Putin praises Russian ‘unity’ at rally as glitch cuts state TV broadcast

Vladimir Putin has praised Russian "unity" over what the Kremlin is calling its special operation in Ukraine during a rare public speech in the Moscow stadium that hosted the 2018 men's football World Cup final .

"The country hasn't seen unity like this in a long time," Putin said, addressing a large flag-waving crowd on Friday from a stage decked out with slogans such as "For a world without Nazism" and "For our president".

As Putin was finishing his speech, the broadcast was suddenly cut off and state television showed patriotic songs performed earlier in the day by the popular Russian musician Oleg Gazmanov. Soon afterwards, Putin's speech, which lasted about five minutes, was re-aired from the start, with the Russian leader ending his speech and walking off stage.

The Kremlin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov blamed a technical failure for the cutoff. One concertgoer told Reuters that Putin left the stage after his speech, with no interruptions having taken place.

The event officially marked the eighth anniversary of Russia's annexation of Crimea, but many of the speeches were intended to rally the country behind the current invasion of Ukraine. Moscow police said more than 200,000 people were in and around the Luzhniki Stadium, Russia's national venue which also hosted the 1980 Olympics and Manchester United's defeat of Chelsea in the 2008 Champions League final.

Many were seen waving flags emblazoned with the letter Z, which has gone from a military marking to the main symbol of public support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Reuters and a number of Russian outlets reported that state employees had been ordered to attend. Several Telegram channels reported that students and employees of state institutions were also told by their superiors to attend.