President Vladimir Putin has delivered an address to the Russian Federal Assembly – a joint session of the two chambers of the Russian Parliament. He spoke on a wide range of issues from the economy to the newest weapons.
01 March 2018
The address has ended.
Times now favor those who are prepared to change, Putin said.
Putin said Russia’s record of cooperation with countries like China and India shows its willingness to have constructive and beneficial relations, and that were the US and Europe to seek equal partnership with Russia, Moscow would be responsive.
He suggested that the US should rethink its stance, retire warmongers and stop endangering the entire planet for the sake of its ambition. He said Russia is prepared to use its weapons – including nuclear ones – if attacked, and that nobody should think otherwise.
He concluded that Russia’s greatly boosted strategic deterrence means that all US effort to gain military supremacy had been a waste of money and effort. “Everything you wanted to stop through your policies has already happened. You failed to keep Russia down,” he said.
The president said all the new weapons would be nothing if Russia didn’t have some of the world’s best soldiers and officers, prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect their country. He mentioned Major Roman Filipov as an example.
Putin promised the technical achievements implicit in developing the new weapons would eventually find their way into civilian life. He said the fact that Russia managed to create them underscores Russia’s great mastery of science and engineering.
This is not everything Russia has to defend itself, but this is enough for now, Putin concluded. All these weapon systems are new, not some old Soviet projects Russia managed to complete. Thousands of people worked hard to bring these weapons into existence.
Russia also has working laser weapon systems, Putin said, adding that it is too early to go into details on this particular issue. The weapon is yet to be named, he said.
The glider warhead can reach the speed of Mach-20 and has high maneuvering capabilities that make it immune to all anti-missile weapons existing today, Putin added. “It’s like a fireball guided to its target,” he explained. He said the video showing the new weapon was computer-generated to keep its actual appearance secret, but assured this weapon is working and is being serially produced. The glider is called Avangard (vanguard).
Even that is not all: Still another new weapon that Russia has developed is a hypersonic gliding warhead, Putin said. He added he had personally and openly warned that Russia was working on ways to counter American anti-missile capabilities as early as 2004. But the US chose to ignore this warning and didn’t want to listen to those words. “You will listen to us now,” he said.
Another advanced weapon system Russia now has is a hypersonic missile, Putin said. The system has finished its trials and is currently deployed in pilot mode in southern Russia. The missile is launched from an aircraft and reaches a speed of Mach-10 while maneuvering to pierce through anti-aircraft systems. The weapon is called Kinzhal (='dagger') and can be fitted with a nuclear warhead. A video demonstrated the weapon’s capabilities.
Russia is yet to choose names for these two weapon systems; the global cruise missile and the underwater drone. The defense ministry encourages people to volunteer their suggestions, Putin said.
Yet another weapon is an underwater drone with great endurance and stealth capabilities, with a nuclear reactor smaller and more powerful than earlier models, Putin said. The drone can counter enemy aircraft carrier groups and attack shoreline defenses.
Another response is a new, powerful nuclear reactor which can be mounted on a sea-launched or air-launched cruise missile and greatly boost its range. The range is basically limitless, Putin said as a video was shown illustrating his words.
Russia is developing strategic missiles in response to the US withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, Putin said. Moscow objected to the US move, but Washington nevertheless went ahead. The ABM Treaty was insurance against a pre-emptive nuclear strike by either side. The US withdrawal in 2002 was a bad move, Putin said, but Russia sought ways to control the damage done by it. The US was unresponsive and all those attempts failed, Putin said.
The US arrogance stemmed from the losses this country suffered with the break-up of the Soviet Union, Putin said. Russia’s position in the 1990s was so weak that the Americans didn’t believe it could recover anytime soon, so Washington decided to achieve total military superiority, which would allow it to dictate terms in other areas.
The US continues to develop its antiballistic missile capabilities, and this undermines the value of the nuclear reduction agreements, like the New START treaty. The US is working hard on its ability to intercept missiles.
Russia’s response to this threat was to develop new and better strategic weapons, with improved counter-measures that make them harder to intercept. Russia has also developed the new heavy ICBM known as Sarmat, which is to replace the ageing missiles Russia currently has.
The capability of Sarmat was showcased in a video shown to the audience. The video showed that the missile can attack American territory not only from the north but also from the south, making it a better deterrent to American ambitions.
The address moved to security issues. Putin outlined the massive upgrade of the Russian military and the successes Russian forces achieved in Syria.
All the suggestions mentioned today are aimed at a single goal – a breakthrough in Russia's development.
Putin promised further reform of the way governmental bodies like the tax authorities or communal services interact with the people. Russia has been working on digitizing and streamlining this area, making the interaction less time-consuming and more accessible.
Putin calls for reducing the severity of punishment for economic crimes while making the criminal code tougher on crimes against the person.
Russia needs to reduce the share of state-owned businesses in its economy, Putin said. Privatizing banks, which had to be nationalized to improve Russia's banking sector, would be part of the solution.
Putin hails Russia’s record-high agricultural production this year and says the country needs to capitalize on this achievement by winning new foreign markets and developing the food industry.
Putin described his view on the sources of economic growth in the years to come, including strategic state-assisted investments, small businesses and the export of goods with high added value.
Putin outlined Russia’s macroeconomic situation, including its record-low level of inflation. He said this new reality gives businesses the certainty of long-term stability and allows them to invest into projects that take many years to realize. The people reap their own benefits, he added, in the form of cheaper bank loans.
The economic growth in Russia should be above the global average, Putin said. This is not wishful thinking; this is a goal that the government must work towards.
Russia needs to reform the rules for giving citizenship to talented and skilled people willing and able to help the country by living their lives here, Putin said.
Russia is developing several scientific centers that would have state-of-the-art instruments for fundamental research, Putin said. The government needs to provide a legislative foundation and support programs to help attract world-leading scientists, who would put those facilities to good use.
Russia has an opportunity to deploy next-generation 5G mobile networks soon, Putin said.
Putin talked at length about Russia’s education system and ways to improve it. Teaching children the skills they will need when joining the workforce is essential to Russia’s future success, he explained.
The president outlined measures to address some of the environmental issues faced by Russia, such as improving people’s access to clean water and reducing pollution in cities.
Putin talked about the reform of the national healthcare system, the accessibility of medical care in rural parts of Russia and ways to improve preventive healthcare in the country.
Russia must become one of the world’s main hubs for storing and processing big data, Putin said. He also promised heavy investment in Russia’s energy grid, internet infrastructure and satellite communications.
Icebreakers are a key component of this Arctic ambition, he added. The Russian nuclear icebreaker fleet was, is and will be the strongest in the world, Putin promised.
By 2024 the traffic through the North Maritime Route past Russia will increase tenfold, Putin predicted. Russia has to support this growth by improving its Arctic infrastructure.
Upgrading major transport lines will allow Russia to become a more important transit route for goods going between Europe and Asia, Putin said. Russia is lagging behind on this task while China is ready to boost its trade through Russia.
Putin highlighted the construction of a bridge, expected to become operational this year, connecting mainland Russia with the Crimean Peninsula. He said investing in safer and more convenient roads is an important task for the government.
Putin outlines a roadmap to facilitating the efforts of Russians to improve their living standards. This will be done through a combination of greater prosperity, cheaper bank loans and housing development projects.
Russia needs a massive program of urban development based on modern approaches and technology in architecture, transport and communication, Putin said. Developing cities and towns will bootstrap the development of rural Russia, he believes.
Putin said Russia’s goal is to boost life expectancy in the country to over 80 years.
The president went on to cite figures on the situation in Russia, describing poverty, labor structure, demographics and other key factors. The screen behind Putin showed graphs to illustrate his words.
Russia must conduct hard but necessary reforms and create a creative and free environment for its people. Otherwise its future will be lost, Putin said.
Nations need to either ride the wave of technological advancement or be drowned by it, Putin stressed. Failing in this regard will result in economic stagnation, loss of security, brain drain and other factors that may ultimately undermine a nation’s sovereignty.
Preserving the people of Russia and helping them prosper and realize their potential is the priority for the government and a necessity to ensure rapid development in the coming years, which will be marked by a technological breakthrough, Putin said.
Putin’s speech started with a compliment to Russia’s success in preserving stability and unity and overcoming challenges the country has faced lately.
Usually a presidential address focuses on domestic issues like economic growth, national security or important reforms. But Russia’s place in global affairs is also given a place in the speech.
Despite its name, the audience of the address is not limited to Russian legislators. Members of the cabinet, senior justices and important public figures are invited to listen to the speech as well. In fact, there are so many people invited this year that the event has been moved from its traditional Georgievsky reception hall in the Grand Palace of the Kremlin to the bigger building of Moscow's Manege. The new venue also has better multimedia capabilities, according to the president’s office.
On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin is addressing the Federal Assembly – a joint session of the two chambers of the Russian Parliament. The annual event is Russia’s version of the state of the union address in the US, a report by the head of the nation on how well the government performed in a year and what challenges it will face in the future.