‘We Believe in Victory’: Putin Sends New Year 2026 Message as Russia’s War in Ukraine Drags Into Fifth Year

As the New Year 2026 dawned in Russia’s far east, Vladimir Putin used his annual addresses to reiterate a wartime message, assuring soldiers on the front lines that Moscow still believes it will prevail in Ukraine despite the conflict stretching into another year. 

Speaking first to residents of the Kamchatka peninsula, the earliest Russian region to welcome 2026, Putin praised troops as “heroes” and projected confidence nearly four years into the war, telling Russia’s “fighters and commanders” that he believed in them and in victory. 

Russia Enters New Year Under War Shadow 

The address was delivered as Russia observed its biggest public holiday amid the backdrop of a prolonged and costly war. Casualties on both sides are believed to number in the tens of thousands, possibly even hundreds of thousands, while the fighting has forced millions of Ukrainians from their homes. 

Putin focused largely on the war in his remarks and made one reference to Ukraine’s alleged drone attack on one of his residences, an allegation denied by Kyiv. December 31 also marked 26 years since Putin first assumed power. 

Diplomacy Gains Pace, But Tensions Persist

US-led diplomatic efforts have picked up speed in recent weeks, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expected to attend a January 6 summit in France alongside allied leaders, following talks with US President Donald Trump in Florida. Despite the renewed momentum, Moscow has shown no indication of softening its stance. 

On Wednesday, the European Union accused Russia of attempting to “derail” negotiations after claims emerged that Ukraine had tried to target Putin’s lakeside residence in the Novgorod region. Kyiv rejected the allegation, calling it a “fabrication” aimed at undermining the peace process.