Putin lashes out at 'scum' and 'traitors' amid Ukraine war
Categories: FOREIGN COUNTRIES
As the war in Ukraine drags on, President Vladimir Putin who had ordered a "special military operation" on February 24 in a stern message said, "the Russian people, will always be able to distinguish the true patriots from the scum and the traitors". Putin's latest jibe at his political enemies comes even as Russia announced that it paid interest on foreign debt due this week. Russia risked default on its foreign debt for the first time in over a hundred years. The Russian president's claims come even as prosecutors called for opposition leader Alexei Navalny to serve 13 years in prison on new fraud charges. Navalny who is a strong critic of Putin was jailed last year after surviving a poison attack which he has blamed on the Putin regime. The prosecutors also demanded Navalny be fined $10,600. The judge is set to deliver his verdict on March 22. In his speech, the Russian president continued his attack on the so-called traitors, saying: "I am convinced that this natural and necessary self-cleansing of society will only strengthen our country, our solidarity, cohesion and readiness to meet any challenge."