my New Year greetings to battle front veterans and home front workers, people of the older generation who have gone through many trials for the sake of us all and the future of our Motherland. I bow down to you.

  • Vladimir Putin [14] (2019)

2020s

• The year 2021 is drawing to a close. Very soon, time will take us from the past into the future.

  True, this is something that happens every day, minute and second. But we hear this continuous passage of time most clearly when we welcome the New Year and look forward to it as an important marker in our lives.

  We are united in the hope that changes for the better lie ahead. But we know that they cannot be detached or isolated from the events that unfolded in the outgoing year.

  We faced enormous challenges, but we learned to live in these harsh circumstances and solve complex problems. Our solidarity made this possible. Together, we continued to combat the dangerous pandemic sweeping every continent, which shows no signs of receding. This elusive disease claimed tens of thousands of lives. Everyone who lost loved ones, please accept my words of sincere support.

  • Vladimir Putin [15] (2021)

• The year 2022 is drawing to a close. It was a year of difficult but necessary decisions, of important steps towards Russia's full sovereignty and a powerful consolidation of our society.

  It was a year that put many things in their place, and drew a clear line between courage and heroism, on the one hand, and betrayal and cowardice on the other, showed us that there is nothing stronger than love for our near and dear, loyalty to our friends and comrades-in-arms, and devotion to our Fatherland.

  It was a year of truly pivotal, even fateful events. They became the frontier where we lay the foundation for our common future, our true independence. This is what we are fighting for today, protecting our people in our historical territories in the new regions of the Russian Federation. Together, we are building and creating. Russia’s future is what matters the most. Defending our Motherland is the sacred duty we owe to our ancestors and descendants. The moral and historical truth is on our side.

  The outgoing year has brought great and dramatic changes to our country and to the world. It was filled with uncertainty, anxiety and worry. But our multiethnic nation showed great courage and dignity as it had in every challenging period in Russian history, supported the defenders of our Fatherland, our soldiers and officers, and all participants in the special military operation, in both word and deed.

  We have always known that Russia's sovereign, independent and secure future depends only on us, on our strength and determination, and today, we have become convinced of it once again.

  For years, Western elites hypocritically assured us of their peaceful intentions, including to help resolve the serious conflict in Donbass. But in fact, they encouraged the neo-Nazis in every possible way, who continued to take military and overtly terrorist action against peaceful civilians in the people's republics of Donbass.

  The West lied to us about peace while preparing for aggression, and today, they no longer hesitate to openly admit it and to cynically use Ukraine and its people as a means to weaken and divide Russia. We have never allowed anyone to do this and we will not allow it now.

  Russian servicemen, militiamen and volunteers are now fighting for their homeland, for truth and justice, for reliable guarantees of peace and Russia’s security. They are all our heroes and they are shouldering the heaviest burden right now.

  • Vladimir Putin [16] (2022)