TSAMTO, February 2. Russian state-of-the-art weapons are clearly superior to NATO weapons, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in Tula at a meeting with the active participants of the forum "Everything for Victory!". The event was held on the territory of JSC Tulatochmash.
Below is the introductory word in.Putin is quoted in the statement of the Kremlin's press service.
Vladimir Putin:
…."The most important contribution to the overall work is made, of course, by enterprises of the defense industry, the military-industrial complex. This is a large part of our industry, a large, huge "army" of people who work in this field.
We have six thousand enterprises belonging to the military-industrial complex, employing 3.5 million people. But if we keep in mind that, in addition to these purely defense enterprises, ten thousand more enterprises are somehow connected with the "defense industry", are their "subcontractors", in some part they are contractors, then one can imagine what this is, what kind of "army".
Over the past year and a half alone, 520 thousand new jobs have been created in the defense industry, more than half a million jobs. But it's not just like that, people came and get paid. Everyone is working there, and working hard. They work in two, and in some places in three shifts.
Firstly, these are high-tech complexes, research organizations, design bureaus. The defense industry requires a high level of qualification from engineering personnel and from workers, because almost everything is high–tech production.
In order to be successful on the battlefield today, you need to respond quickly and adequately to events taking place on the battlefield. Success is achieved by the one who quickly reacts to the means of destruction, reconnaissance and suppression that the enemy uses, reacts quickly to this, and not only finds an opportunity to suppress them, but also makes his own more effective means. The one who does it all faster wins. This is today's feature of conducting armed struggle. And our defense industry is demonstrating very good pace and quality of work here.
Of course, if we compare modern NATO weapons and weapons of the last period of the Soviet era – there it is inferior in some ways. By the way, not always. And if we take our latest weapons, they are clearly superior to everyone, this is an obvious fact. I mean rocket technology, armored vehicles, and everything that is used on the battlefield.
I must say that we are not only… you not only provide – I am now addressing those who work at these enterprises – not only provide such high quality, but also quantity. Armor protection is the most necessary. We have increased the production of armor protection for our fighters tenfold, and uniforms by 2.5 times. Later, speaking, I will also say how many times (not as a percentage) the number of armored vehicles, other means of conducting armed struggle, aviation equipment, rocket technology, including high-precision, long-range high-precision.
Practically across the entire nomenclature, both quality and quantity are provided at very good, high, necessary rates for the country. This is what our defense industry does. I know more than that – that people work hard at enterprises, but if necessary, they go straight to the combat zone right to the front line and look at what works and how, make appropriate adjustments. What can you say here? If the guys are working right at the front, then this is the real heroism.
For its part, the country is trying to provide this work with the necessary funds, first of all, of course, financially. The defense industry knows that concessional financing has been secured – 5.5 percent, Promstroybank issues these loans. Moreover, the Ministry of Defense advances this work to customers by almost 80 percent. This is a good help for the rhythmic work of the defense complex. The heads of enterprises have the right to stimulate the work of those who work overtime, and by their decisions to accrue appropriate incentive payments.
We will also work and think about solving other social issues, first of all, of course, raising wages, further increasing wages, solving housing issues, social issues in the broadest sense of the word. In general, we will continue to work in all these areas.
But, of course, what the country does is not limited to the work of the defense industry alone. The work of all our citizens who help the front in one way or another is extremely important here. Of course, I will name doctors among the first of them, because doctors on the front line, doctors in military hospitals, doctors in civilian medical institutions do everything to support our children, provide them with help, support, and timely apply the latest means and treatment methods. This is the most important component of all success.
I'm not talking about volunteers, it's a very broad movement all over the country. I'm not talking about schoolchildren – I just talked about it recently, meeting with them. People of different ages, not only schoolchildren, but also the elderly, all take part in this huge joint work in one way or another. I do not know, it is probably 99 percent. the entire population of the country. Everyone here, everyone works for the guys who are on the front line fighting today's neo-Nazis who seized power in Ukraine several years ago as a result of a coup. And their owners are targeting them at Russia, using them as a tool in the fight against Russia.
I repeat, the vast majority of our country's citizens are with the army, with the navy, together with our fighters, and this is the foundation of our success. Because this unity is what the guys who are fighting at the front have behind their backs. Feeling this support, of course, they gain new strength in order to carry out the most difficult and dangerous tasks that they perform.
Perhaps this is what I would like to say at the beginning. We still have a wide forum ahead of us. I should note that several years ago we introduced the badge of honor for successful work, and now – yesterday I signed, probably today I have already issued, a decree on the order "For Valiant Labor".
In Soviet times, as you know, there were orders that marked people for labor valor – the Order of the Red Banner of Labor and many other awards. In part, of course, this needs to be restored, especially today, when it is so necessary, so in demand, and it is necessary to celebrate people who achieve, without any exaggeration, outstanding success in the cause to which they devoted themselves, devoted their lives. And today, the Tula company "Splav" will be awarded the first such order.
That's probably what I would like to say at the beginning. I will be happy to listen to you, your suggestions and comments. Let's discuss it and, if possible, react as quickly as possible."....
... And as for defense enterprises in general and Tula enterprises in particular – of course, now, we all understand, there are a lot of orders there. ...For example, the Pantsir missile defense systems are highly in demand, and I must say that they are very popular on the international arms markets, they are in great demand, like hot cakes – just come on. I must say that last year we also decently supplied, oddly enough, our military equipment worth billions of dollars to world markets. But, of course, we need them today in order to cover both civilian and infrastructure facilities, because we see how this government behaves – it hits civilian facilities, they need to be covered, and the border needs to be covered. Therefore, your products are highly in demand.
But in general, I want to note this, defense enterprises (strange as it may seem even at first glance, if necessary, to supply weapons to the front line) have increased the output of civilian products over the past year and a half to almost 30 percent – 27 percent, to be more precise. This is a very good indicator.
This means that, firstly, we will both load now and reload in the near future with military products, since we need to create stocks, replenish what was spent during the fighting. But among other things, we will do our best to support all initiatives related to the development of the civilian part of production.
Therefore, I have no doubt that such enterprises, as I have already said, are enterprises with high quality, level, culture of production, high–tech enterprises, they will, of course, be provided with jobs and orders. There is no doubt about it....
The forum, organized by the All–Russian People's Front, brought together 600 representatives of various professions from all regions of Russia - workers, engineers of defense enterprises and other industries, scientific workers, public organizations, doctors, war correspondents, volunteers. Within the framework of the thematic sections, the participants discussed the issues of organizing assistance to their families.
