A quarter century after assuming power, President Vladimir Putin told Russians in his New Year’s Eve address Tuesday that their country was overcoming every challenge and moving forward.

But he did not say where Russia was going, even as it takes huge casualties in its war in Ukraine, struggles with rising inflation and absorbs diplomatic blows abroad.

Much of his short speech was characterized by omissions. While Putin on Tuesday honored the country’s “fighters and commanders,” invoked Russians’ pride in defeating Nazism and declared 2025 “the year of the Defender of the Motherland,” he did not say who the country was fighting or why.

It was a conspicuous omission nearly three years after he decided to invade neighboring Ukraine. The war has claimed the lives of an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 Russian soldiers, reshaped Russia’s economy and upended its place in the world.

Nor did Putin address inflation, the main concern of most ordinary Russians, or a host of other economic challenges. And while the speech was notable for marking 25 years since he took power in 1999 — an era in which he cemented his rule over Russia — it contained no hint of Putin’s vision for the country beyond the broadest platitudes.

“We are certain that everything will be fine,” he said.

Putin’s vague address on the eve of Russia’s main public holiday underlined the biggest contradiction of his wartime leadership: a drive to mobilize society and steel it for a prolonged conflict while maintaining a sense of normalcy in everyday life.

Unlike his remarks in 2022, the first year of the invasion, his speech Tuesday did not mention Ukraine. He also didn’t mention President-elect Donald Trump.

Putin’s message of optimism and stability masked an uncertain outlook facing Russia in 2025, as well as a string of recent geopolitical setbacks that have shaken the country’s global status.

Russian forces have been gradually gaining territory in eastern Ukraine but have thus far failed to achieve a breakthrough. And Russia’s slow battlefield gains have come at the cost of staggering casualties.

On the international stage, Putin has also suffered recent blows to his standing. He lost his biggest ally in the Middle East in 2024, with the sudden downfall of President Bashar Assad of Syria.

And just last week, a crash of a Russian-bound jet, operated by the state-owned Azerbaijan Airlines, is threatening to undermine the Kremlin’s relations with friendly former Soviet states.

Azerbaijan blamed Russian air defenses for the crash, which killed 38.