Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a state-organised concert on Wednesday, hailed the country's ongoing war effort in Ukraine by referring to the historical territorial alignments of Kyiv. Putin was addressing a crowd of tens of thousands at a Moscow stadium as the country marked the Defender of the Fatherland Day holiday.

Putin has repeatedly invoked Ukraine's past territorial alignments under the Russian Empire as well as the Soviet Union, in what many interpreted as the Russian leader's justification to invade Ukraine. 

"I have just been hearing from the highest military command that at this very moment there is an ongoing fight on our historical lands, for our people. It is led by similarly brave fighters like the ones standing beside us here right now," he said while pointing to the military personnel present at the venue. 

"Today, defending our interests, our people, our culture, language and territory, our entire nation is the defender of our Fatherland," Putin said.

"I bow to all of you," he added.

Following a play of the Russian national anthem, the crowd in the stadium chanted "Russia!" as Putin shook the hands of the military personnel on the stage.

"When we are together, no one can be our equal. For the unity of the Russian nation!" Putin said.

Putin's Wednesday appearance comes up after the Russian leader's state-of-the-nation address a day before. On Tuesday, Putin vowed to continue the war and blamed NATO's expansion as the causal reason which he said forced Moscow into launching 'special military operations' in Ukraine. 

The Russian media reported that the crowd at Moscow’s Luznhniki Stadium waved Russian flags and gave muted applause between performances and speeches. However, most of the attendees were employees of state-run institutions. A report in The Moscow Times said that a state institution forced 70 per cent of its workers to go to Wednesday's concert.

(With inputs from agencies)