Glitch cuts Putin speech on TV: Kremlin

It later aired the full speech, which ended a few seconds after the cutaway with Putin leaving the stage as thousands of spectators waved Russian flags at the 80,000-capacity Luzhniki stadium.

Cited by RIA news agency, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a server glitch had caused the interruption.

Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on February 24 in an effort to degrade its southern neighbour's military capabilities and root out people it called dangerous nationalists.

Ukrainian forces have mounted stiff resistance and the US and many of its allies have imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia in an effort to force it to withdraw its forces.