Putin hails Russia’s vaccine development in annual address

Russian President Vladimir Putin gives his annual state of the nation address in Manezh, Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, April 21, 2021. Putin’s state-of-the-nation speech comes amid a new surge in tensions with the West over a Russian troop buildup near the border with Ukraine and a hunger strike by jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny protesting a lack of adequate medical treatment in prison. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has delivered his annual address to the nation amid a sweeping Kremlin crackdown on opposition protests and soaring tensions with the West.

He began his state-of-the-nation speech by hailing the nation’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, saying the quick development of three coronavirus vaccines underlined Russia’s technological and industrial potential.