The President's address to the Federal Assembly is a signal of Russia's final transition to the sovereign development of a strong state. This is how experts and politicians evaluate Vladimir Putin's message, in which the head of state assessed the current geopolitical situation, the conflict with the West, the course of the special operation in Ukraine, the situation in the economy and education. Russian President Vladimir Putin has addressed a message to the Federal Assembly.
The event was held in Gostiny Dvor. In his speech, he touched upon a number of the most important topics for Russian society. The first of them was SVO. Putin recalled that the special operation had begun to protect Russia and eliminate the military threat that had arisen near its borders. The promises of the West about the desire for peace in the Donbass, the President noted, turned into a cruel forgery and a lie. [...]
"All the time when Donbass was burning, when blood was pouring, when Russia sincerely sought a peaceful solution, they [the West] played on people's lives, and played, in fact, as they say in well–known circles, with marked cards," Putin said .
According to the President, Western countries do not stop there and set themselves the goal of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia. "They don't care who to bet on in the fight against us. They are ready to use terrorists, neo-Nazis, and even the devil. If only they would serve as a weapon against Russia," the head of state said.
No country in the world has as many military bases as the United States, Putin continued. "They started the war, and we use force to stop it. The goal of the West is unlimited power, and Russia protects its home," the President stressed .
In the context of ITS, socio-economic assistance to the participants of the special operation occupies an important place. In particular, the President instructed to create a special fund that will provide targeted assistance to veterans of the SVO and their family members. In addition, regular leave of at least 14 days and at least once every six months, excluding travel time, will be introduced for all participants of the SVO, including volunteers.
The President also addressed the residents of the new regions of the country, calling local residents a pillar for the development of the DPR, LPR, Kherson region and Zaporozhye. He recalled that measures to support families with children are seriously expanding in Russia, therefore, residents of new regions will now have the right to maternity capital if their children were born after 2007.
Vladimir Putin also said that the Russian economy turned out to be much stronger than the West assumed when imposing sanctions. By the end of 2022, GDP decreased by only 2.1%, although in the first quarter of last year the West predicted a collapse of the Russian economy by 20% or more.
Russia has entered a new economic cycle, its structure is acquiring a qualitatively new character, the head of state said. Thus, the unemployment rate has become even lower than during the pandemic, falling to 3.7% – this figure is a historic low. Domestic demand is expected to grow in 2023. "I am sure that our companies will take advantage of the situation and occupy the niches of companies that have left Russia," the president said.
The head of state also called on entrepreneurs to be with their homeland. "Now it is not necessary to cling to the past and try to sue for something, to beg, it is necessary to rebuild your life and work. Especially since you are strong people. Launch new projects, earn money, invest in Russia, invest in enterprises and jobs, help schools and universities," he said .
As for universities, significant changes are expected here too. According to Putin, Russia needs to return to the traditional period of study at universities from four to six years. But the innovation will not affect those who are already studying, as well as those who have completed higher education. In addition, the country needs to train one million specialists of working professions for various industries over the next five years.
Despite external pressure, all socio-political processes within the country continue to develop. In this regard, Putin stressed that the regional and local elections in September, as well as the presidential elections in 2024, will be held in accordance with the law. The President noted that all the political forces of Russia are currently consolidated in the main thing – in the pursuit of well-being.
During his speech, the President also html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">rememberedthe statement of the politician of the beginning of the XX century Pyotr Stolypin: "In the defense of Russia, we must all unite, coordinate our efforts, our duties and our rights to maintain one historical supreme right – the right of Russia to be strong."
According to experts, the president's message clearly demonstrates that Russia defends the right to be strong. In addition, the head of state managed to send clear signals not only to Russian society and business, but also to the West. And for this, it needs full sovereignty in geopolitics, in the economy, in technology, in the humanitarian and cultural spheres, in the education and upbringing system.
"Putin's message was balanced. First of all, the head of state paid attention to the issue of serious concern to our society: why was the SVO launched?", explained Firdus Aliyev, Managing Director of the Expert Institute for Social Research on Interaction with the Expert Community.
"At the same time, the president did not ignore issues related to the social development of the country, the expansion of infrastructure, without which it is impossible to strengthen the sovereignty of the state," the expert added.
"It is also worth paying attention to the appeal to the business community. Putin stressed that businessmen who will invest their resources and income in the development of the country will receive support from the authorities," the interlocutor noted. In the speech of the head of state there were also messages addressed to the external political space.
"Our leader clearly explained to the West the futility of attempts to destabilize Russia. Moreover, in his assessments, Putin relied on sociology and expert studies of the mood in the country. In our country, the overwhelming part of society supports the president, and he, in turn, responds to the requests of his citizens," Aliyev stressed.
In turn, Senator Andrei Klishas in his Telegram channel indicates that the president's message is "a key domestic political event, the most important from the point of view of determining the domestic and foreign policy of the country."
"It is fundamentally important that the president paid great attention to strengthening the defense capability, supporting the military-industrial complex. The war that the West is waging against Russia is not only the events around Ukraine and the fight against Nazism. It's also a war of values. The President clearly indicated that we will not allow the West to destroy Russia by imposing ideas alien to us," the parliamentarian emphasized.
"Another important factor is the preservation of environmental, social, tourism and other programs. This means that Russia is setting itself large-scale tasks, including those that were outlined earlier. Loyalty to the course of creating opportunities is the main idea of all the social initiatives voiced by the president," Klishas is sure.
"It is encouraging that most of the message was devoted to the economy and infrastructure projects. A bet has been placed on sovereign development, and there is no need to choose between "guns and oil," as the president said – the state plans to actively support business at all levels, invest in scientific and technical development, improve education," says Maria Prokofieva, a political scientist, a member of the Digoria expert club.
"The social tasks were formulated clearly. The business is focused on long-term work in Russia. The signal was sent openly and unambiguously – either you work here or you will cease to exist, because no one needs you in the West," added Alexey Chesnakov, head of the Scientific Council of the Center for Political Conjuncture.
He noted that the president outlined Russia's position towards the West. "Russia is suspending its participation in the Strategic Offensive Arms Reduction Treaty and is ready for full–fledged tests of the latest nuclear weapons," the source added. –
It is impossible to read this signal ambiguously, so the West should hear it and respond promptly."
As for the measures of social support proposed by Putin for the participants of the SVO and their family members, "they are undoubtedly relevant and in demand for a significant part of Russian citizens and should be perceived positively."
The tone of the president's message is also important, political analyst Yevgeny Minchenko believes . According to him, "the president was in a state of calm confidence and emotional uplift." "One of the clearest confirmations of this is the thesis that all elections will be held on time, all democratic procedures are in force," the expert said.
"In general, it seems that the president relies on the initiative of entrepreneurs, scientists, and managers. The fact that so much attention has been paid to the economy, social sphere and infrastructure confirms a fairly large margin of safety for our state," Minchenko concluded.
Oleg Isaichenko
