President Vladimir Putin congratulates Russians, reveals New Year secret

Moscow: Thanking all Russians for their "victories, achievements, understanding and trust" in 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday wished "peace and prosperity" for all citizens and that they will be able to fulfil their dreams and "good intentions",

In a televised New Year's address, he also revealed the "secret" of how all may become something of a magician on New Year's Eve for those nearest and dearest to them, EFE news reported.

"We simply need to treat our parents with love and gratitude, care for our children and families, respect our colleagues at work, nurture our friendships, defend truth and justice, be merciful and help those who are in need of support. This is the whole secret," the Russian leader explained.

Putin acknowledged that 2016 was "a challenging year" in reference to the economic difficulties that his country is experiencing, in addition to sanctions imposed by the West on Moscow due to the Ukrainian crisis.

"It was a challenging year, but the difficulties we faced have brought us together and allowed us to discover our enormous resources for moving forward," the Russian leader said.