Putin's first address to Parliament since start of war: updates

Vladimir Putin is holding his first address to the Federal Assembly, the Russian parliament, since the start of the Ukraine War. He did not hold his annual address in 2022 despite being obliged to do so by the Constitution.

The Kremlin did not allow media from “unfriendly countries” to attend Vladimir Putin’s address, according to his spokesman Dmitry Peskov. There are no foreign attendants at the event.

Novaya-Gazeta Europe provides its readers with excerpts from Putin’s speech.

Ukraine War

The Russian president started his speech with mentioning the war in Ukraine.

He claims Russia was trying to find a peaceful solution to the conflict, “but other sides were preparing a different scenario”. According to Putin, “Kyiv was turning a blind eye to political assassinations and was trying to lay its hands on nuclear weapons”.

Putin once again accused Western counbtries of warmongering.

“Those who had planned a new attack on Donbas knew for sure that their next target would be Crimea. We understood this, and Kyiv says this openly. <…> We are protecting our people and our home,” Putin says.

He also stated that the goal of the West is “the Russian defeat” before switching to “traditional values”.

“They distort historical facts, they keep attacking the Russian culture, the Russian Church,” Putin says. “ The West also distorts the family and ethnic identity. They make paedophilia a normal thing, and their priests encourage same-sex marriage.”

The Russian president says Russia will not “square accounts” with those who “stepped aside” and did not support the war. “It is important that the Russian people assess their actions,” he noted.

The Russian leader has thanked all servicemen fighting in Ukraine, their parents and wives, as well as doctors, railroad staff, drivers, engineers, construction workers, and everyone who provides for the front.

Putin has asked everyone present to honour the memory of the people killed in the Ukraine War.

Vladimir Putin has suggested that a special aid find be set up for veterans of the Ukraine War. According to him, the organisation must provide support, medical treatment, education and training for a new job, as well as homecare and prosthetic care.

Putin has also promised additional vacation time of 14 days at least each half a year for all servicemen and volunteers.

The president has also noted that he and governors are often receiving complaints from people on the front lines regarding supplies and iving conditions, which demonstartes that “not all issues have yet been solved”.

Putin has ordered that a special programme of subsidised rental estate be set up for defence industry staff. Their rent rate is going to be significantly lower than the market one since the government will bear most of the payment, Putin says.

Economy

Despite the Western sanctions, Russia has managed to safeguard its economy, Putin claims.

“Our GDP reduced by 2.1% in 2022. We were predicted to suffer an economic meltdown in February and March last year, though.” The figure Putin provides was published yesterday evening by Rosstat.

The share of the Russian ruble in international payments has doubled and “amounted to 1/3”, he added. “We will continue to work on the formation of a secure and independent system of international settlements”, Putin says.

Many civilian sectors of the economy not only did not shrink, but also increased production, he claims.

Putin also said that Russia has also managed to reduce unemployment in 2022. According to the president, it has reached a historic low.

“The recession of the economy was only recorded Q2, and in Q3 and Q4 there was growth,” he said.

Social Policy

Putin has promised to repair roads in the provinces, to continue the free gasification programme, to increase the capacity of the Trans-Siberian Railway and the Baikal–Amur Mainline — “Siberia needs development”.

The free gasification programme will be continued, the president says. It is planned to extend it to schools, kindergartens and hospitals. Citizens will always be able to apply for connecting private houses to gas supply, the head of state says.

“Within the next ten years, 4.5 trillion rubles should be invested in the housing and communal services sector,” Putin has stated.

Putin instructed the government to expand tax incentives for the purchase of Russian high-tech equipment by companies.

Putin has also called to support medium and small businesses.

“We need to create conditions for Russians to earn and invest money inside the country,” he said.

Putin has also instructed to revise the legislation regarding economic crimes.

A philosophical digression

Putin devoted a small part of his speech to the Russian economy after the collapse of the Soviet union. According to the him, then the country began to build a market economy. Russia began to focus on the West as a source of raw materials. The new Russian businesses were aimed at extracting quick money: the sale of oil, gas, and wood.

More complex sectors of the economy developed poorly. It took years to reverse this trend, Putin says.

“We have achieved change and success. However, we must take into account the situation in which our big businesses developed. Cheaper financial sources, technologies are all in the West. Capital began to flow there. Instead of expanding production here, in Russia, funds were spent on estates and yachts abroad, ”the president says.

Putin says it was difficult for the state to anticipate such a development of the situation.

“The image of the West as a “safe haven” turned out to be fake. The West took away even legally earned funds,” the president says.

Russian entrepreneurs have always been and will remain second-rate strangers for the West, Putin says. “Purchased count titles will not help”, Putin says.

Putin calls for investing in Russian enterprises and jobs. “This way you can earn the recognition of people for generations to come,” he notes.

Civil society

The 2023 Russian regional elections and the 2024 presidential election will be held abiding by all Constitutional procedures, Putin promises.

Local governance plays a major role in strengthening the civil society, president says.

“Those who were born and raised in the Donbas should become the main pillar in the revival of these regions <…> Combat teaches people valuable lessons, and they are ready to lay down their lives for the fatherland,” he says.

Education, science, and culture

Putin has instructed to expand the programme of housing certificates for young scientists. The president also calledto use new approaches in personnel training and to upgrade the scientific and technological development of the Russian Federation.

Scientists need to be given more freedom for research, the president says.

One million blue-collar jobs need to be prepared in five years to ensure Russia’s security and competitiveness, Putin says.

Treaty on the reduction of strategic offensive potentials

NATO demanded to return to the treaty on the reduction of strategic offensive potentials with inspection access to our nuclear facilities at the beginning of February of this year, Putin claims, calling this “absurd.”

“They want to inspect our defence facilities. This sounds crazy. We are not allowed to carry out full-fledged inspections on their side. Our applications remain unanswered or they are rejected on formal grounds. We can’t really check anything on the other side,” Putin said.

Russia suspends its participation in the New Start treaty, Putin says.

“Washington is thinking about testing nuclear weapons. New types of nuclear weapons are also being developed in the US. We must be ready to test our nuclear weapons. Of course we will not do this first. But if the US tests, we will test too,” Putin said.