President Vladimir V. Putin, amid protests at home and growing tensions abroad, said Russia’s response would be “asymmetric, fast and tough” if forced to defend its interests. …
Putin’s speech had been widely anticipated, with about 100,000 Russian troops massed on Ukraine’s border and Ukraine’s president warning openly of the possibility of war. Some analysts had speculated that Mr. Putin might use his annual state of the nation address to announce a pretext for sending
