Putin warns Russia’s enemies they ‘will feel sorry for their deeds’

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)

Vladimir Putin has warned the West against encroachment on Russia’s security interests, saying Moscow’s response will be “quick and tough”.

The president’s warning during his annual state-of-the-nation address came amid a massive Russian military build-up near Ukraine, where ceasefire violations in the seven-year conflict between Russia-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces have escalated in recent weeks.