Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to deliver a new State of the Nation Address to the country's Federal Assembly on February 21, the first since April 21 and the start of the war in Ukraine. Putin could make major announcements next Tuesday, according to recent media reports.
As the clashes near their first anniversary, rumors from late January suggested the Russian leader could soon announce the second partial mobilization. Per CNN, Russia's Defense Ministry could call for another 200,000 people to join the war efforts, with an expected change of the tactics in southeastern Ukraine where the heaviest fights are currently ongoing.
At the same time, Russia and Belarus could officially announce strengthening multi-faceted integration within the framework of the Union State in response to western sanctions, according to claims laid out by the Belarusian Telegraph Agency (BelTA) two days ago.
Finally, Putin could also turn to talk about Russia further deepening the relations with the disputed regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, as Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova herself confirmed at the start of this week Moscow was interested in supporting their work toward becoming "self-sufficient" states.
