President Putin, on Tuesday, nearly a year after authorizing an invasion that led to the worst standoff with the West since the height of the Cold War, briefed Russia’s elite on the crisis in Ukraine.

These are some of the most important parts of his address, which he gave to members of both chambers of parliament and military leaders and troops.

Historical Period

“I am delivering this speech at a time when we all know is a difficult, watershed moment for our nation, a time of cardinal, irreversible changes around the world, the most significant historical events that shape the future of our country and our people, and when each of us bears a colossal responsibility,” the speaker said.

GUARDING DONBAS PEOPLE

“We shall complete the duties before us step by cautious, steady step. The (people of the) Donbas have been engaged in combat since 2014, defending their right to live on their own territory and to speak their own language. In spite of the blockade, ongoing bombardment, and open hostility on the part of the Kyiv authorities, they battled and did not give up. They assumed that Russia would save them, and they anticipated this. We tried our utmost to find a peaceful solution to this issue in the interim. Despite our best efforts, an entirely new scenario was being planned behind our backs as we painstakingly sought to negotiate a peaceful resolution to this extremely challenging situation.”

HOSTAGE OF WEST

“The Ukrainian people have practically been occupied by the Kyiv administration and its Western rulers in the political, military, and economic senses, as I have already stated several times. In essence, the interests of other nations are served by the current system in Ukraine, not the country’s own.”

ECONOMIC RECONSTRUTION

“We have started and will continue to establish a large-scale socio-economic rehabilitation and development program for these new Federation subjects” (territory annexed from Ukraine). As in Crimea, we are talking about resurrecting industries and jobs in the ports of the Sea of Azov, which has again become an inland sea of Russia and creating new modern highways.
“We are talking about restoring industries and jobs in the ports of the Sea of Azov, which has again become an inland sea of Russia, and creating new modern highways, like we did in Crimea.”

EXISTENTIAL THREAT TO RUSSIA

“The elites of the West do not disguise their objective…” They want to escalate a local dispute into a worldwide war. Because we’re talking about our country’s existence, we’ll react accordingly. But they must know that Russia cannot be defeated militarily. Thus, they are increasing their information warfare against us.

WARS OF CULTURE

“They continually target our culture, the Russian Orthodox Church, and other traditional religions in our nation while distorting historical facts. Look at what they do to their people: they normalize child abuse, the collapse of the family, the erosion of cultural and national identity, and perversion. Also, same-sex weddings must be blessed by priests… As was reported, the Anglican Church intends to consider the concept of a gender-neutral God. Millions of Westerners know they are being guided into a serious spiritual catastrophe.

“It is clear that the West will attempt to weaken and splinter our society, relying on national traitors who always have the same poison — hatred for their fatherland — and a desire to make money by selling this poison to those who are willing to pay for it,” the author writes.

COMMENTS ABOUT THE UNITED STATES

“I want to emphasize that the United States has more military installations abroad than any other nation. Across the world, there are hundreds of them.

“They have publicly announced their withdrawal from important arms treaties including the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. The basic accords that uphold international peace were unilaterally destroyed by them. How come they did this? only because they were able to.”

THE ECONOMY OF RUSSIA

“They (Western nations) seek to put the (Russian) people through hardship (via sanctions), but their projections did not come true. On the contrary, Russian management and the economy were far stronger than anticipated.

“Several fundamentally civic areas of the home economy have expanded production rather than diminished. Almost 150 million tons of grain, including over 100 million tons of wheat, were gathered by Russian farmers, a record yield. By June 30th, 2023, the agricultural year will conclude, and we will be able to export 55–60 million tons of grain overall. That appeared like a fairy tale and an unattainable goal even ten or fifteen years ago…

“People who impose penalties are actually punishing themselves. They’ve brought about price increases, job losses, and an energy catastrophe. And we hear them accusing the Russians of being at fault to their own people. Russia’s administrative structure and economy have proven to be considerably more durable than the West anticipated.”