President Vladimir Putin delivers his almost annual address to the parliament, the State Duma and the Federation Council. Under Russian law, it is the only session where both Houses meet. Putin last delivered his ‘throne speech’ in April 2021.
Last year he skipped due to the war in Ukraine, which he decided to end with an invasion. But it only escalated with the Russian invasion in February last year.
The speech to the full parliament is a tradition that started February 24, 1994 with a speech by the then leader Boris Yeltsin.
Putin has addressed parliament every year during his presidency except 2017 and last year. In 2018 he spoke for almost two hours, but on average the speech lasts just over an hour.
An important topic is the war in Ukraine
The main point is expected to be the ongoing war in Ukraine, which has actually lasted for nine years. After the Russian invasion in February 2022, the conflict turned into a war of attrition between the Western-supported regime in Kyiv and the Kremlin.