Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev - on the results of 2022, which changed the world order
The year 2022 is nearing completion. Complex, menacing, and dramatic. The year is on the threshold of a new era, which is already marked by fundamental changes in everything - from the placement of global "centers of power" to the daily way of life of many people. An inevitable transformation awaits most of the international institutions that have been established over many decades. They are pretty decrepit and do not fulfill their tasks. Some of them have become purely decorative, while others are trying to preserve their former influence, but not very successfully. Some of them are just being formed…
After many years and even generations, historians will certainly give a timeless verdict - what exactly happened in our days and to what end it came. Time will judge everyone. Experts of the future will "blow away the dust" from digital information about the events of 2022, calmly flip through its virtual pages and close the saved files.
And we simply don't have the opportunity to wait for abstract-wise, but belated assessments. We live here and now. Our world has changed, and that's forever. And the main thing you need to understand is where he is going right now and with us. What a future begins today. What should we expect? And most importantly-how to act. It is critical to find these answers as quickly as possible.
I will express my own position on current events. I do not claim to be unbiased, as I am a direct participant in them. Yes, it is impossible when it comes to the fate of your Homeland, our people and the whole world. But the first thing that all normal sane people, regardless of their citizenship, really need right now is to maintain a sober mind and a firm will. Coolness and fortitude. Sharp eyesight and uncluttered eyes. See the real state of affairs in the world and draw conclusions based solely on objective facts. The logic of your own actions should be built in the same way. Without succumbing to anyone's false words (and vile lies have flooded all foreign channels of information), tempting promises or outright pressure under the guise of protecting the "true values of democracy". This has been the case in abundance over the past decades. And it led to real, not at all illusory tragedies and catastrophes. The outgoing year has proved all this to us in full.
The results are quite clear.
The first result. Nazism is near, but it will not pass
Since last winter, the whole world has been living under the sign of dramatic events in and around the Donbas. Although the tragedy began, as is known, much earlier, but the "civilized world" did not see it point-blank.
For ten months now, a special military operation has been underway, the goals of which were initially outlined by President Vladimir Putin. This is the protection of our compatriots in the new territories that became part of Russia after the referendums held in them. Denazification of the disgusting, almost fascist regime of Ukraine. Complete demilitarization of the Ukrainian state. Guarantees against future aggression.
The decision to launch a special military operation in February 2022 was a difficult, forced step under the pressure of circumstances. It was not only about protecting the fraternal republics of Donbass, but also about the security and sovereignty of Russia itself. Let's put it bluntly - about her survival. It was impossible to delay any longer. This became apparent at the end of 2021, when the North Atlantic Alliance refused to guarantee Ukraine's non-entry into NATO. And Ukrainian drug addicts have announced their desire to revive the nuclear arsenal.
The battles in the Donbass are not just for settlements, whose names have become symbols of the resilience, patriotism and courage of our soldiers and officers today. The special operation is a continuation of our long-standing irreconcilable struggle against bastard neo-fascism and nationalism in all its manifestations. We fight back against any attempts to humiliate and destroy entire nations in favor of group self-interest. Black paint and blood - rewrite history. Ultimately, and today it is also obvious to our enemies, we will limit our development and then divide our country into parts. This is the ultimate plan of all those who oppose us. Yes, they do not hide it anymore. Directly, without hesitation, they say: "Russia must be destroyed."
The first thing that all sane people need is to draw conclusions based on objective facts
The saddest result of not even a year, but decades that have passed since the collapse of the Soviet Union, is that the lessons of World War II are completely forgotten by Western states. Neo-Nazism has found support even in countries that have always declared their rejection of Hitler's ideology, whose historical memory is full of pain, shame and anger. We could not stand to see the odious nationalist regime of the heirs of Konovalets, Bandera and Shukhevych, with the support of its curators, trying to reduce to zero not only Russia, but the entire "Russian World", to which hundreds of millions of people proudly consider themselves.
We will make all necessary efforts to achieve all the goals of the special military operation. And the disgusting regime of Kiev nationalists ceased to exist. Today, no one else can cope with this mission except us.
The second result. Illusions are over, today we are separated from the Western world much more than we are united by
The past year has really been a turning point. Like a knee, he broke, among other things, the last illusions about the modern Western world, which so likes (and quite wrongly) to call itself the "golden billion". Now it is finally clear that in the relations of independent and sovereign states with the Anglo-Saxon world in the current configuration, there can be no question of trust, hope for the decency of partners, their loyalty to the word and even their own beautifully stated principles. Alas, but we have no one to talk to and negotiate with in the West now, there is nothing to talk about, and there is no need. It was the events of the past year that annulled the very possibility of a trusting and respectful dialogue with representatives of this global "pole". All that remains is a squeamish bewilderment: and these people seriously consider themselves world leaders, claim to be something global, and dream of dictating their will to others? On what grounds, if they discredited themselves, signed in powerlessness, lied, got bogged down in problems?
The deeds and actions of current and former Western leaders are striking with calm and direct cynicism. As the former German Chancellor recently admitted, the Minsk agreements signed in 2014 were just a screen masking the true intentions of the West. They were started to "give Ukraine time to become stronger" and increase its military power. That is, they were originally conceived in order to prepare for a bloody war. What the neo-Nazis in Kiev did - with the full connivance or direct help of "civilized Europeans". Unfortunately, we then trusted our partners, not expecting them to betray us directly and openly work to destroy our country. I remember very well the NATO - Russia Council meeting at the highest level in Lisbon in 2010, which I attended as President of the Russian Federation. At that time, the members of the alliance assured us that we did not pose a threat to each other and were ready to work together for the overall security of the Euro-Atlantic region. The expansion of NATO to the East and the preparations for confrontation, in fact-for war with Russia, did not stop for a minute. Endless muddy streams of cynical lies.
There is also a general crisis of confidence in the so-called developed countries and the legal institutions they have created. For the sake of political interests, it turns out that it is easy to scrap the fundamental principles of legal relations. Such as the inviolability of private property and the rule of international law. Legitimate Western politicians are trying to confiscate Russian assets "without trial" - that is, simply steal them. And sanctions regimes against us and our allies are imposed with the stroke of a pen by narrow-minded Washington functionaries and their European vassals. All this is the last signal to all other states: from now on, you can't have anything to do with the Anglo-Saxon world. As with a thief, a crook, a card cheat, from whom you can expect anything.
For years, maybe decades ahead, normal relations with the West can be forgotten. It's not our choice. Now - we will do without them, until a new generation of reasonable politicians comes to power there. We will be careful and vigilant. We will develop relations with the rest of the world. Fortunately, it is very extensive and treats us normally.
The third result. The epidemic of Russophobia requires treatment with strong means
And 2022, and at least eight previous years, if we count down from the "Crimean Spring", were marked by the growth of wild, irrational Russophobia in the Western world. Another acute relapse of this contagious bad disease in the West occurred in recent years.
In terms of time, it partially coincided with the pandemic of a real deadly infection - the coronavirus, with the decline of the world economy, the breakdown of ties between states, the logistics crisis, and the aggravation of social problems. Other negative trends, which made themselves felt even without any pandemic, had an even greater impact. In order not to be responsible for the obvious mistakes of their own, it was necessary to revive the main enemy. Rally your ranks in the fight against it, while simultaneously getting rid of indecisive or dissident partners. This is exactly what the Western world did. Moreover, one-seventh of the landmass already annoyed him greatly with its development. It grew, strengthened, did not listen to the "right advice" and stubbornly went its own, quite successful way.
The framework of traditional decency after the introduction of illegal, absolutely boorish sanctions against our country should no longer restrict us in any way in choosing ways to protect ourselves
Currying favor with the "masters" and due to their lack of intelligence, the Kiev regime is desperate to "ban" not only any contacts of its citizens and businesses with Russia. But also any "Russian spirit", Russian culture-even the one that has rightfully become a world classic. In Ukraine, monuments to Russian writers and military leaders are being demolished, and the streets of Pushkin are being named after the scumbag Bandera. They outlaw the Russian language in schools and in everyday life, and put Russian books under the knife. What a familiar handwriting - only concentration camps and Kristallnacht are missing. Gogol, Bulgakov, Malevich, Akhmatova, Vernadsky, and Lesya Ukrainka or Taras Shevchenko must be turning over in their graves. All this is accompanied by hysterical propaganda convulsions and calls to "punish" obstinate Russia by any means.
At the same time, the West has cynical non-medical "amnesia", as well as partial loss of "hearing" and "vision". What is being done and was being done in the territories under their control by the Nazi sucklings, sporting a uniform with a swastika on the sleeve, is bypassed with "delicate" silence, giving these scoundrels an indulgence in advance for all past and, most importantly, future torments and murders. However, what to expect from some European countries, which at some point gave rise to national socialism and fascism! They are now responsible for the revival of Nazi ideology. Apparently, the phantom pains of the lost greatness of the political class of these countries cannot be removed by the medicines of time. And although the ruling forces there call themselves leftists or Christians, in fact they are the true heirs of the NSDAP cause and the Partito Nazionale Fascista. And sooner or later - they will answer for those who were fed out of their own hands.
We've been through this sort of thing before. Each chronicle has its own backstory, especially since dirty Russophobia has deep roots. If it comes to that, then we need to remember not only the twentieth, but also the nineteenth century, when anti-Russian hysteria also raged in the world. The one that Fyodor Tyutchev called "off the chain". Let me remind you once again of his prophetic words: "Russia was simply offered suicide, the renunciation of the very basis of its existence, the solemn recognition that it is nothing but a wild and ugly phenomenon in the world, an evil that requires correction..."Suicide or reprisal did not take place either in the last century or in the last. Not after the First and Second World Wars or the collapse of the Soviet Union. Today, Western countries are once again calling for our country to be multiplied by zero. Well, let the strained screamers get hoarse before they shit their pants.
It is impossible to trample on Russia, and with it the "Russian World", split it or subordinate it to the will of others. The prodigal hands of the Anglo-Saxons and other countries, "sworn to darkness", were short even in the most difficult times for us. It won't work now either.
The fourth result. The West has put itself in a cage. Let him sit in isolation
As Vladimir Putin recently noted, our world has entered a period of revolutionary transformations, and they are of a fundamental nature. New development centers are being formed that represent the majority of the world community and are ready not only to declare their interests, but also to protect them.
What is happening is a direct consequence of the systemic crisis in the West, especially in the United States itself. It's not just a matter of slowing economic growth and technological progress, or a crisis in all governance systems. The problem is broader. There is a global ideological and philosophical collapse of the Western worldview, its model of the world order. In modern realities, this is especially noticeable.
In the early 1990s, a well-known American publicist, F. Fukuyama hastened to proclaim the coming of the "end of history" as a continuous series of wars and confrontations between two world systems, the liberal West and the communist East. Because of the death of the USSR, the fight is over, he thought. However, Fukuyama's forecast failed miserably. The West's dreams of a unipolar world where one can rule and dictate one's will undividedly have not come true. Moreover, in modern conditions, the West is not able to offer the world any new ideas that can lead humanity forward, solve global problems, and ensure collective security. A curious metamorphosis is taking place. In earlier times, the term "iron curtain" meant the blockade of undesirable countries or their associations, which had to be isolated in one way or another from the rest of global society. Now it is obvious that the Western world is gradually turning into a besieged fortress, the entrances to which it tightly closes with walls (by the way, often quite real), locks and concrets from the inside. He puts himself in a cage - while the rest of the world lives quietly in the wild. That's where he goes. Let him stay on the reservation.
Meanwhile, the global economic system is sinking deeper and deeper into the abyss of uncertainty, into a crisis of unprecedented proportions. Even the 2008-2009 financial storm was overcome relatively quickly by developed countries. But now the situation is fundamentally different. The inflation rate in the US and in the euro area literally breaks through the "bottom" of pessimistic forecasts: this is 8-10%, respectively, with GDP growth of 2%. Not to mention the various runaways from Eastern Europe or the Baltic States, where inflation has skyrocketed over 20%.
We can only sympathize with ordinary citizens of EU countries. Their fiery slogans about solidarity with Ukraine will not warm the house, you will not fill them in the gas tank of the car. All the "infernal sanctions", blockades and other restrictions are borne on their shoulders by those who now have to pay insane utility bills or fuel. Take on the maintenance of Ukrainian refugees and give them jobs. Go through crisis after crisis through the fault of their own politicians, who ignore the questions - why all this agony? Who ended up feeling worse? Why is the relative winner, as usual, only America? Their citizens understand that poverty and uncertainty are very long-lasting. And there is no joy in this-reports from street protests appear daily on the news feeds of Europe.
The main problem is that the West is destroying the fundamental principles of the market economy with its own hands - without which it can forget about its development and partnership with anyone. Endless bans and exceptions to generally accepted rules, especially in the field of trading in petroleum products, have already led to the creation of a giant "gray zone" on the world market, where operations are carried out without regard for the powerful. Under pressure from politicians, new rules are being introduced in the financial sector, and businesses are once again forced to look for workarounds for settlements.
Alas, but we have no one to talk to and negotiate with in the West now, there is nothing to talk about, and there is no need. It was the events of the past year that annulled the very possibility of a trusting and respectful dialogue
I'm not even talking about the technological and information blockade, which is designed to restrict access to high technologies for all potential US competitors. It is obvious that states that have been subjected to some degree of illegal sanctions or restrictions by Washington and other Western countries will try to circumvent all these prohibitions. Acting quietly or, on the contrary, boldly, regardless of international rules, without taking into account any interests of developed countries, including denying them the protection of their intellectual property. We still have to learn all this. And the framework of traditional decency after the introduction of illegal, absolutely boorish sanctions against our country should no longer restrict us in any way in choosing ways to protect ourselves. Including any use of the rights and property of economic entities from unfriendly countries. We have the right to do with their assets whatever we deem appropriate based on our law.
Things should be called a spade a spade: the United States professes neocolonialism, the unrestrainedness of which would make even R. Kipling blush and fade away with his "white man" gonor. They are still trying to pretend that the whole world is their colony, dictate bonded conditions, behave without regard to law and morality, and rob at every turn. What is worth at least the situation around the "grain deal", which literally made money for large American companies that bought up farmland in Ukraine? At the same time, the stated goal of preventing famine in the poorest countries, where grain and fertilizers are exported from Russia and Ukraine, was never actually achieved (only about 3-5% of such cargo reaches them in the end). Even worse are the countries where the United States has sought to establish supposedly liberal and democratic orders. It always ends, if not with bloody coups, then with a deep systemic crisis and decline in all spheres. Libya, Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan are the bitterest victims of American "democratic missionary work" ... geopolitical tensions are constantly escalating.
The United States has not yet lost the habit of doing business in its favorite primitive cowboy style: "if you don't like the way the table is set, knock it over." But each time they encounter more and more strong resistance from those who do not want to obey. China, India, and the Middle East are strengthening their positions in the global market. Latin America and Africa are absolutely not eager to obey the dictates of the United States. Russia has enough partners and like-minded people on these continents, with whom we are currently conducting an intensive dialogue. At the end of this year, I had a lot of talks with the leaders of a number of such States. And each of my interlocutors invariably confirmed their rejection of the methods used by Washington and its allies on the world stage.
Realizing this, the United States and NATO are multiplying numerous "umbrella" structures that should rally around the "right" foundations. Such as the Eastern Partnership, Crimean Platform, AUKUS, and others. At the same time, the naked eye can see the contradictions in the camp of allies: Washington and London, using the situation in Ukraine, seek to weaken Europe and its industrial sector, reduce the economic influence of Germany and the military power of France. And also-to drive a wedge between China and EU members, to disrupt the plans of long-term (and profitable) partnership of such countries with interstate structures and unions that are not included in the orbit of US influence.
Several macro-regions are being formed in the world-each with its own internal rules and logic of development, but generally set up for partnership and dialogue, not for confrontation
In general, the interests of virtually all major Western states today are at odds with each other, no matter how fervently they assure the public of the opposite and create the appearance of unity. As N. M. Karamzin wrote, albeit about a completely different time, " these giants, driven by an inner restlessness of the spirit, strive from the difficult to the most difficult, destroy people and demand the names of the great from them as a reward." But sooner or later the alliances of big and strong Western countries will cease to exist. There is plenty of friction right now, even in the face of the "common enemy" that has traditionally been designated Russia. There may be several options for the future development of events. It is most likely that several macro-regions will form in the world-each with its own internal rules and logic of development, but generally set up for partnership and dialogue, rather than confrontation. And the entire system of international relations will become not only multipolar, but also multi-layered, based on the principles of benevolent non-interference. This will significantly weaken the influence of leading international structures. But at the same time, it will strengthen the security of such macro - regions, which is a clear blessing.
Some of the European states will try to maintain their independence as much as possible. A separate topic is how countries such as Poland, for example, will get out of their own traps - a model of impotent anger and rare rabid Russophobia, dependence and manageability. Even in this country, it is already recognized that the bet on an endless confrontation with Russia has brought Warsaw to a dead end. One of the local politicians recently remarked with bitter irony:: "Poles hate Russia more than they love Poland." The Baltic States have also put themselves in the stupidest position. Provincial narrowness, rudeness, habits of thieving lackeys-this is their political style, from which even the rest of Europe cringes. Apparently, in the near future, social explosions in these states will lead to an inevitable change of power.The new world will be ready to cooperate with the West-but only on the principles of equality and mutual respect. It will take strength and political will not to break down in this confrontation. And it will go on for a very long time. But in any case, sovereign states no longer accept attempts to impose on them the principles of a world order tailored according to American patterns. A clear awareness of this truth is also one of the results of the past year.
New agreements on disarmament are currently unrealistic and unnecessary. The sooner we receive maximum security guarantees that suit our country, the sooner the situation will return to normal
The fierce rivalry between the West and the rest of the world will continue to grow. Contradictions between recent allies in the anti-Russian bloc will also increase. In the future, these countries will gradually change their economic and energy systems. There will also be new reserve currencies. Russia will have to take its own special place in the new world, relying on new rules of partnership and cooperation with friendly states. And do everything possible to ensure their security, independence and sovereignty in key areas, from finance to science.
The fifth result. There will be no apocalypse yet
"The world is dangerous not because some people do evil, but because some people see it and do nothing," the great physicist A. Einstein wrote at the time. A scientist and humanist who found it impossible to remain within the same borders as Hitler's Nazis. And - as a brilliant analyst - long before the outbreak of the Second World War, he sensed its approach and announced it publicly. Einstein and many others were ignored at the time. Many people are now talking about the "premonition of the Third World War" or even its beginning (as Pope Francis did recently). As well as about the second coming of Nazism to Europe. But, alas, with the same effect.
By the end of 2021-the beginning of 2022, the situation escalated to the extreme limit, actually reached the last edge, after which - a global catastrophe. The collective West, represented by the United States and its European allies, is doing its best to support the insane Kiev regime. It supplies them with weapons, trains mercenaries, and pours huge amounts of money into the budget of an unpredictable and corrupt state.
Is the West ready to unleash a full-fledged war, including a nuclear one, against us with the hands of Kiev? Western politicians avert their eyes and hesitate to give an honest answer. But ask the residents of the city of Energodar near the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, which was hit with targeted fire, almost hitting the representatives of the IAEA with stray fragments. The shelling continues to this day. Take the statements of stoned cannabis cannibals from Kiev. These are farcical comedians who simply are not able to realize the full extent of their own responsibility for people's lives in the real world. Remember the shootings and tortures in Kherson and other places.
Nevertheless, even in the face of such serious threats, Russia has repeatedly stressed:: we are not fighting the Ukrainian people, but the Nazi scum who have taken power in Kiev as a result of a coup d'etat. At the same time, our enemies are not shy about money - they are responsible (although this word is hardly applicable to them) for thousands of destroyed homes, ruined lives, refugees and destitute people. Therefore, any negotiations with the current, puppet Ukrainian leadership became absolutely meaningless last year, as I wrote in my article published at the end of 2021.
The only thing that stops our enemies today is the understanding that Russia will be guided by the Fundamentals of the state policy of the Russian Federation in the field of nuclear deterrence. And if there is a real threat, it will act on them. The trouble is that in this case, no one will later figure out whether it was a retaliatory strike or a preemptive one. This, of course, frightens Western benefactors, who for a long time instilled in the Ukrainian political rabble the illusion of invulnerability and impunity in exchange for complete obedience. Therefore, the Western world is balancing between a burning desire to humiliate, offend, dismember and destroy Russia as much as possible, on the one hand, and a desire to avoid a nuclear apocalypse, on the other.
New agreements on disarmament are currently unrealistic and unnecessary. The sooner we receive maximum security guarantees that suit our country, the sooner the situation will return to normal. If we do not receive them, the voltage will remain indefinitely. The world will continue to teeter on the brink of World War III and nuclear catastrophe. We will do everything possible to prevent them.
The sixth result. Russia does not "survive", but lives. Develops and wins
The main outcome of the outgoing 2022 can be called the huge changes that we see today in Russia. In its economy, and most importantly-in the minds of a huge number of citizens.Now almost everything depends on our people. His steadfastness and unity, patriotism and confidence in victory, maturity of thinking and firmness of spirit. The foreign toxic foam that has formed on Russian society is gradually disappearing. I will not give a moral assessment to those who chose the new "philosophical steamer" for themselves, because I do not know the motivations of each of them. God is their judge. Of course, this does not apply to those who, in the context of a military campaign, want to defeat their country and its army. They're just traitors. And there should be no forgiveness for them.The main thing is that the process of growing up of our society is going steadily. And it is irreversible. Of course, not everyone has yet realized how much our lives have changed, what goals will be the main ones for many years to come. Shells are exploding on the front line, and some people think it's none of their business. Some people are on duty in refugee shelters and help rebuild houses destroyed by shelling, while others do not notice what is happening.
Our goal is not only to protect new territories within the Russian Federation in the near future, but also to make their lives prosperous, safe, and comfortable
However, it is clear that this year has made our society fully mobilize. Thousands of Russian citizens have volunteered for the Donbas since the first days of the special military operation. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers and officers are now undergoing combat coordination and are heroically fighting on the front line, liberating new territories within Russia from the Nazis. The selfless work of volunteers who help refugees and displaced persons, families and children of those who have been mobilized, are on duty in hospitals, and collect everything necessary for our fighters is also worthy of great gratitude. All of them are true patriots of our Fatherland, our pride and glory.
No less important is the mobilization of another, higher order. When, in the face of an external threat, in a confrontation with the enemy, under severe and unprecedented pressure, the country was able to rally in a matter of months and reach a new level of civic consciousness. This applies to all aspects of our lives. The year 2022 has changed a lot in us. I made you decide on your thoughts and feelings. He taught me to distinguish the secondary from the really important. And to appreciate is the most important thing for all of us. Courage. Mercy. Mutual assistance. Historical and family memory. Loyalty to your duty and traditions. Justice. The truth. Conscience.
Our enemies have failed to destroy our economy. In the economic sphere, a huge amount of work is currently underway aimed at restarting the most important industries that ensure the country's security and defense capability. The financial system is gradually and successfully adapting to work under sanctions. We were not able to "disconnect and cut off" from the world's infrastructure, to stifle us with bans and restrictions. The state was able to keep the foreign exchange market in balance and minimize risks on it. Inflation is kept within manageable limits - the first shock quickly faded away thanks to the clear and professional actions of key financial institutions. The strategic reorientation of the entire Russian infrastructure to the markets of friendly countries continues. Annual price growth slowed in October-November 2022. The State fully fulfills its social obligations. Salaries and pensions are indexed, and all benefits are paid.
The withdrawal of foreign companies from our market (many did so reluctantly and under obvious pressure from their governments) did not bring down the consumer sector, as we feared. On the contrary, import substitution is proceeding successfully in the segments that are most important for people. Most businesses have not changed their investment plans for the coming year.
In a short period of time, we were forced to increase the production of modern weapons, to arrange the supply of everything necessary to supply the front and rear. Sometimes, to do this, it was necessary to switch the system to "manual control" mode, achieving a clear and timely implementation of the state defense order. Now we can say that the Russian defense industry has been able to provide an adequate response to the most serious threats to the country's security. Defense factories operate steadily, weapons and products for the needs of the army are produced and delivered in accordance with the new maximum increased tasks. The volume of production of weapons and military equipment is growing continuously, day after day. We are obliged to create and will create the most powerful reserve of Russian weapons for the future!
This year, special attention was paid to issues related to the large flow of refugees and internally displaced persons from the territories of Donbass and Ukraine. They were accepted by almost all regions. On behalf of the President of the country, everything was done to support such people and give them the opportunity to return to normal life. Find your loved ones, send your children to school, and heal their physical and mental wounds. Assistance was also provided to the most vulnerable categories - families with children, the elderly, and the disabled.
Our task is not only to protect new territories within the Russian Federation in the near future, but also to make their lives prosperous, safe and comfortable. This was already the case in 2014, when Crimea became part of Russia, returning home forever. Contrary to those who dream of driving it back by force to foreign borders, he threatened and intimidated, arranged energy, water, transport, and gas blockades for "his own" people. We can see how dynamically this region of Russia is developing, with what a sense of pride its residents speak about their own today and tomorrow.
The main and indisputable thing. "We don't abandon our own people!" became the motto of the outgoing year. We will do our best to ensure that life in a large Russian family is normal and prosperous. We will give millions of people the opportunity to gain confidence in the future. We will always stand up for their rights and freedoms, language and culture, faith and hopes. This is well understood by our enemies, those who desperately and hopelessly continue to wage a hybrid war against us, trying to put pressure on us and intimidate us.
Happy New Year 2023 to all Russian citizens! All those who are close and dear to us, who are ready to go with us to meet any challenges. A low bow to our heroic Armed Forces. Russia's enemies will be defeated! The truth will prevail! The future is ours!
Rossiyskaya Gazeta-Federal Issue: No. 292(8940)
