MOSCOW, December 31. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin's traditional New Year's address this year lasted 3 minutes 20 seconds, making it one of his shortest, according to TASS.
Last year, his speech was slightly longer - 3 minutes 35 seconds. The shortest was his congratulations to Russians on 2006, that speech lasted just over two minutes.
Putin's longest New Year's address was in 2022 - about 9 minutes. Then he spoke not against the backdrop of the Kremlin walls, as usual, but against a backdrop of members of the Russian military at the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don.
Putin's previous New Year's addresses, in 2021 and 2020, also set length records. They lasted 6 minutes 22 seconds and 6 minutes, respectively.
The longest New Year's address remains with Boris Yeltsin, Russia's first president. On December 31, 1999, he spoke for over 10 minutes while announcing his resignation. Putin also delivered a short New Year's address in 1999, as an acting president, and it was the only time he recorded such a speech while sitting at his desk. Since 2000, the head of state has always stood to congratulate Russian citizens on the New Year.