In his annual address, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a warning to NATO “interventionists” regarding the situation in Ukraine, emphasizing the potentially “tragic consequences” of such actions.

Putin cautioned against any NATO military contingents being deployed to Ukraine, invoking historical precedents and hinting at retaliatory measures. "They started talking about the possibility of sending NATO military contingents to Ukraine, but we remember the fate of those who once sent their contingents to the territory of our country, but now the consequences for possible interventionists will be much more tragic," Putin claimed

Highlighting Russia's military capabilities, Putin asserted that Russia possesses weapons capable of reaching targets in Western countries. 

"They have to finally realize that we have guns too, and they know about it. We also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory," he emphasized.

Putin criticized Western nations for what he perceives as a disconnect from the realities of war, characterizing their perception of the conflict in Ukraine as akin to a "cartoon." 

"These are people who have not gone through difficult experiences, they have already forgotten what war is. Even we, today's generation, went through such a difficult ordeal during the fight against international terrorism in the Caucasus, now, in the context of the conflict, the same is happening in Ukraine. They think that it's all a kind of cartoon for them," Putin added.