MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin warned foreign rivals on Wednesday against “crossing the red line” with Russia, as he gave a key speech amid deep tensions with the West over Ukraine and jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.
Several thousand of Navalny’s supporters took to the streets in nationwide demonstrations against his detention, but the protests were not on the scale seen earlier this year, when tens of thousands rallied and thousands were arrested.
Addressing lawmakers and senior officials in his annual state of the nation address, Putin said Russia would respond swiftly and harshly to moves against its interests and condemned what he said had been a coup attempt in ally Belarus.
“The organisers of any provocations threatening the fundamental interests of our security will regret their deeds, more than they have regretted anything in a long time,” Putin said.
Putin unsurprisingly made no mention of Navalny in his speech — he has always refused to use the name of his most prominent opponent.
He did however hit out at rivals abroad, with Moscow and Western capitals at loggerheads over Navalny, a Russian troop build-up on Ukraine’s borders and a series of espionage scandals that resulted in diplomatic expulsions.
Putin said it had become “a new kind of sport” in some foreign capitals to blame Russia “for anything”.
He said Russia wants good relations with everyone, but warned of an “asymmetrical, swift and harsh” response if that was seen as a weakness.
“I hope that no one will think of crossing the red line in relation to Russia. And where it will be — we will determine that ourselves,” Putin said.
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