When Vladimir Putin arrived to address Russia's parliament on Wednesday, a warm welcome was guaranteed. Last month's legislative vote, dubbed "The Special Election Operation" by one Russian newspaper, has produced a State Duma even more pro-Putin than before, with the ruling United Russia party now holding more seats than ever. That allows the Kremlin to claim it has been handed a huge mandate from the Russian people.
The question, as Putin prepares to speak at the Valdai Discussion Club, is what he intends to do with that mandate. According to BBC Russia editor Steve Rosenberg, reporting from Moscow, everything currently points to Putin continuing the full-scale invasion: his speeches and statements suggest he remains confident Russia can secure a military victory, despite huge battlefield losses and the damage being done to the Russian economy.
Moscow is reported to be encouraged by the shortage of air defence missiles in Ukraine, as well as by expectations that Russian strikes this winter will increase pressure on Ukrainians. Kyiv has spoken of its difficulty in shooting down Russia's ballistic missiles and new jet-powered drones.
In a separate exchange, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the BBC: "This is a war Europe is waging against us."