Putin Holds Pro-War Rally Before 100,000 In Stadium, Vows To Liberate Ukraine From “Genocide Of Nazism”

Reuters reports:

Russian President Vladimir Putin justified the invasion of Ukraine before a packed soccer stadium on Friday but coverage of his speech on state television was unexpectedly interrupted by what the Kremlin said was a technical problem with a server.

Speaking on a stage at the centre of Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium, Putin promised to tens of thousands of people waving Russian flags and chanting “Russia, Russia, Russia” that all of the Kremlin’s aims would be achieved.

“We know what we need to do, how to do it and at what cost. And we will absolutely accomplish all of our plans,” Putin, 69, told the rally from a stage decked out with slogans such as “For a world without Nazism” and “For our president”.

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Putin vows Russia will prevail in Ukraine but glitch hinders TV https://t.co/7vBxRL7Pfb pic.twitter.com/pCA7skZwVt

— Reuters (@Reuters) March 18, 2022

Russian President Vladimir Putin was cut off mid-sentence during a rally in Moscow on Friday afternoon – he was giving an address in front of 100,000 supporters at the Luzhniki Stadium when the feed unexpectedly cut out https://t.co/NOpQyEE951

— Evening Standard (@standardnews) March 18, 2022

“To liberate people from this suffering, from the genocide, is the main inspiring motive of the military operation we started in Donbas and in Ukraine”

President Putin addresses Moscow stadium at event to mark eight years since Russia seized Crimeahttps://t.co/umzJcuKJTF pic.twitter.com/sxePFwEEyK

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) March 18, 2022