Russian President Vladimir Putin has pledged that his country will win the war it launched on neighbouring Ukraine as he addressed a party conference of the Kremlin-backed United Russia party on Saturday.
"At the moment, a great deal depends on our unity, on the courage of Russian soldiers and officers, and on every single person who is working conscientiously in their own role to contribute to victory," Putin said at the Megasport Arena in Moscow.
One month ahead of the parliamentary elections, he underlined his support for the Kremlin-backed party, which he praised as the leading force with the most experience in the country.
He and party leader Dmitry Medvedev said they were confident that Russia would win the war on Ukraine, launched by the Kremlin in 2022.
"Russia will reclaim more and more territory. Our brave army proves this time and again," said Medvedev, who is also deputy head of the National Security Council.
He described Ukraine as a vanishing "phantom state" that had already lost 20% of its territory and half its population. Millions of Ukrainians have fled the country as war refugees, he said.
Despite unprecedented external pressure, the country is moving towards victory, Medvedev said, vowing that the West would not succeed in crushing Russia.
Medvedev, a former Russian president, also denounced those who had left Russia and wished their homeland defeat in the war as "traitors." Such "cockroaches" must never be allowed to return to the country, he said.
Medvedev and Putin congratulated the thousands of delegates on National Flag Day, which they claimed is being observed in an increasing number of places across Ukraine.
In his speech, Putin claimed that the whole of Russia - the entire civil society - stood alongside the soldiers.
The address comes just a few weeks ahead of Russia's parliamentary elections, due to be held on September 18 to 20.
The anti-war party Yabloko, which enjoyed widespread support in Russia, has been struck from the ballot, after a massive surge in popularity. That leaves 10 parties on the ballot paper, all of which support Moscow's war on Ukraine.
For Putin, the Duma elections are also a form of referendum on the Kremlin's strategy. He is hoping for a high turnout.
He also aims to show that Russia - unlike Ukraine - holds elections even in times of war, having frequently criticized Kiev for this reason.
This election differs to Duma votes in the past as, for the first time, people in the Russian-controlled parts of the annexed Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya are being called upon to vote too. This is a bid by Moscow to further cement its illegal annexation of the territories.