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Russians to watch two versions of president’s televised New Year address

Vladimir Putin, who arrived in New Year's Eve in Khabarovsk, recorded a second version of the treatment

KHABAROVSK, December 31, /ITAR-TASS/. Russians, who usually welcome the New Year watching the official televised message of the president, this year will see two version of the presidential address.

The first version had been recorded a day before and was shown several minutes before the midnight in Kamchatka, the first Russian region to see in the New Year.

Meanwhile, late, the Russian president arrived in Khabarovsk to hold a New Year gala reception for the local residents who lost their homes in this summer’s devastating floods and who had been living at temporary accommodation centre ever since.

Since the time lag between Kamchatka and Khabarovsk is one hour, Putin recorded a second version of his New Year greeting address, which will be aired in the rest of Russia.

“The president has decided to spend the New Year’s Eve with these people who survived this unprecedented natural calamity and here he pronounced his greeting address to them,” presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said. “These greetings have become the president’s New Year message. So, the president has actually broken with the years-long tradition.