Putin's speech at pro-war rally abruptly cut-off on State TV; 'technical glitch' blamed

A rare public speech by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday was abruptly cut off during broadcast. In the speech during a pro-Russian rally at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium, he was praising the Russian "unity" over the Kremlin's military operation in Ukraine. Moments before Putin was about to conclude his address, the broadcast on the state-run channel was interrupted with patriotic songs performed by Russian musician Oleg Gazmanov. The speech was then replayed from the top until Putin walked off stage.

In his address, Putin praised all pro-Russians who support what Moscow is calling a "special military operation" in Ukraine. The rally was reportedly attended by 20,000, where Putin yet again justified his invasion of Ukraine, saying it was in response against "neo-Nazis and extreme nationalists" in Ukraine who were committing "genocide" in Donbass. Thousands of people, waving flags and singing praises for Russia, had massed at Russia’s national venue to mark the 8th anniversary of Moscow's annexation of Crimea.

"The country hasn't seen unity like this in a long time," Russian President Vladimir Putin said strolling on the stage further calling the war against Ukraine "a testament to Russia's Christian values."

“This really was genocide. Stopping that was the goal of the special operation,” he added.

The rally came on day 23 of the brutal Russia-Ukraine war, which has killed thousands in Ukraine. As the invasion intensified, Moscow has also faced sweeping sanctions from the West, including European Union aimed as pressuring Putin to withdraw troops from its embattled neighbour. 

Kremlin claims interruption in speech 'mere glitch'

The broadcast faced an abrupt interruption while Putin was on stage. However, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has blamed the temporary discontinuation as a "technical failure." Verbatim to regional media from those attending also said that Putin had completed his speech before he left the stage. Meanwhile, exiled Anti-Corruption Foundation of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a tweet on Friday raised eyebrows against the alleged glitch. "Well, or sabotage," the body tweeted after the state television re-aired the 5-minute-long speech.

While thousands of Russians crammed into the stadium, holding banners and posters promoting Russian propaganda, reports emerged that people were also coerced to attend the pro-government rally. Several Telegram channels claimed that students and employees were asked by superiors to attend the rally. Meanwhile, Putin's crackdown on independent media in Russia broadcasting anti-war rallies intensified in the wake of which the BBC was forced to shut down in Moscow. OVD-Info rights group that monitors political arrests also flagged that several independent journalists were also detained for covering anti-Russian propaganda protests in St. Petersburg.

(Image: AP)