Lauge Risom Koch 
According to New Voice, Vladimir Putin accused the West of testing Russia’s resilience and repeated disputed claims that Ukrainian forces are retreating across the front line.
Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Western countries of trying to test Russia’s resilience and repeated disputed claims about Ukraine’s military situation during a speech to the ruling United Russia party congress.
According to New Voice (NV), citing Russian state media, Putin described the current period as “decisive” for Russia and claimed the country’s strategic objectives would ultimately be achieved despite ongoing challenges.
On the battlefield
Putin said the West had failed to defeat Russia militarily and was now attempting to weaken the country through other means.
According to NV, Putin said “Russia cannot be defeated on the battlefield”. He went on to accuse the West of attempting to eliminate Russia because it had “always stood in the way of evil.”
He also repeated the unsupported claim that Ukrainian forces were retreating “along the entire front line” and accused Kyiv of carrying out what he described as “terrorist strikes” against Russia.
Elections and support
According to NV, Putin said Russia would hold State Duma elections as scheduled in September despite what he claimed would be Western attempts to destabilize the country’s domestic political situation.
At the same time, he acknowledged that Russia was “adjusting some plans based on the situation” and described the current period as difficult while insisting Moscow would achieve its strategic goals.
NV also noted that The New York Times, citing a survey by Russia’s state-aligned Public Opinion Foundation (FOM), reported that Putin’s approval rating had fallen to its lowest level since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.
The outlet added that Russian media recently reported security officials had urged Putin to consider postponing the parliamentary elections amid continued Ukrainian drone attacks and declining public support.
Sources: New Voice (NV), The New York Times
