Ukraine war: President Putin's national address fact-checked

President Vladimir Putin addressed the Russian nationalist successful a nationalist code which lasted for astir 2 hours.

In the speech, helium made a bid of claims astir the warfare successful Ukraine and was highly captious of Western countries.

We've looked into immoderate of his statements.

Mr Putin has repeatedly made baseless claims astir a "neo-Nazi regime" successful Ukraine arsenic a justification for Russia's penetration of the country.

In Ukraine's past parliamentary predetermination successful 2019, enactment for far-right candidates was 2%, acold little than successful galore different European countries.

It should besides beryllium noted that President Volodymyr Zelensky is Jewish and members of his household died successful the Holocaust.

But determination person been far-right groups successful Ukraine - the astir high-profile is the Azov regiment - elements of which person expressed enactment for Nazi ideology.

It was formed to defy Russian-backed separatists, who seized areas of eastbound Ukraine successful 2014, and was subsequently absorbed arsenic a portion wrong the Ukrainian military.

Here, Mr Putin drew a examination betwixt a Ukrainian service portion and the Nazis' 1st Mountain Division - which had the Edelweiss angiosperm connected its insignia and committed warfare crimes successful the Second World War.

The adjacent day, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs highlighted this arsenic "evidence" of Nazis successful Ukraine successful a tweet.

But the Edelweiss angiosperm - which grows successful Alpine regions - has been utilized arsenic a awesome by different European upland subject divisions, including the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service, Swiss Army generals and the 21st Rifles Brigade of Poland.

Even Russia had a peculiar portion called Edelweiss. The 17th peculiar intent detachment of Rosgvardia was fixed this rubric successful 2011. The sanction was changed to Avanguard successful 2016.

There is nary grounds that Ukraine has attempted to get atomic weapons, and Mr Putin - who has made this assertion earlier - did not supply any.

When it was portion of the erstwhile Soviet Union, atomic weapons were based successful Ukraine, but successful 1994 Ukraine signed up to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and gave them up, successful instrumentality for information guarantees.

In 2021, the Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, suggested that if Ukraine couldn't articulation Nato, it mightiness person to reconsider its nuclear-free status.

In 2022, President Zelensky said that though Ukraine had "abandoned" its atomic capabilities, it had "no security".

But the Ukrainian authorities has not expressed an volition to get atomic weapons and a subject strategy papers published successful 2021 did not notation to them.

The UN's atomic watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), says it has seen nary signs successful Ukraine "of the diversion of atomic material, intended for peaceful activities, for different purposes."

Mr Putin is close that the Russian system has shrunk by little than expected.

That contraction inactive makes it the worst-performing state connected the IMF's list, but the organisation confirms that it has contracted by little than expected.

The IMF said that Russian commercialized was being redirected to countries not applying sanctions against it.

We are looking astatine different claims from Mr Putin's speech.