Russia s Putin Issues Warnings Amid Military Buildup, Pro-Navalny Protests – WSJ

MOSCOW President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would deliver a swift and harsh response to any foreign threat, a warning that comes amid a vast Russian military buildup at the border with Ukraine and a growing protest movement at home.

Mr. Putin s remarks, in his annual state of the nation address, showed the Russian leader taking a harder line against his perceived adversaries as domestic criticism coalesces around the fate of jailed opposition activist Alexei Navalny.

The Kremlin critic, whom some Moscow officials have described as a foreign agent, has been on a hunger strike for more than three weeks and is now in critical condition, according to his team. Protesters gathered in Moscow and other cities Wednesday to demand his release.

via www.wsj.com