


Ending the Genocidal Rampage of the US/NATO/CIA Death Machine

 


Iron Dome/US/NATO ABM Shield Allow 30% to 40% of Missiles
to Pass Through
Iron Dome and the US/NATO ABM Shield Already Allowed 30% to 40% of Missiles to Pass Through от Джон Роблес на Rutube.


Russia Will Wipe the USA Off the Map

 


President Putin and the Dawn of a New Age as the Strategic Balance of the
World
Changes: Ending the Genocidal Rampage of
the US/NATO/CIA Death Machine
http://jar2com.blogspot.ru/2018/03/president-putin-and-dawn-of-new-age-as.html
https://steemit.com/putin/@jar2.com/putin-and-the-dawn-of-a-new-age-as-the-strategic-balance-of-the-world-changes-ending-the-genocidal-rampage-of-the-us
March 02, 2018 - The New World Order "Illuminati" are having kittens and
panicking as they slowly begin to realize that their reign of terror is over
and all of the influence and manipulation they hoped to achieve with
attempts at terrorizing and forcing Russia to submit to the will of the
trans Atlantic Cabal are now nothing but dust now regulated to the dustbin
bin of history.
The presentation by President Vladimir Putin to the Federal Assembly of the
new trio of weapons that Russia has developed, has done nothing short of
completely changing the strategic balance of the world on the military level
and for the West which has been attempting to take over the world by force
since 911 and since this is the only level they operate on, this means that
the days of the Project for a New American Century world takeover by force
are over.
Why is this so important?
What NATO, the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia
wanted, along with all of their Intelligence Agencies, Corporations,
financial bodies and the "elites" who control it all, was to simply go
around the world dictating to leaders, governments, countries and entire
peoples what they were to do. You and I might call this slavery and
subjugation or imperialism and colonization and these are things that we
will not tolerate, we call it an attack and the destruction of our
sovereignty and they, in their disconnected alternate realities, call it the
New World Order.
How can one weapon, one single invention, change
things to the level I have been talking about on social media and have been
writing about? In much of my earlier work I reported on and studied the
Prompt Global Strike Program of NATO and the so-called Anti-Ballistic
Missile Shield architecture, as well as hundreds of academic papers,
strategic findings, intelligence reports, blueprints, geopolitical plans,
policy papers and doctrines, such as the RAD from the PNAC NeoCons, which
still appears to be what they are channeling, and more recently the new
American Nuclear Doctrine, and it is clear that all of the thinking and
focus of the architects of the global takeover, revolves around the faulty
precept that global Hegemony can be gained through the use of force where
the victims have no recourse or proper means to defend themselves or in fact
even resist.
This same type of recidivist elitist supremacist
thinking also applies to their methods in other areas, for example the
attempts at forcing the implementation of instruments of control, such as
the TPP, which would have been a complete and total corporate coup d'état,
and the gradual forcing into acceptance of mass global genocide under Agenda
21. In short they depend on their victims having no recourse and in terms of
"defense" have no ability to fight back.
To call them cowards is nowhere near how low they
truly are, words more like larva and pond scum would be more accurate albeit
an insult to those living organisms, for these are the same demons who have
kept innocent men in an illegal torture dungeon for almost two decades now,
arrest and intimidate children, kill pregnant mothers, destroy entire
countries, legalize the murder of journalists and are as you read this,
involved in nine illegal active wars.
Their impunity to violate and ignore every single
international law, body and civilized framework and their only "strength" is
their ability to kill and commit the mass murder of huge numbers of people,
even remotely, while enjoying almost no resistance. Kind of like, if you
will, what happened in Las Vegas not long ago, only with the shooter sitting
in an armored vehicle perfectly safe and at no risk, while he is
slaughtering people at will. Take this to a grander scale and it is what we
have at the international level. Starting with Star Wars, then the ABM
shield then drones, where the killing is done from the comfort and safety of
a bunker thousands of miles away, and then space weapons and onward, the
entire cowardly thinking is not in keeping with any known rules of war or
conflict, but is completely removed from any humanly acceptable practice as
it is akin to shooting puppies in a barrel. These examples quantify Western
"Illuminati" New World Order supremacist "tactical" thinking, simplyu
committing genocide at will.
Thank God for President Putin and Russia, we now
have not only an equal and even playing field, but are now able to defend
oursleves properly and end the cowardly impunity of the NATO criminal murder
machine and mafia like state protection racket of demanding an eternal 3%-5%
GDP annually and eternal business for the MIC with compatability and weapons
upgrades to the end of time.
The recent rhetoric and propaganda operations have
been going all out to push for war. Their use of information operations and
outlets which I know they control, to push a false Russian election hacker
narrative (completely ludicrous especially you consider that in the year
2000 there was a clear and obvious coup in the US and everyone knew the
election was a fake yet there was no noise) and their attempts to say that
cyber meddling is the equivalent of an armed military attack make it clear
what the goal is, war.
Add to the Psychological Operations for the
creation of Manufactured Consent for war and all of the bellicose
rhetoric and drum beating, the number of nuclear weapons moving
around the world and surrounding Russia and the recent Nuclear Weapons
Posture Review, and it is clear they are planning for a nuclear war and the
target is Russia. However Russia's new unstoppable weapons, such as the
hypersonic rocket pictured above, which has multiple self-targeting nuclear
warheads, defacto completely ends the impunity.
The US/NATO/CIA/MOSSAD/Saudi death machine will
soon be Tango Down as factually they can now be stopped and prevented from
rampaging around t eh world waging endless war and sending dear John letters
in the form of Doctor Strangelove bombs anymore.
The strategic balance of the world has gone though
a quantative shift and in reality all NATO weapons are now obsolete, useless
and in fact pose a danger to anyone who is hosting or holding them because
now they can be taken out and the entire US/NATO military machine, through
their own actions, are now like the rampaging nazis on he Maidan and Russia
and its allies have taken over the positions of the snipers and can take
them out at will if need to be.
The strategic balance of the world has seen a
historic cardinal change the depths of which we are only beginning to
imagine. The blackmail from trans-Atlantic and Zionist states could be ended
right now. NATO's 3-5% GDP annual protection racket and expansion could be
stopped. 911 could finally be solved and the real guilty brought to
tribunals for their Crimes Against Humanity and their illegal endless wars
of domination. US war crimes, their illegal torture dungeon, endless
aggressive wars and endless meddling, regime change operations and
systematic Balkanization and destruction of entire regions can now be
stopped.
Russia could in fact literally SAVE HUMANITY!
Russia can now demand an end to the nazi junta killing civilians in Donbass
and an end to the slaughter of Palestinians and Rohingya and American
Indians! Countries may begin flocking to Russia's side and leaving the NATO
Gladio Terrorist supported protection racket because now they can really be
kept safe from the real threat to their countries people and sovereignties.
Russia does not want to dominate and rule the world, Russia seeks
multi-polarity and relations with sovereign peoples on an equal basis.
President Putin and Russia have just ended all of
the plans by the rampaging, regime changing, genocide committing, Illuminati
New World Order and allowed Russia and the World to protect themselves.
I believe in Russia and President Putin! Please
PRAY with me to give them WISDOM and the WILL to bring about PEACE and an
END to WAR forever!
Congratulations tp President Putin, Russia, all of
the brilliant SCIENTISTS who have worked in secret and we may never know
about and PEACE to you and to all of the peace-loving peoples of the
world!!!


Video from President Putin's Demonstration


Russia's New Triad Includes the Unstoppable ZIRKON
Hypersonic missile
system goes on combat duty in Russia's south
Russia’s new weapons
make US missile defense pregnable — top brass
Russia begins serial
production of new cutting-edge glide vehicle
Putin vows instant
retaliation against any nuclear attack on Russia or its allies
Putin Demonstrates New Missiles With Visualization of Nukes Hitting
Mar-a-Lago
Putin declares
creation of unstoppable nuclear-powered missile
Russia has developed missiles no other country possesses, says Putin
http://politinform.su/oruzhie-i-boevaya-tehnika/4-rossiyskoe-giperzvukovoe-oruzhie-uzhasnulo-ssha.html
Сурков предложил назвать новое вооружение РФ "Гиви"
http://3mv.ru/54026-54026-giperzvukovoe-oruzhie-rossii-legko-preodoleet-pro-ssha.html
   


New Weapons
Named 032318



Russia's New Triad: You are invited to submit your proposal on their names
http://mil.ru/vote.htm



RUSSIA FEED: Six New Weapons Putin Revealed in his State of the Nation
Address
Title- 6 new weapons Putin revealed in his State of the Nation address
March 04, 2018 - RUSSIA FEED
By far the greater part of President Putin’s State of the Nation address on
1st March 2018 was devoted to economic issues. However inevitably it was the
part of his address which touched on new weapons systems which attracted the
most attention. Here they are::

(1) Sarmat heavy ICBM(1) Sarmat heavy ICBM
This is the best known of the new strategic nuclear weapons systems that
President Putin touched on in his State of the Nation address. In fact we
have discussed it previously.
Here is what President Putin had to say about it:
Sarmat will replace the Voevoda system made in the USSR. Its immense power
was universally recognized. Our foreign colleagues even gave it a fairly
threatening name.
That said, the capabilities of the Sarmat missile are much higher. Weighing
over 200 tonnes, it has a short boost phase, which makes it more difficult
to intercept for missile defence systems. The range of the new heavy
missile, the number and power of its combat blocs is bigger than Voevoda’s.
Sarmat will be equipped with a broad range of powerful nuclear warheads,
including hypersonic, and the most modern means of evading missile defence.
The high degree of protection of missile launchers and significant energy
capabilities the system offers will make it possible to use it in any
conditions…..
Voevoda’s range is 11,000 km while Sarmat has practically no range
restrictions.
As the video clips show, it can attack targets both via the North and South
poles.
Sarmat is a formidable missile and, owing to its characteristics, is
untroubled by even the most advanced missile defence systems.
Sarmat’s range has previously been disclosed to be 17,000 km. Putin says it
weighs 200 tonnes – roughly the same as its predecessor Voevoda – and double
what had been reported previously.
One aspect of the Sarmat which Putin did not touch on is that it may have
revived a 1960s Soviet concept referred to in the US as ‘FOBS’ (‘Fractional
Orbital Bombardment System’).
The idea behind FOBS was that an ICBM would place its nuclear warheads in
low earth orbit from where, after orbiting for a short time, they would fall
upon their targets on earth.
Such a system would have no range limit, whilst the orbital flight path of
the warheads would not reveal the target location.
It would allow a path to North America over the South Pole, hitting targets
from the south, which is the opposite direction to the one from which US
early warning systems are oriented.
Putin’s references to the Sarmat having “practically no range restrictions”
and being able to “attack targets via the North and South Poles” suggests
strongly that it uses a FOBS system.
If so then there is a huge irony to this.
The Outer Space Treaty of 1967 was supposed to ban nuclear weapons being
placed in earth orbit. However the US government – presumably because at
that time it had a FOBS programme of its own – decided that FOBS did not
violate the Outer Space Treaty because a FOBS warhead was technically not in
orbit as it did not make a complete cycle of the earth.
FOBS was then supposed to be banned by the SALT II Treaty agreed by US
President Carter and Soviet President Brezhnev in 1979. However the SALT II
Treaty was never ratified by the US Senate, and never came into legal force.
The US therefore had two opportunities to ban FOBS in 1967 and 1979, and
passed up both.
The result is that with the coming of Sarmat it now quite possibly faces the
prospect of having such a system deployed against it, which had it been less
intransigent in pursuing its weapons programmes it might have prevented.
Needless to say, a nuclear warhead falling upon the US from space and coming
towards the US from any direction is effectively impervious to interception
by any of the missile defence systems the US has created or is planning.
The two next systems which President Putin discussed appear to use shared
nuclear reactor technologies. They are a nuclear powered cruise missile and
a nuclear powered underwater drone.

(2) Nuclear powered cruise missile
Here is what President Putin had to say about this system
Russia’s advanced arms are based on the cutting-edge, unique achievements of
our scientists, designers and engineers. One of them is a small-scale
heavy-duty nuclear energy unit that can be installed in a missile like our
latest X-101 air-launched missile or the American Tomahawk missile – a
similar type but with a range dozens of times longer, dozens, basically an
unlimited range. It is a low-flying stealth missile carrying a nuclear
warhead, with almost an unlimited range, unpredictable trajectory and
ability to bypass interception boundaries. It is invincible against all
existing and prospective missile defence and counter-air defence systems. I
will repeat this several times today.
In late 2017, Russia successfully launched its latest nuclear-powered
missile at the Central training ground. During its flight, the
nuclear-powered engine reached its design capacity and provided the
necessary propulsion.
Now that the missile launch and ground tests were successful, we can begin
developing a completely new type of weapon, a strategic nuclear weapons
system with a nuclear-powered missile……
You can see how the missile bypasses interceptors. As the range is
unlimited, the missile can manoeuvre for as long as necessary.
The key breakthrough is in miniaturising a nuclear reactor so that it can be
fitted inside the engine of a cruise missile with dimensions similar to
those of the US Tomahawk and the Russian Kh-101 cruise missiles.
This is a revolutionary breakthrough which – as President Putin says – gives
Russia’s subsonic cruise missiles effectively unlimited range.
This incidentally negates any advantage the US might obtain by siting land
based cruise missiles in Europe as it did in the 1980s.
In the 1980s the USSR had no effective counter since whilst US land based
cruise missiles based in western Europe could reach the territory of the
western USSR, Soviet land based cruise missiles based on Soviet territory or
in eastern Europe could not reach the territory of the continental United
States.
With the imminent deployment of a Russian nuclear powered cruise missile
with unlimited range – and therefore capable of reaching the continental
United States from Russian territory – that advantage has now gone.
As President Putin says a subsonic nuclear powered cruise missile is
moreover essentially invulnerable to the anti ballistic missile system the
US is currently deploying.
However though small and stealthy cruise missiles are difficult targets,
they are not immune to interception.
The effectiveness of these missiles may therefore depend on how many of
these missiles Russia can build?
If it can build large numbers of them then it is possible that US defences
might become overwhelmed. However that depends on the cost of the nuclear
motor.

(3) Nuclear powered underwater drone
The existence of this drone has been known about for some time, ever since
November 2015 in fact when the existence of this drone (referred to as
“Status-6”) was briefly – and perhaps intentionally – disclosed by Russian
television.
Here is what Putin had to say about it
Now, we all know that the design and development of unmanned weapon systems
is another common trend in the world. As concerns Russia, we have developed
unmanned submersible vehicles that can move at great depths (I would say
extreme depths) intercontinentally, at a speed multiple times higher than
the speed of submarines, cutting-edge torpedoes and all kinds of surface
vessels, including some of the fastest. It is really fantastic. They are
quiet, highly manoeuvrable and have hardly any vulnerabilities for the enemy
to exploit. There is simply nothing in the world capable of withstanding
them.
Unmanned underwater vehicles can carry either conventional or nuclear
warheads, which enables them to engage various targets, including aircraft
groups, coastal fortifications and infrastructure.
In December 2017, an innovative nuclear power unit for this unmanned
underwater vehicle completed a test cycle that lasted many years. The
nuclear power unit is unique for its small size while offering an amazing
power-weight ratio. It is a hundred times smaller than the units that power
modern submarines, but is still more powerful and can switch into combat
mode, that is to say, reach maximum capacity, 200 times faster.
The tests that were conducted enabled us to begin developing a new type of
strategic weapon that would carry massive nuclear ordnance.
The purpose of the drone when launched against the continental United States
would appear to be to create a tsunami wave 500 metres tall, which apart
from causing massive loss of life would also radioactively contaminate a
large area of the US coast.
It is assumed that in its nuclear tipped form the drone carries a large
thermonuclear cobalt warhead of up to 100 megatons – twice the power of the
so-called ‘Tsar Bomb” detonated by the USSR in 1961 – which would be by a
very great distance the most powerful nuclear warhead ever built.
Here is how Wikipedia describes the drone
It appears to be a torpedo-shaped robotic mini-submarine which can travel at
speeds of 185 km/h (100 kn).[7][10][13] More recent information suggests a
top speed of 100 km/h (54 kn), with a range of 10,000 km (5,400 nmi; 6,200
mi) and a depth maximum of 1,000 m (3,300 ft).[14] This underwater drone is
cloaked by stealth technology to elude acoustic tracking devices.[10] Its
size appears to be 1.6 metres in diameter, and 24 metres long.[8] The
warhead shown in the leaked figure is a cylinder 1.5 meters in diameter by 4
meters in length, giving a volume of 7 cubic meters. Comparing this to the
volumes of other large thermonuclear bombs — the 1961 Soviet-era Tsar Bomba
itself measured eight meters long by 2.1 meters in diameter — indicates that
the yield is at least several tens of megatons, generally consistent with
early reports.
As Wikipedia rightly says, the indiscriminate nature of this weapon system
when used in its nuclear tipped form means that it is intended to be a
weapon of last resort intended to inflict maximum damage upon an enemy in
case Russia’s land based missile arsenal is disabled by a first strike.
Two further points can be made about this drone.
The first is that its nuclear reactor almost certainly shares technologies
with that used in the engine of the nuclear powered cruise missile discussed
above.
The second is that President Putin’s words show that it also comes in a form
with a conventional warhead, and that in this version it is intended to be
used as an anti-carrier weapon.

(4) Aircraft launched Kinzhal hypersonic missile
It has been know for some time that Russia is developing long range
hypersonic missiles, and President Putin provided details of one of them
Countries with high research potential and advanced technology are known to
be actively developing so-called hypersonic weapons. The speed of sound is
usually measured in Mach numbers in honour of Austrian scientist Ernst Mach
who is known for his research in this field. One Mach is equal to 1,062
kilometres per hour at an altitude of 11 kilometres. The speed of sound is
Mach 1, speeds between Mach 1 and Mach 5 is called supersonic, and
hypersonic is above Mach 5. Of course, this kind of weapon provides
substantial advantages in an armed conflict. Military experts believe that
it would be extremely powerful, and that its speed makes it invulnerable to
current missile and air defence systems, since interceptor missiles are,
simply put, not fast enough. In this regard, it is quite understandable why
the leading armies of the world seek to possess such an ideal weapon.
Friends, Russia already has such a weapon.
The most important stage in the development of modern weapons systems was
the creation of a high-precision hypersonic aircraft missile system; as you
already know for sure, it is the only one of its kind in the world. Its
tests have been successfully completed, and, moreover, on December 1 of last
year, these systems began their trial service at the airfields of the
Southern Military District.
The unique flight characteristics of the high-speed carrier aircraft allow
the missile to be delivered to the point of discharge within minutes. The
missile flying at a hypersonic speed, 10 times faster than the speed of
sound, can also manoeuvre at all phases of its flight trajectory, which also
allows it to overcome all existing and, I think, prospective anti-aircraft
and anti-missile defence systems, delivering nuclear and conventional
warheads in a range of over 2,000 kilometres. We called this system Kinzhal
(Dagger).
President Putin’s description makes it clear that this is an aircraft
launched hypersonic standoff (ie. long range) missile, with the carrier
aircraft being presumably Russia’s current TU-160 and TU-95 strategic
bombers and Russia’s prospective PAK-DA stealth bomber.
President Putin says that development of this missile is complete and that
it is already on flight test with aircraft of the Southern Military
District, presumably at Engels airforce base in southern Russia.
President Putin gave a range for the Kinzhal – which may share technologies
with the pending Zircon hypersonic anti ship missile – of 2,000 kilometres,
and gave it a speed of Mach 10.
If the Kinzhal is indeed about to enter service as President Putin says –
and there is no reason to disbelieve him – then it will be the first
strategic hypersonic standoff missile to enter service with any military.

(5) Avangard hypersonic projectile
This is a completely different and much more advanced hypersonic weapons
system than Kinzhal.
Here is what President Putin had to say about it
A real technological breakthrough is the development of a strategic missile
system with fundamentally new combat equipment – a gliding wing unit, which
has also been successfully tested……
……I am pleased to inform you that successfully completed experiments during
these exercises enable us to confirm that in the near future, the Russian
Armed Forces, the Strategic Missile Forces, will receive new
hypersonic-speed, high-precision new weapons systems that can hit targets at
inter-continental distance and can adjust their altitude and course as they
travel. This is a very significant statement because no country in the world
as of now has such arms in their military arsenal…..
Unlike existing types of combat equipment, this system is capable of
intercontinental flight at supersonic speeds in excess of Mach 20.
As I said in 2004, in moving to its target, the missile’s gliding cruise
bloc engages in intensive manoeuvring – both lateral (by several thousand
km) and vertical. This is what makes it absolutely invulnerable to any air
or missile defence system. The use of new composite materials has made it
possible to enable the gliding cruise bloc to make a long-distance guided
flight practically in conditions of plasma formation. It flies to its target
like a meteorite, like a ball of fire. The temperature on its surface
reaches 1,600–2,000 degrees Celsius but the cruise bloc is reliably guided.
For obvious reasons we cannot show the outer appearance of this system here.
This is still very important. I hope everyone understands this. But let me
assure you that we have all this and it is working well. Moreover, Russian
industrial enterprises have embarked on the development of another new type
of strategic weapon. We called it the Avangard.
We are well aware that a number of other countries are developing advanced
weapons with new physical properties. We have every reason to believe that
we are one step ahead there as well – at any rate, in the most essential
areas.
Unlike Kinzhal this system is clearly still in development.
President Putin’s description of it makes it clear that unlike Kinzhal this
is a projectile not a missile ie. it glides to its target at hypersonic
speed (Mach 20) and is not powered by an onboard motor. Though President
Putin did not release any picture of what it would look like, it probably
somewhat resembles the caption picture, which supposedly illustrates a
similar Chinese system.
Probably the launch system for Avangard is the new heavy Sarmat
intercontinental ballistic missile, with Avangard possibly being launched
from near earth orbit.
In other words Avangard appears to be an advanced hypersonic warhead for the
Sarmat, though it should be said that President Putin’s words were –
intentionally – somewhat vague about it.
Avangard’s advantage over FOBS is that it is a manoeuvring warhead with a
longer and more flexible range than a FOBS warhead. Conceivably it could
also be used with a conventional warhead for example to attack carrier
groups.
That the Russians have been working on a hypersonic glide warhead vehicle
has been known about for some time, and it is known that work on such
systems is also underway in the US and China.
President Putin’s comments suggest that the Russians believe their system is
further advanced in development than the parallel systems being developed in
the US and China.

(6) Laser weapons
President Putin spoke of ‘laser weapons’ being already in service with the
Russian military. However when referring to these weapons he gave almost
nothing away
We have achieved significant progress in laser weapons. It is not just a
concept or a plan any more. It is not even in the early production stages.
Since last year, our troops have been armed with laser weapons.
I do not want to reveal more details. It is not the time yet. But experts
will understand that with such weaponry, Russia’s defence capacity has
multiplied.
Those interested in military equipment are welcome to suggest a name for
this new weaponry, this cutting-edge system.
Of course, we will be refining this state-of-the-art technology.
These words do not make it clear whether these laser weapons are strategic
or tactical weapons. Nor did the accompanying video, which showed a laser
weapon being deployed from a trailer, make clear their purpose. Possibly
they are some sort of anti aircraft or anti satellite system.
President Putin’s presentation has provoked a mixture of incredulity and
ridicule in the US, with claims that the weapons systems he unveiled do not
exist or that Russia cannot afford them, and that his presentation was a
bluff.
This is despite President Putin’s warning that his presentation is not a
bluff
Now we have to be aware of this reality and be sure that everything I have
said today is not a bluff ‒ and it is not a bluff, believe me ‒ and to give
it a thought and dismiss those who live in the past and are unable to look
into the future, to stop rocking the boat we are all in and which is called
the Earth.
In fact apart from the laser weapons and the nuclear powered cruise missile
all of the weapons systems President Putin spoke about in his State of the
Nation address have previously been discussed in open literature.
Thus the fact that the Russians were developing a hypersonic warhead glide
vehicle, a nuclear powered underwater drone, a hypersonic standoff cruise
missile, and the new Sarmat heavy ICBM, were things that were already
previously known and talked about.
The Pentagon has even confirmed Russian tests of some of these systems: for
example the underwater drone is known to have been tested in 2016 in the
Arctic seas.
These systems do involve important technological breakthroughs, but the one
area where the Russians appear to be farthest ahead of the West – and where
President Putin’s presentation today will cause the Pentagon the greatest
concern – is in Russia’s success in miniaturising nuclear reactors to the
point where they can be used to power Tomahawk sized cruise missiles.
Rosatom – Russia’s giant state owned corporation which directs Russia’s
nuclear industry – is known to be at the forefront of nuclear reactor
technology, and the Russians have a long history of developing and building
small nuclear reactors, as for example in their ocean reconnaissance
satellites of the 1980s and – reputedly – in their current Sarov submarine,
so skepticism about President Putin’s claim that they have developed a
nuclear reactor small enough to fit into the engine of a Tomahawk sized
cruise missile is unwarranted.
A nuclear reactor small enough to fit inside the engine of Tomahawk sized
cruise missile could in theory also be used in engines to power civil and
military manned aircraft, giving them effectively unlimited range.
The Soviets did in fact experiment with a nuclear powered bomber (the
TU-95LAL) in the early 1960s.
However concerns about the effectiveness of reactor shielding for the crew
and about the environmental effect of an accident put paid to the idea of
nuclear powered aircraft in the 1960s, and despite the huge technological
advances since then the same concerns would almost certainly defeat any
project for a nuclear powered manned aircraft today.
As to the affordability of these weapons, the reality is that apart from the
Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle warhead – which has its analogues in the
US and China, and which Russia was previously known to be developing – none
of the weapons systems discussed by President Putin in his State of the
Nation address look especially expensive.
Probably the most costly of these systems apart from Avangard is the Sarmat
intercontinental ballistic missile, which uses technologies with which the
Russians are highly experienced.
In summary, these are real weapons or – in the case of the still being
developed Avangard – real programmes, and there is no reason to doubt that
they will all shortly be deployed with the Russian armed forces, just as
President Putin says.


Presidential Address to the Federal Assembly - A New Strategic Balance
http://kremlin.ru/events/president/news/56957
http://www.jar2.com/Files/Russia/PUTINSPEECH.txt
http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/56957


March 02, 2018 - FULL TEXT IN ENGLISH
http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/56957
The presentation of the Address was attended by Federation Council members,
State Duma deputies, members of the Government, leaders of the
Constitutional Court and Supreme Court, governors, speakers of the
legislatures of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, the
leaders of traditional religions, public figures, including the heads of
regional civic chambers, as well as the leaders of major media outlets.
* * *
President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Citizens of Russia, members of the
Federation Council and State Duma,
Today’s Address is a very special landmark event, just as the times we are
living in, when the choices we make and every step we take are set to shape
the future of our country for decades to come.
It is at such turning points that Russia has proven, time and again, its
ability to develop and renew itself, discover new territories, build cities,
conquer space and make major discoveries. This unwavering forward-looking
drive, coupled with traditions and values, ensured the continuity in the
thousand-year-long history of our nation.
We have gone through major challenging transformations, and were able to
overcome new and extremely complex economic and social challenges, preserved
the unity of our country, built a democratic society and set it on the path
to freedom and independence.
We ensured sustainability and stability in almost all areas of life, which
is critical for a huge and multi-ethnic country like ours with its complex
federative structure and diversity of cultures, with historical divides that
are still alive in people’s memory and major challenges Russia had to face
over the course of its history.
However, sustainability is the foundation of development but not its
guarantee. We have no right to allow a situation when the stability that has
been achieved would lead to complacency, all the more so as many problems
remain unresolved.
Today, Russia ranks among the world’s leading nations with a powerful
foreign economic and defence potential. But we have not yet reached the
required level in the context of accomplishing our highly important task and
guaranteeing people’s quality of life and prosperity. But we must do this,
and we will do this.
As I said in the past, the state’s role and positions in the modern world
are not determined only or predominantly by natural resources or production
capacities; the decisive role is played by the people, as well as conditions
for every individual’s development, self-assertion and creativity.
Therefore, everything hinges on efforts to preserve the people of Russia and
to guarantee the prosperity of our citizens We must achieve a decisive
breakthrough in this area.
I repeat, a solid foundation has been created for this. Therefore, we can
now set and accomplish new tasks. We already have substantial experience in
implementing ambitious programmes and social projects. The Russian economy
has proved its resilience, and the current stable macro-economic situation
opens up new opportunities for surging ahead and maintaining long-term
growth.
Finally, the world is now accumulating a tremendous technological potential
making it possible to achieve a real breakthrough in improving the people’s
quality of life and modernising the economy, the infrastructure and state
governance and administration. How effectively we will able to use the
colossal potentialities of the technological revolution, and how we will
respond to its challenges depends on us alone. In this sense, the next few
years will prove decisive for the country’s future. I reiterate, these years
will be decisive.
I will tell you why. What I will say now has no connection to the domestic
political cycle or even the presidential election. No matter who is elected
President, each Russian citizen and all of us together must be able to see
what is going on in the world, what is happening around us, and what
challenges we are facing.
The speed of technological progress is accelerating sharply. It is rising
dramatically. Those who manage to ride this technological wave will surge
far ahead. Those who fail to do this will be submerged and drown in this
wave.
Technological lag and dependence translate into reduced security and
economic opportunities of the country and, ultimately, the loss of its
sovereignty. This is the way things stand now. The lag inevitably weakens
and erodes the human potential. Because new jobs, modern companies and an
attractive life will develop in other, more successful countries where
educated and talented young people will go, thereby draining the society’s
vital powers and development energy.
As I have said, changes concern the entire civilization, and the sheer scale
of these changes calls for an equally powerful response. We are ready to
provide it. We are ready for a genuine breakthrough.
My confidence is based on the results we have achieved together, even though
they may seem modest at first glance, as well as on the unity of Russian
society and, most importantly, on the huge potential of Russia and our
talented and ingenious people.
In order to move forward and to develop dynamically, we must expand freedom
in all spheres, strengthen democratic institutions, local governments, civil
society institutions and courts, and also open the country to the world and
to new ideas and initiatives.
It is high time we take a number of tough decisions that are long overdue.
We need to get rid of anything that stands in the way of our development and
prevents people from fully unleashing their potential. It is our obligation
to focus all resources and summon all our strength and willpower in this
daring effort that must yield results.
Otherwise, there will be no future for us, our children or our country. It
is not a question of someone conquering or devastating our land. No, that is
not the danger. The main threat and our main enemy is the fact that we are
falling behind. If we are unable to reverse this trend, we will fall even
further behind. This is like a serious chronic disease that steadily saps
the energy from the body and destroys it from within step by step. Quite
often, this destructive process goes unnoticed by the body.
We need to master creative power and boost development so that no obstacles
prevent us from moving forward with confidence and independently. We must
take ownership of our destiny.
Colleagues,
What should be our priority? Let me reiterate that I believe that the main,
key development factor is the well-being of the people and the prosperity of
Russian families.
Let me remind you that in 2000, 42 million people lived below the poverty
line, which amounted to nearly 30 percent – 29 percent of the population. In
2012, this indicator fell to 10 percent.
Poverty has increased slightly against the backdrop of the economic crisis.
Today, 20 million Russian nationals live in poverty. Of course, this is much
fewer than the 42 million people in 2000, but it is still way too many.
There are even working people who have to live very modest lives.
For the first time in our recent history, the minimum wage was equated with
the subsistence level. This provision will come into force on May 1, 2018,
and will benefit about 4 million people. This is an important step but it
still falls short of offering a fundamental solution.
We need to upgrade the employment structure that has become inefficient and
archaic, provide good jobs that motivate people, improve their well-being
and help them uncover their talents. We need to create decent well-paid
jobs. This would help deliver on one of the key objectives for the next
decade, which is to guarantee sustained long-term real income growth, and to
reduce the poverty rate by at least one half over the next six years.
It is our moral duty to provide all-round support to members of the older
generation, who have made a tremendous contribution to national development.
Senior citizens must have worthy conditions for a long, active and healthy
life. Most importantly, we must raise pensions and index them regularly, so
that they outpace inflation. We will also strive to reduce the gap between
the size of pensions and pre-retirement wages. And, of course, we must raise
the quality of healthcare and social support for senior citizens and help
people who are alone and those facing problems in life.
We need to address all these issues using a comprehensive approach. As I see
it, the future new Government will have to draft a special programme for the
systematic support of senior citizens and for improving their quality of
life.
We consider every person important and valuable. People need to know that
they are needed, and they must live a long and healthy life and enjoy their
grandchildren and great-grandchildren. They need to see their children grow
up and become successful in a powerful, rapidly developing and successful
country that is attaining new development levels.
Russia must firmly assert itself among the five largest global economies,
and its per-capita GDP must increase by 50 percent by the middle of the next
decade. This is a very difficult task. I am confident that we are ready to
accomplish it.
Of course, life expectancy is a highly important fundamental parameter for
gauging the well-being of citizens and the country. In 2000, Russia posted a
life expectancy of just over 65 years, with men’s life expectancy falling
below 60 years. This is not just low, it is a tragedy, and this parameter is
tragically inadequate.
In the past few years, Russia has been posting a major increase in average
life expectancy levels, which is among the highest in the world. We have
managed to accomplish this task. Life expectancy levels have increased by
over seven years and now total 73 years. But, of course, this is not enough
either. Today, we must set an entirely new goal. By the end of the next
decade, Russia must confidently join the club of countries posting a life
expectancy of 80-plus years, which includes Japan, France and Germany.
At the same time, life expectancy levels for people living a healthy, active
and full life, when they are not hampered and pinned down by illness, must
grow faster than planned. I am confident that we can achieve this goal,
considering the positive trends of the previous years. For this purpose, the
whole of Russia will have to make a quantum leap in its development, so that
the life of every person is transformed.
Colleagues,
We need to create a modern living environment and transform cities and
villages across the country. In doing so, we must make sure that they
preserve their identity and historical heritage. We already have positive
experience in renovating the urban environment and infrastructure. Let me
elaborate on this point. Cities like Kazan, Vladivostok and Sochi have
already benefited from upgrades of this kind. Change is underway in many
regional capitals and smaller cities. Overall, we now know how to do it.
I propose launching a large-scale spatial development programme in Russia,
which would include developing cities and other communities by at least
doubling spending in this area over the next six years.
It is obvious that the effort to develop cities and other communities goes
hand in hand with the need to overcome challenges in other areas, including
healthcare, education, environment and transport. Initiatives in all these
segments will require additional funding. I will talk about this matter
further in my Address.
Urban renovation should be supported by the introduction of state-of-the-art
construction technology and materials, modern architectural solutions,
digital technology for social services, transport and utilities sectors.
Among other things, this would make the housing and utilities sector more
transparent and efficient, so that people receive quality services at a
reasonable cost.
This large-scale project brings the promise of better economic and social
development prospects, a modern living environment, and a favourable climate
for cultural and civil initiatives, for small businesses and start-ups. All
this would facilitate the emergence of a large and creative middle class in
Russia.
Of course, a lot will depend on municipal and local authorities and whether
they will be receptive to new ideas. The ability to respond to the diverse
needs of various generations, including families with children, retirees and
people with disabilities, will also be instrumental. People must have a
decisive say in the future of their cities and villages. We have discussed
this many times, including at meetings with heads of municipalities. Today,
I am not saying it just to check the box. I ask you to bring it to the
attention of decision-makers at all levels.
It is important that the development of cities becomes the driving force for
the whole country. Russia is a country with a vast territory, and its
active, dynamic life cannot be concentrated in several metropolitan cities.
Big cities must distribute their energy, and serve as a support for the
balanced, harmonious spatial development of the whole of Russia.
Therefore, there is an urgent need for an appropriate modern infrastructure.
I will return to this later. However, it is obvious that developed utilities
is what will enable residents of small towns and villages to take advantage
of all the opportunities and modern services that are available in big
cities, and smaller towns will be closely integrated into Russia’s single
social and economic space. At the same time, we will support initiatives
that will help our small towns and villages to preserve their cultural
identity, to re-discover their unique potential in a new way.
Particular attention will be paid to the social and infrastructural
development of rural areas. Russian agriculture has already become a
globally competitive industry. Therefore, people who work for this success
should live a comfortable and modern life.
Colleagues,
I understand how important it is for everyone, for every family, to have
their own house, their own home. I know this is the problem of problems in
Russia. It lingers from decade to decade. How many times governments
promised and tried, sincerely tried to resolve it. But we can and must do it
now.
In 2017, three million families in Russia improved their living conditions.
Now we need to reach a stable level (I emphasise this: it is the first time
in the history of modern Russia) – to a level where at least five million
families improve their housing conditions annually. This is a difficult task
– to jump from three million to five. We reached 3.1 million last year, but
we need to make it five. Yet, it is an attainable goal.
I see three key factors for increasing the affordability of housing. The
first is the growth of people’s incomes. I have spoken about this in the
past, and we must ensure this. Next, a decrease in mortgage interest rates
and, of course, an increased supply in the housing market.
I would like to remind you of something that few people remember, which is
that only 4,000 mortgage loans were issued in 2001. Only 4,000. The interest
rate was as high as 30 percent, including on foreign currency loans. By the
way, half of the mortgage loans were issued in foreign currency. Few people
could afford to take out mortgage loans then. Last year, the number of
mortgage loans almost reached one million. In December, the average interest
rate on ruble loans for the first time decreased to below 10 percent.
We know, of course, that loan terms are individual and may differ from one
borrower to another. But we must continue to lower the average interest rate
to 7–8 percent. We held long discussions on the figure I should say here. I
am sure that the target figure should be 7 percent. In the next six years,
mortgage loans must become accessible to the majority of Russian families,
working people and young professionals.
Here are some more figures. In the 1950s through 1970s, we annually built
approximately 60 million square metres of housing a year. The figure rose to
70 million by the late 1990s. Now we annually build around 80 million square
metres of housing every year. We built even more housing in some years, but
the average figure is 80 million. We must move forward and reach new heights
in this sphere, that is, increase the volume of housing built every year
from 80 million to 120 million square metres. This is an ambitious but
realistic goal, given new technologies, the experience our construction
companies have accumulated, as well as new materials. The rise from 80 to
120 million square metres is what we need and can achieve. I will tell you
why: if we want 5 million families to receive new housing every year, we
must reach the figure of 120 million square metres.
Those who invest their money in housing projects must be securely protected.
We should gradually proceed from unit construction to project financing,
when developers and banks, but not people, shoulder the risks.
I also propose revising the personal property tax. It must be fair and
affordable.
Some people, including those in this hall, tried to convince me that this
tax should be based on the market value of property. They told me that using
obsolete valuation by the Technical Inventory Bureau is an anachronism. But
it turned out in reality that cadastral value, which should be comparable to
market value, often exceeded it by far. This was not the agreement. And the
people did not expect this from us.
We must revise the mechanism for calculating the tax and also the
calculation of the cadastral value of property. One way or another, it must
not exceed the real market value. All decisions regarding this must be taken
without delay in the first six months of this year.
Colleagues,
We must penetrate the whole country with advanced communications to develop
cities, towns, to enhance business activity and to meld together Russia’s
entire territory.
The Crimean Bridge will open to cars in just a few months and to trains next
year. This will stimulate the development of Crimea and the entire Russian
Black Sea region.
We have overhauled federal roads. Now we must modernise regional and local
routes. I am not going to talk about the figures now, but I know them. It is
a fact that federal roads have mostly been renovated. The situation is
somewhat worse with regional roads, and it is completely unacceptable with
local roads. I address this to regional and city heads: you must constantly
focus your attention on the roads. You must improve the quality of road
construction using advanced technology and solutions, infrastructure
mortgage loans and life cycle contracts.
Of course, another critical task is to improve safety on the roads and to
decrease the mortality rate in road accidents to the minimum.
Overall, in the next six years, we must almost double the spending on road
construction and repairs in Russia and to allocate more than 11 trillion
roubles for this from all sources. This is a lot; keep in mind that we have
allocated 6.4 trillion rubles in 2012–2017, but we need 11 trillion.
Large Eurasian transport corridors will also be developing. An automobile
road that will become part of the Europe – Asia-Pacific corridor is already
under construction. Our Chinese and Kazakhstani partners involved in this
project together with us have already completed their part. Their sections
have already been opened, so we need to speed up our work.
The throughput capability of the Baikal-Amur Mainline and the Trans-Siberian
Railway will grow 1.5 times, up to 180 million tonnes, in six years. It will
take seven days for containers from Vladivostok to reach the western borders
of Russia. This is just one of the infrastructure projects that will bring
quick economic returns. It includes freight, so all investment will be paid
off very quickly and will contribute to these regions’ development.
The volume of transit shipments on our railways must grow almost fourfold.
This means that Russia will become a global leader in transit shipping
between Europe and Asia.
In 1990, the ports of the Soviet Union had an aggregate capacity of 600
million tonnes, but after the country broke apart, we lost almost half. In
the early 2000s, Russian ports could handle only 300 million tonnes. Over
the last 17 years, this figure has tripled. In early 2017, the aggregate
port capacity in Russia exceeded 1 billion tonnes for the first time in
history. As you can see from the charts, this exceeds the level reached by
the Soviet Union by more than two thirds. By the way, these are the figures
for early 2017, and the capacity currently stands at 1,025 billion tonnes.
We need to further expand this capacity, including by increasing the
capacity of railway links to ports in the Azov and Black Sea basin 1.5-fold
to 131 million tonnes.
The Northern Sea Route will be the key to developing the Russian Arctic and
Far East. By 2025, cargo traffic along this route will surge tenfold to 80
million tonnes. Our goal is to make it a truly global and competitive
transport route. Let me remind you that the Northern Sea Route was used more
actively in Soviet times compared to how we have been using it so far. We
will definitely develop this route and reach new horizons. I have no doubt
about it.
We will continue our proactive policy to attract investment and create
social and economic growth centres in Russia’s Far East. We will create all
the conditions to ensure a people-friendly living environment, so that
people move to this region and its population grows.
A number of large-scale industrial projects have been launched in the
Arctic. They comply with the highest environmental standards. We are
strengthening the research, transport, navigation and military
infrastructure, which is expected to guarantee Russia’s interests in this
strategic region. Russia builds cutting-edge nuclear icebreakers. We have
had the most powerful icebreaker fleet in the world, and this will remain
so.
We will renovate and expand the network of regional airports across Russia.
In six years, half of the regions will be connected between each other by
direct flights. The situation where you had to make a connection in Moscow
when flying to a neighbouring region will become a thing of the past. We are
already working on this. This includes efforts to develop aviation and
airports.
The Spatial Development Strategy will serve as a foundation for preparing a
comprehensive plan to modernise and expand the backbone traffic
infrastructure. I believe this to be a priority for the future Government.
Russia must not just become the world’s key logistics and transport hub, but
also, which is very important, a global centre for the storage, processing,
transfer and reliable protection of large volumes of information, so-called
big data.
Overall, infrastructure development must take into account global
technological changes. In other words, the projects we are now considering
must include practical solutions for combining infrastructure with drones
and digital marine and air navigation, as well as use AI to streamline
logistics.
Likewise, we must introduce new technologies for the generation, storage and
relay of energy. In the next six years, we plan to attract some 1.5 trillion
rubles in private investment for modernising our power generation sector.
All power systems throughout the country must convert to digital technology.
We must use the so-called distributed generation method to supply
electricity to remote areas.
By 2024, high-speed internet will be available throughout the country. We
will complete the construction of fibre optic lines in the majority of
populated areas with a population of more than 250 people. Small remote
towns in the Extreme North, Siberia and the Russian Far East will access
internet via a network of Russian satellites.
We will use advanced telecommunications to give our people access to the
digital world. As we know, this is more than just modern services, online
education and telemedicine, although all this is very important. More than
that, people will be able to use digital space to conduct research, organise
volunteer and project groups or run companies. In our vast country, this
combination of talent, competencies and ideas amounts to a huge
ground-breaking resource.
Colleagues,
A crucial task facing every one of us is to make advanced high-quality
healthcare widely accessible. We must be guided by the highest international
standards in this area.
In 2019–2024, we need to spend over 4 percent of the GDP each year to
develop the healthcare system. At the same time, the goal we must bear in
mind is 5 percent. In absolute terms, this means that healthcare spending
must double. In addition, we must find new funding opportunities that would
not limit economic growth.
I would like to thank doctors, paramedics and nurses for their difficult and
highly necessary work. A great deal depends on these people, as well as on
teachers, counsellors and cultural workers, and they must receive decent
salaries.
We have done a lot to implement the 2012 May executive orders. I must say
that there were several failures, but overall, despite the demanding targets
of these orders, without them we would not have had the results we can see
today. We must always set ambitious tasks.
We must not lose the positions we have already attained. I am referring to
the level of wages. Wages in the public sector must continue growing, as
well as the quality of work and skills of the people working in healthcare,
education and other areas that define people’s wellbeing.
In recent years, we have optimised the hospital network in the country. This
was done in order to build an effective healthcare system. However, in some
case, I have to say this today, too many administrative changes were
introduced: hospitals in small towns and villages have been closed. No one
proposed an alternative, and people were left with practically no medical
aid. The only advice they were given was, “Go to the city to get treatment
there.” I must say that this is unacceptable. They forgot about the main
thing: the people, their interests and needs, equal opportunities and
justice.
This must not happen in healthcare or any other area. We must provide, or
restore where necessary, easy access to primary healthcare. We can do this,
but we should have done this from the very beginning, when we started the
reforms.
This must be done as quickly as possible. In the period from 2018 to 2020,
we must ensure that each small town with a population of 100 to 2,000 people
has a paramedic station and an outpatient clinic. For villages with less
than 100 people – we also have villages as small as that – we will organise
mobile medical units, all-terrain vehicles with all the necessary diagnostic
equipment.
These projects should be closely monitored. I consider them extremely
important. And I also ask the Russian Popular Front to stay in contact with
people, to keep an eye on the situation on the ground. At the same time,
outpatient clinics and paramedic stations, regional healthcare facilities
and leading medical centres should be linked into a single digital network
so that the entire national healthcare system is involved in helping each
person.
Disease prevention is a vitally important task. In the 1990s, this work was
largely neglected. We began to restore it. We need to provide all people
with a real opportunity to have a complete physical at least once a year.
This is also important for encouraging a responsible attitude to one's own
health.
Modern diagnostics will reduce mortality among the working age population,
and consolidate the positive trends in treating cardiovascular disorders. We
can see these positive trends, which is very good. But we also need to fight
other threats such as cancer.
Colleagues, I think that practically every one of us has relatives or
friends or friends of friends afflicted with this disease – cancer. I
propose to implement a special national cancer programme, to involve
scientists and the national pharmaceutical industry, to modernise
oncological centres, to build a modern system from early diagnosis to timely
effective treatment that will protect people. We have positive experience in
this area. We must reach the cutting-edge, the highest level of all the key
indicators that show the effectiveness of cancer care – experts should know
what they are.
Colleagues,
Medical assistance alone is not enough to protect public health. We must
also ensure high standards of environmental safety across Russia.
A long a healthy life is hard to achieve when millions of people drink
substandard water, when we see black snow, as it happened in Krasnoyarsk,
and when people in large industrial centres such as Cherepovets, Nizhny
Tagil, Chelyabinsk or Novokuznetsk do not see the sun for weeks on end.
We have tightened environmental requirements for companies, which should
reduce industrial pollution. Starting in 2019, 300 industrial enterprises
with a negative impact on the environment must convert to the best available
environmentally friendly technology, and all enterprises in the high
environmental risk group must do this starting in 2021.
We had a go at this problem many times, and every time our companies
complained about the difficulties involved. There is no going back now. I
want everyone to know that we will not delay this programme any longer.
We also need to modernise our thermal power plants, boiler houses and
utility services, build bypass routes to ease transit traffic congestion in
large cities, as well as use low-impact public service vehicles. The
authorities and public volunteers have reported some 22,000 landfill sites.
We must address this problem as a priority, starting with the removal and
reclamation of landfill sites within city limits.
We must seriously improve the quality of drinking water. In some small
towns, water is only available for several hours a day. We must use defence
industry technologies to settle these problems.
We will launch conservation projects for the unique natural systems of Lake
Baikal and Lake Teletskoye, as well as the entire Volga Basin, which will
help improve living conditions for nearly half of Russia’s population.
We will establish 24 new nature reserves and natural parks. They should be
open for ecotourism, which is important for encouraging a caring and
responsible attitude to nature.
Colleagues,
The year 2018 in Russia has been declared the Year of Volunteers. It is
highly symbolic that the year started with the adoption of a law whereby
authorities at all levels were tasked with assisting volunteers. Today,
proactive and concerned citizens and socially-minded NPOs contribute to
addressing crucial issues. It is the involvement of the people in national
affairs and their civic engagement, as well as cultural, moral and spiritual
values that make us a single people capable of achieving ambitious goals.
It is essential that we preserve our identity in the era of major
technological shifts. In this regard, culture has a key role to play as a
national civilisational code that can unlock the human creative potential.
I propose launching a programme to establish cultural, educational and
museum complexes in the regions. They will offer concert venues, drama,
music and dance schools and other creative institutions, as well as
exhibition spaces where the country’s leading museums can display their
treasures. Why store so many works of art in museum warehouses? I am talking
about centres of culture that would be open to young people and people of
all ages. The first project of this kind will be carried out in Vladivostok,
and other regions and cities across Russia will be selected at a later time.
Colleagues, our children want to see a forward-looking Russia. You can find
many sincere reflections along these lines in school essays. Having bold
dreams always helps if you are seeking to achieve an ambitious goal. We must
help every child discover his or her talent and help them live up to their
potential. The future of Russia is in its classrooms. Schools must respond
to the current challenges in order for the country to do the same.
International experts agree that Russia has one of the best primary school
systems in the world. We will keep up our proactive efforts to develop
general education at all levels. Let me emphasise that every child should
have access to a quality education. Equal educational opportunities are a
powerful driver in terms of promoting national development and social
justice.
We need to shift to completely new education methods, including personalised
learning, in order to cultivate in our children a readiness for change and
creative curiosity, and teach them to work in teams, which is very important
in the modern world, and other life skills applicable to the digital era. We
will absolutely support talented teachers who are motivated to pursue
continuous professional growth. And, of course, we need to build an open and
modern system for school management selection and training. School
administrators are the ones in charge of building a strong faculty and
productive morale.
We will continue to enhance the comprehensive system to support and develop
our children’s creative skills and talents. This system must extend to the
entire country and incorporate the resources of such projects as Sirius and
Quantorium, as well as extracurricular education centres and children’s
creative centres all over Russia.
We need to build a modern career guidance system where schools partner with
universities, research groups and successful companies. I propose starting a
new early career guidance programme for schoolchildren, Ticket to the
Future, from the next academic year. The programme will allow kids to try
out real jobs in major Russian companies. We will allocate 1 billion rubles
for this project this year alone.
I believe mentorship is another important aspect to improve. Only by
bringing together advanced knowledge and moral foundations, by ensuring a
true partnership and mutual understanding between generations can we become
stronger.
Colleagues, today knowledge, technology and expertise make the most
important competitive advantages. They are the key to a real breakthrough
and improved quality of life.
As soon as possible, we need to develop a progressive legal framework and
eliminate all barriers for the development and wide use of robotic
equipment, artificial intelligence, unmanned vehicles, e-commerce and Big
Data processing technology. And this legal framework must be continuously
reviewed and be based on a flexible approach to each area and technology.
We have all the resources to promptly implement 5G and Internet of Things
technologies.
We need to build our own digital platforms. It goes without saying that they
should be compatible with the global information space. This would pave the
way to reorganising manufacturing processes, financial services and
logistics, including using blockchain technology, which is very important
when it comes to financial transactions, property rights, etc. These
initiatives have real-world application.
We need to start making or localising key technologies and solutions,
including those used in developing the Arctic and the sea shelf, and
building new energy, transport and urban infrastructure systems. This is
also important in areas related to improving the quality of life, such as
cutting-edge rehabilitation tools for people with disabilities.
It is our duty to support high-technology companies, offer start-ups a
favourable environment and introduce new industrial solutions. I am talking
about a user-friendly infrastructure, taxation systems, technical
regulations and venture financing.
Technological development should be firmly rooted in fundamental research.
Over the recent years, we have been able to expand research, and are now
leading in a number of areas. The Russian Academy of Sciences and Russia’s
leading research institutions made a major contribution to achieving this.
Building on the advances made in the preceding years, including in
developing the research infrastructure, we need to take our research to a
new level. Projects to build cutting-edge mega science research facilities
are already underway in Gatchina and Dubna. The Council for Science and
Education has adopted a decision recently to build a powerful synchrotron
collider at the Novosibirsk Akademgorodok and a new generation collider in
Protvino, Moscow Region.

With these facilities, Russia will become one of the world’s leading
countries in terms of the capability and performance of its research
infrastructure. These units will give a serious competitive edge to Russian
research teams and high-technology companies, for example for developing new
medications, materials and microelectronics.
Of course, this infrastructure and ambitious research projects will not fail
to attract our compatriots and researchers from abroad. In this regard, we
need to create a legal framework that would enable international research
teams to operate in Russia.
Large research and education centres should begin working to full capacity.
They will integrate the possibilities of universities, academic
institutions, and high-tech companies. Such centres are already being set up
in Kazan and Samara, Tomsk and Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg and Tyumen,
Vladivostok and Kaliningrad, and other cities.
It is important to focus them on the implementation of major
interdisciplinary projects, including in such a promising field as genome
research. A cardinal breakthrough in this area will pave the way to
developing new methods for diagnosing, preventing and treating many
diseases, and will expand the selection possibilities in agriculture.
We need to reinforce the superiority of the national mathematics school. It
gives Russia a strong competitive edge in the age of digital economy.
International mathematics centres will also provide platforms for such work.
These are already operating in Kazan and Novosibirsk. Following the adopted
decisions, we will open more in St Petersburg, Moscow and Sochi.
Young Russians are already proving their leadership in science and in other
areas. Last year, Russian schoolchildren won 38 medals at international
academic competitions. Our teams triumphantly won the Olympiad in natural
sciences and robotics, the WorldSkills competition, and our students showed
the best results in programming for the twelfth time.
Based on the best practices and experience, we need to quickly modernise the
vocational education system, achieve qualitative changes in the training of
students, especially in the advanced areas of technological development, to
establish the ‘applied bachelor’ level in those vocational professions that
actually require an engineering degree, and also to organise centres for
advanced professional retraining and professional growth.
I also propose creating the most convenient and attractive conditions for
talented young people from other countries to enrol at our universities.
They already come to study here. But we also need to create conditions for
the best foreign graduates of our universities to work in Russia. This fully
applies to foreign scientists and qualified specialists.
I think we need to seriously improve the procedure for granting Russian
citizenship. The focus should be on the foreign nationals Russia needs: on
young, healthy and well-educated people. For them, we need to create a
simplified system for obtaining Russian citizenship.
Colleagues,
To ensure breakthrough development and upgrade education, healthcare and the
quality of the urban environment and infrastructure, it will be necessary to
allocate considerable additional funds in the next six years for these
purposes.
Question: at what expense? Where do we get these funds? First of all, it is
essential to clearly prioritise these tasks and enhance the efficiency of
government spending. It is necessary to involve private companies more
actively in funding major projects. The future Government will have to
establish new taxation rules as soon as possible. They should be stable and
fixed for the next few years.
Let me emphasise that we need such fiscal solutions that would ensure budget
revenues at all levels and guarantee the implementation of all social
commitments. Importantly, they should encourage rather than impede economic
growth. It is the build-up of economic potential of the country and each of
its regions that is the main source of additional resources. To achieve
this, our economic growth rates should exceed those of the world’s. This is
a difficult task but not instance case of wishful thinking. This is a
fundamental condition for a breakthrough in resolving social,
infrastructure, defence and other tasks. The new Government should set
itself the goal of reaching such growth rates as its key guideline.
In the last few years, we have enhanced the sustainability of our economy.
The dependence of the economy on hydrocarbon prices has been substantially
reduced. We have increased our gold and currency reserves. Inflation has
dropped to a record low level – just over two percent. Of course, we all
understand that the growth of prices for many basic necessities is much
higher. This should be strictly monitored by different agencies, including
the Anti-Monopoly Service. But on the whole, this low inflation level
creates additional opportunities for development. Let me remind you that
quite recently, in 2015, inflation was almost 13 percent – 12.9 percent to
be exact.
In effect, Russia has formed a new macroeconomic reality with low inflation
and general economic sustainability. For the people this is a condition for
real income growth and cheaper mortgage loans. For entrepreneurs it means
predictability in business and cheaper loans. Business should also adapt to
these new macroeconomic conditions. Finally, it makes it possible to attract
long-term loans and private investment into large-scale infrastructure
projects.
Now we have an opportunity, without speeding up inflation, and maintaining a
careful and responsible approach, to gradually cut interest rates and make
loans more affordable. I count on the support of the Bank of Russia in that,
while making its decisions, implementing monetary policy measures and
developing financial markets, it will work in contact with the Government in
the interests of the common goal of creating a proper environment for
increasing the economic growth rates.
In order to further change the national economy structure and improve its
competitiveness, it is imperative to use the sources of growth at a
fundamentally different level. Where are they? First of all, it is important
to increase labour productivity on a new technological, managerial and
personnel basis. We are still lagging noticeably behind in terms of this
indicator.
It is necessary to ensure that labour productivity in medium-sized and large
enterprises of basic industries, such as manufacturing, construction,
transport, agriculture and trade, grows at a rate of at least 5 percent per
year, which will allow us to reach the level of the leading world economies
by the end of the next decade.
I want to emphasise that increasing productivity is also about higher wages
and, hence, increased consumer demand. In turn, this constitutes an
additional driver for economic growth.
All our actions should push companies to produce technically complex
products and to implement more efficient technologies. It is necessary to
make an inventory of subsidies and other instruments for direct support of
industries, and to target them on making competitive goods.
Increased investment is the second source of growth. We have already set the
task of bringing it up to 25 percent of the GDP, and then to 27 percent.
Unfortunately, this goal has not been achieved yet. To ensure sustainable
growth, we need to do so at all costs. I hope that the new Government in
conjunction with the Bank of Russia will present a concrete plan of action
in this area.
Investment should be primarily used for upgrading and technologically
re-equipping the industries and retrofitting the manufacturing industry. We
need to ensure the highest dynamics here, to reach a level where, on
average, every second enterprise within a year carries out technological
changes. That is when the renewal effort in the economy and industry will be
noticeable.
Promoting small businesses is the third large-scale reserve of economic
growth. By the middle of the next decade, their contribution to the
country's GDP should approach 40 percent, and the number of employed there
should grow from 19 million to 25 million people.
One of the main problems facing entrepreneurs is access to financial
resources. There is a government programme in place for small production
businesses that offers loans with only 6.5 percent interest. I think this
programme must continue. Overall, this support mechanism must become widely
available.
Finally, another source of growth is the development of non-resource
exports. It is necessary to remove all administrative barriers and create
the most favourable conditions for the companies entering foreign markets.
Within the next six years, we must double the amount of non-resource and
non-energy exports to reach $250 billion – specifically, increase machine
engineering exports to $50 billion. Exports of services, including
education, healthcare, tourism and transport, must reach $100 billion per
year.
In the early 2000s, we were deeply dependent on food imports. The situation
has turned around completely. Now we are on the verge of more changes. In
just four years from now, we plan to be supplying more food to global
markets than we will be importing from abroad. We need to increase exports
of meat and high-added value products, as well as to make the country more
self-sufficient in beef, milk and vegetable supplies.
I want to stress that development of the agricultural industry is strongly
related to commodity production. However, this development must not be at
the expense of small farms and their workers. We must support family
businesses and farmers. We will develop cooperative agriculture and create
conditions for residents of rural areas to increase their income. Every now
and then we hear about problems with people’s interests being affected, I am
aware of them. Such cases must be taken very seriously.
Nevertheless, I want to say thank you to the agricultural industry workers
for the record-breaking harvest of 134 million tonnes. Note that it is more
than the record harvest in the Soviet Union. In 1978, the USSR produced
127.4 million tonnes. Now it is common for Russia to exceed 100 million
tonnes.
Clearly, such a large harvest has a downside as well. The prices have gone
down; there are some storage and transport issues. We have established
discount rates on transporting crops by railway until July 1, 2018, to
support our producers.
It is necessary to consider extending this measure to the next harvesting
seasons as well as to arrange additional deliveries to the Urals, Siberia
and the regions far away from ports. We must help those who want and can
process crops locally. Added value needs to be increased. Then we can go
into the livestock industry with this product. We will certainly discuss
these and other problems reported by agricultural workers at the
agricultural producers’ forum in March, and will elaborate on additional
measures to support the industry.
Colleagues,
In order for the economy to operate at its full capacity, we need to
radically improve the business climate and guarantee entrepreneurial freedom
and competition.
Let me highlight a fundamental point in this regard. The state must
gradually reduce its share in the economy. In this connection, it has to be
noted that the state has taken over a number of financial assets in an
effort to revive the banking sector. These initiatives are headed in the
right direction and have my support. That said, these assets should be put
on the market and sold without delay.
We need to get rid of everything that enables corrupt officials and law
enforcement officers to pressure businesses. The Criminal Code should not
serve as a tool for settling corporate disputes. These should be referred to
administrative and arbitration courts.
I ask the Working Group on Monitoring and Analysing Law Enforcement Practice
in Entrepreneurial Activity, together with the Supreme Court, law
enforcement agencies, the Prosecutor’s Office and representatives of the
business community to draft specific proposals on this subject. This matter
should not be approached in a light-minded manner. All the proposals must
undergo careful examination and approval, and this should be done as soon as
possible.
At the same time, criminal law should be strictly enforced in the case of
offences infringing upon the interests of citizens or society or violating
economic freedoms. I am referring to offences against property and assets
held by citizens, illegal takeovers, competition law violations, tax evasion
and embezzlement of public funds.
I would now like to move on to another important subject. While the number
of various inspections seems to be declining, during meetings with
businesses I often hear that radical change has yet to materialise. The
presence of inspectors at enterprises should become the exception, and be
limited to high-risk facilities. Otherwise, remote monitoring methods can be
used. The entire control and oversight system should move to a risk-oriented
approach within two years. Let me remind you that the relevant legislative
framework is already in place.
It is important to support start-up entrepreneurs, to help people take the
first step, so that they can open their own businesses with just one click,
make the compulsory payments, receive services and loans online.
Sole proprietors and self-employed individuals who use digital services,
generally need to be freed from reporting, and allowed to pay taxes via a
simple transaction in automatic mode. As for businesses that use cash
register equipment, their tax reporting needs to be simplified. You know,
this is just a routine issue, at first glance, but this tedious routine is
what prevents us from moving forward vigorously. We need to do everything to
clean out this space. I will add that the intensive introduction of digital
technologies and platforms will allow us to make consistent progress towards
greater transparency and away from shadow economy.
Now I would like to address all representatives of Russian business, those
who run their own small business, a family enterprise or a farm, an
innovative company or a large industrial enterprise. I know, I know we still
have a lot to do. And I assure you, we will do everything to give our
entrepreneurs new opportunities to expand production, to open businesses and
to create modern jobs. But at the same time I expect that Russian business
will increase its contribution to the country's breakthrough development,
and respect for entrepreneurial work in society will grow. It is very
important.
Colleagues, we need to build modern services for business, but this is not
all; the system for interaction between the state and society, between the
state and the people should be clear and understandable, convenient and
comfortable.
We have already set up a network of multifunctional centres. A person
anywhere in the country can now use public services as a one-stop-shop.
Allow me to remind you that it was a special programme which we have
developed and implemented.
We need to move forward, to ensure the provision of virtually all public
services in real time via remote services within six years. All document
circulation between state agencies should be digitised, which is important
both for the state agencies and for citizens, so as not to browse the
Internet for hours looking for information. It will be possible to get
everything in one place. I will add that digitalisation of the entire public
administration system and its greater transparency is also a powerful factor
in fighting corruption.
Government officials of all levels should be interested in improving their
efficiency and be strictly focused on obtaining concrete results. By the
way, we are always talking about corruption and officials. I have to say,
and I do not have the right to not say this: the vast majority of our public
servants are honest, decent and goal-oriented people. However, what I said
will help everyone, including government officials and users of government
services. This line of thinking should be used to rebuild the public service
system, where appropriate, and to introduce project work methods.
Of course, it is necessary to ensure the advancement of modern professional
personnel in the government and municipal service, business, the economy,
science and industry, in all spheres.
As you may be aware, the first Leaders of Russia competition took place, and
a number of other projects are being implemented to support young workers,
entrepreneurs, innovators, volunteers, schoolchildren and students. They
brought together hundreds of thousands of young people from all regions, and
became an important step in their lives and professional careers.
I want to emphasise: for all those who want to work, show themselves, and
are ready to honestly serve the Fatherland and the people, and to succeed,
Russia will always be a country of opportunity. This is the guarantee of our
successful development and confident movement forward.
All the projects and the priorities that I mentioned today, such as spatial
development, investment in infrastructure, education, healthcare, the
environment, innovative technologies and research, measures to support the
economy, to promote talent, the youth, all of this is designed to work for
one strategic task – Russia’s breakthrough development.
At the same time, we cannot forget about reliably ensuring its security.
Colleagues,
The operation in Syria has proved the increased capabilities of the Russian
Armed Forces. In recent years, a great deal has been done to improve the
Army and the Navy. The Armed Forces now have 3.7 times more modern weapons.
Over 300 new units of equipment were put into service. The strategic missile
troops received 80 new intercontinental ballistic missiles, 102
submarine-launched ballistic missiles and three Borei nuclear-powered
ballistic missile submarines. Twelve missile regiments have received the new
Yars intercontinental ballistic missile. The number of long-range
high-precision weapons carriers has increased by 12 times, while the number
of guided cruise missiles increased by over 30 times. The Army, the
Aerospace Forces and the Navy have grown significant stronger as well.
Both Russia and the entire world know the names of our newest planes,
submarines, anti-aircraft weapons, as well as land-based, airborne and
sea-based guided missile systems. All of them are cutting-edge, high-tech
weapons. A solid radar field to warn of a missile attack was created along
Russia’s perimeter (it is very important). Huge holes appeared after the
USSR disintegrated. All of them were repaired.
A leap forward was made in the development of unmanned aircraft; the
National Defence Control Centre was established; and the operational command
of the far maritime zone was formed. The number of professional service
members has increased by 2.4 times, and the availability of equipment in the
Armed Forces grew from 70 percent to 95–100 percent. The years-long queue
for permanent housing was eliminated, and the waiting period was cut by 83
percent.
Now, on to the most important defence issue.
I will speak about the newest systems of Russian strategic weapons that we
are creating in response to the unilateral withdrawal of the United States
of America from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and the practical
deployment of their missile defence systems both in the US and beyond their
national borders.
I would like to make a short journey into the recent past.
Back in 2000, the US announced its withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic
Missile Treaty. Russia was categorically against this. We saw the Soviet-US
ABM Treaty signed in 1972 as the cornerstone of the international security
system. Under this treaty, the parties had the right to deploy ballistic
missile defence systems only in one of its regions. Russia deployed these
systems around Moscow, and the US around its Grand Forks land-based ICBM
base.
Together with the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, the ABM Treaty not only
created an atmosphere of trust but also prevented either party from
recklessly using nuclear weapons, which would have endangered humankind,
because the limited number of ballistic missile defence systems made the
potential aggressor vulnerable to a response strike.
We did our best to dissuade the Americans from withdrawing from the treaty.
All in vain. The US pulled out of the treaty in 2002. Even after that we
tried to develop constructive dialogue with the Americans. We proposed
working together in this area to ease concerns and maintain the atmosphere
of trust. At one point, I thought that a compromise was possible, but this
was not to be. All our proposals, absolutely all of them, were rejected. And
then we said that we would have to improve our modern strike systems to
protect our security. In reply, the US said that it is not creating a global
BMD system against Russia, which is free to do as it pleases, and that the
US will presume that our actions are not spearheaded against the US.
The reasons behind this position are obvious. After the collapse of the
USSR, Russia, which was known as the Soviet Union or Soviet Russia abroad,
lost 23.8 percent of its national territory, 48.5 percent of its population,
41 of the GDP, 39.4 percent of its industrial potential (nearly half of our
potential, I would underscore), as well as 44.6 percent of its military
capability due to the division of the Soviet Armed Forces among the former
Soviet republics. The military equipment of the Russian army was becoming
obsolete, and the Armed Forces were in a sorry state. A civil war was raging
in the Caucasus, and US inspectors oversaw the operation of our leading
uranium enrichment plants.
For a certain time, the question was not whether we would be able to develop
a strategic weapon system – some wondered if our country would even be able
to safely store and maintain the nuclear weapons that we inherited after the
collapse of the USSR. Russia had outstanding debts, its economy could not
function without loans from the IMF and the World Bank; the social sphere
was impossible to sustain.
Apparently, our partners got the impression that it was impossible in the
foreseeable historical perspective for our country to revive its economy,
industry, defence industry and Armed Forces to levels supporting the
necessary strategic potential. And if that is the case, there is no point in
reckoning with Russia’s opinion, it is necessary to further pursue ultimate
unilateral military advantage in order to dictate the terms in every sphere
in the future.
Basically, this position, this logic, judging from the realities of that
period, is understandable, and we ourselves are to blame. All these years,
the entire 15 years since the withdrawal of the United States from the
Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, we have consistently tried to reengage the
American side in serious discussions, in reaching agreements in the sphere
of strategic stability.
We managed to accomplish some of these goals. In 2010, Russia and the US
signed the New START treaty, containing measures for the further reduction
and limitation of strategic offensive arms. However, in light of the plans
to build a global anti-ballistic missile system, which are still being
carried out today, all agreements signed within the framework of New START
are now gradually being devaluated, because while the number of carriers and
weapons is being reduced, one of the parties, namely, the US, is permitting
constant, uncontrolled growth of the number of anti-ballistic missiles,
improving their quality, and creating new missile launching areas. If we do
not do something, eventually this will result in the complete devaluation of
Russia’s nuclear potential. Meaning that all of our missiles could simply be
intercepted.
Despite our numerous protests and pleas, the American machine has been set
into motion, the conveyer belt is moving forward. There are new missile
defence systems installed in Alaska and California; as a result of NATO’s
expansion to the east, two new missile defence areas were created in Western
Europe: one has already been created in Romania, while the deployment of the
system in Poland is now almost complete. Their range will keep increasing;
new launching areas are to be created in Japan and South Korea. The US
global missile defence system also includes five cruisers and 30 destroyers,
which, as far as we know, have been deployed to regions in close proximity
to Russia’s borders. I am not exaggerating in the least; and this work
proceeds apace.
So, what have we done, apart from protesting and warning? How will Russia
respond to this challenge? This is how.
During all these years since the unilateral US withdrawal from the ABM
Treaty, we have been working intensively on advanced equipment and arms,
which allowed us to make a breakthrough in developing new models of
strategic weapons.
Let me recall that the United States is creating a global missile defence
system primarily for countering strategic arms that follow ballistic
trajectories. These weapons form the backbone of our nuclear deterrence
forces, just as of other members of the nuclear club.
As such, Russia has developed, and works continuously to perfect, highly
effective but modestly priced systems to overcome missile defence. They are
installed on all of our intercontinental ballistic missile complexes.
In addition, we have embarked on the development of the next generation of
missiles. For example, the Defence Ministry and enterprises of the missile
and aerospace industry are in the active phase of testing a new missile
system with a heavy intercontinental missile. We called it Sarmat.
Sarmat will replace the Voevoda system made in the USSR. Its immense power
was universally recognized. Our foreign colleagues even gave it a fairly
threatening name.
That said, the capabilities of the Sarmat missile are much higher. Weighing
over 200 tonnes, it has a short boost phase, which makes it more difficult
to intercept for missile defence systems. The range of the new heavy
missile, the number and power of its combat blocs is bigger than Voevoda’s.
Sarmat will be equipped with a broad range of powerful nuclear warheads,
including hypersonic, and the most modern means of evading missile defence.
The high degree of protection of missile launchers and significant energy
capabilities the system offers will make it possible to use it in any
conditions.
Could you please show the video.
(Video plays.)
Voevoda’s range is 11,000 km while Sarmat has practically no range
restrictions.
As the video clips show, it can attack targets both via the North and South
poles.
Sarmat is a formidable missile and, owing to its characteristics, is
untroubled by even the most advanced missile defence systems.
But we did not stop at that. We started to develop new types of strategic
arms that do not use ballistic trajectories at all when moving toward a
target and, therefore, missile defence systems are useless against them,
absolutely pointless.
Allow me to elaborate on these weapons.
Russia’s advanced arms are based on the cutting-edge, unique achievements of
our scientists, designers and engineers. One of them is a small-scale
heavy-duty nuclear energy unit that can be installed in a missile like our
latest X-101 air-launched missile or the American Tomahawk missile – a
similar type but with a range dozens of times longer, dozens, basically an
unlimited range. It is a low-flying stealth missile carrying a nuclear
warhead, with almost an unlimited range, unpredictable trajectory and
ability to bypass interception boundaries. It is invincible against all
existing and prospective missile defence and counter-air defence systems. I
will repeat this several times today.
In late 2017, Russia successfully launched its latest nuclear-powered
missile at the Central training ground. During its flight, the
nuclear-powered engine reached its design capacity and provided the
necessary propulsion.
Now that the missile launch and ground tests were successful, we can begin
developing a completely new type of weapon, a strategic nuclear weapons
system with a nuclear-powered missile.
Roll the video, please.
(Video plays.)
You can see how the missile bypasses interceptors. As the range is
unlimited, the missile can manoeuvre for as long as necessary.
As you no doubt understand, no other country has developed anything like
this. There will be something similar one day but by that time our guys will
have come up with something even better.
Now, we all know that the design and development of unmanned weapon systems
is another common trend in the world. As concerns Russia, we have developed
unmanned submersible vehicles that can move at great depths (I would say
extreme depths) intercontinentally, at a speed multiple times higher than
the speed of submarines, cutting-edge torpedoes and all kinds of surface
vessels, including some of the fastest. It is really fantastic. They are
quiet, highly manoeuvrable and have hardly any vulnerabilities for the enemy
to exploit. There is simply nothing in the world capable of withstanding
them.
Unmanned underwater vehicles can carry either conventional or nuclear
warheads, which enables them to engage various targets, including aircraft
groups, coastal fortifications and infrastructure.
In December 2017, an innovative nuclear power unit for this unmanned
underwater vehicle completed a test cycle that lasted many years. The
nuclear power unit is unique for its small size while offering an amazing
power-weight ratio. It is a hundred times smaller than the units that power
modern submarines, but is still more powerful and can switch into combat
mode, that is to say, reach maximum capacity, 200 times faster.
The tests that were conducted enabled us to begin developing a new type of
strategic weapon that would carry massive nuclear ordnance.
Please play the video.
(Video plays.)
By the way, we have yet to choose names for these two new strategic weapons,
the global-range cruise missile and the unmanned underwater vehicle. We are
waiting for suggestions from the Defence Ministry.
Countries with high research potential and advanced technology are known to
be actively developing so-called hypersonic weapons. The speed of sound is
usually measured in Mach numbers in honour of Austrian scientist Ernst Mach
who is known for his research in this field. One Mach is equal to 1,062
kilometres per hour at an altitude of 11 kilometres. The speed of sound is
Mach 1, speeds between Mach 1 and Mach 5 is called supersonic, and
hypersonic is above Mach 5. Of course, this kind of weapon provides
substantial advantages in an armed conflict. Military experts believe that
it would be extremely powerful, and that its speed makes it invulnerable to
current missile and air defence systems, since interceptor missiles are,
simply put, not fast enough. In this regard, it is quite understandable why
the leading armies of the world seek to possess such an ideal weapon.
Friends, Russia already has such a weapon.
The most important stage in the development of modern weapons systems was
the creation of a high-precision hypersonic aircraft missile system; as you
already know for sure, it is the only one of its kind in the world. Its
tests have been successfully completed, and, moreover, on December 1 of last
year, these systems began their trial service at the airfields of the
Southern Military District.
The unique flight characteristics of the high-speed carrier aircraft allow
the missile to be delivered to the point of discharge within minutes. The
missile flying at a hypersonic speed, 10 times faster than the speed of
sound, can also manoeuvre at all phases of its flight trajectory, which also
allows it to overcome all existing and, I think, prospective anti-aircraft
and anti-missile defence systems, delivering nuclear and conventional
warheads in a range of over 2,000 kilometres. We called this system Kinzhal
(Dagger).
Video, please.
(Video plays.)
But this is not all I have to say.
A real technological breakthrough is the development of a strategic missile
system with fundamentally new combat equipment – a gliding wing unit, which
has also been successfully tested.
I will say once again what we have repeatedly told our American and European
partners who are NATO members: we will make the necessary efforts to
neutralise the threats posed by the deployment of the US global missile
defence system. We mentioned this during talks, and even said it publicly.
Back in 2004, after the exercises of the strategic nuclear forces when the
system was tested for the first time, I said the following at a meeting with
the press (It is embarrassing to quote myself, but it is the right thing to
say here):
So, I said: “As other countries increase the number and quality of their
arms and military potential, Russia will also need to ensure it has new
generation weapons and technology.
In this respect, I am pleased to inform you that successfully completed
experiments during these exercises enable us to confirm that in the near
future, the Russian Armed Forces, the Strategic Missile Forces, will receive
new hypersonic-speed, high-precision new weapons systems that can hit
targets at inter-continental distance and can adjust their altitude and
course as they travel. This is a very significant statement because no
country in the world as of now has such arms in their military arsenal.” End
of quote.
Of course, every word has a meaning because we are talking about the
possibility of bypassing interception boundaries. Why did we do all this?
Why did we talk about it? As you can see, we made no secret of our plans and
spoke openly about them, primarily to encourage our partners to hold talks.
Let me repeat, this was in 2004. It is actually surprising that despite all
the problems with the economy, finances and the defence industry, Russia has
remained a major nuclear power. No, nobody really wanted to talk to us about
the core of the problem, and nobody wanted to listen to us. So listen now.
Unlike existing types of combat equipment, this system is capable of
intercontinental flight at supersonic speeds in excess of Mach 20.
As I said in 2004, in moving to its target, the missile’s gliding cruise
bloc engages in intensive manoeuvring – both lateral (by several thousand
km) and vertical. This is what makes it absolutely invulnerable to any air
or missile defence system. The use of new composite materials has made it
possible to enable the gliding cruise bloc to make a long-distance guided
flight practically in conditions of plasma formation. It flies to its target
like a meteorite, like a ball of fire. The temperature on its surface
reaches 1,600–2,000 degrees Celsius but the cruise bloc is reliably guided.
Play the video, please. (Video plays).
For
obvious reasons we cannot show the outer appearance of this system here.
This is still very important. I hope everyone understands this. But let me
assure you that we have all this and it is working well. Moreover, Russian
industrial enterprises have embarked on the development of another new type
of strategic weapon. We called it the Avangard.
We are well aware that a number of other countries are developing advanced
weapons with new physical properties. We have every reason to believe that
we are one step ahead there as well – at any rate, in the most essential
areas.
We have achieved significant progress in laser weapons. It is not just a
concept or a plan any more. It is not even in the early production stages.
Since last year, our troops have been armed with laser weapons.
I do not want to reveal more details. It is not the time yet. But experts
will understand that with such weaponry, Russia’s defence capacity has
multiplied.
Here is another short video. (Video plays.)
Those interested in military equipment are welcome to suggest a name for
this new weaponry, this cutting-edge system.
Of course, we will be refining this state-of-the-art technology. Obviously,
there is far more in development than I have mentioned today. But this is
enough for now.
I want to specifically emphasise that the newly developed strategic arms –
in fact, new types of strategic weapons – are not the result of something
left over from the Soviet Union. Of course, we relied on some ideas from our
ingenious predecessors. But everything I have described today is the result
of the last several years, the product of dozens of research organisations,
design bureaus and institutes.
Thousands, literally thousands of our experts, outstanding scientists,
designers, engineers, passionate and talented workers have been working for
years, quietly, humbly, selflessly, with total dedication. There are many
young professionals among them. They are our true heroes, along with our
military personnel who demonstrated the best qualities of the Russian army
in combat. I want to address each of them right now and say that there will
absolutely be awards, prizes and honorary titles but, because I have met
many of you in person many times, I know you are not after awards. The most
important thing is to reliably ensure the security of our country and our
people. As President and on behalf of the Russian people, I want to say
thank you very much for your hard work and its results. Our country needs
them so much.
As I have already said, all future military products are based on remarkable
advances that can, should and will be used in high-technology civilian
sectors. I would like to stress that only a country with the highest level
of fundamental research and education, developed research, technology,
industrial infrastructure and human resources can successfully develop
unique and complex weapons of this kind. You can see that Russia has all
these resources.
We will expand this potential and focus on delivering on the ambitious goals
our country has set itself in terms of economic, social and infrastructure
development. Effective defence will serve as a guarantee of Russia’s
long-term development.
Let me reiterate that each of the armament systems I referred to is uniquely
important. Even more importantly, taken together all these advances enable
the Defence Ministry and General Staff to develop a comprehensive defence
system, in which every piece of new military equipment will be assigned a
proper role. On top of strategic weapons that are currently on combat alert
and benefit from regular updates, Russia will have a defence capability that
would guarantee its security in the long term.
Of course, there are many things that we have to do in terms of military
construction, but one thing is already clear: Russia possesses a modern,
high-technology army that is quite compact given the size of the territory,
centred on the officer corps, who are dedicated to their country and are
ready to sacrifice anything for its people. Sooner or later, other armies
will also have the technology, the weapons, even the most advanced ones. But
this does not worry us, since we already have it and will have even better
armaments in the future. What matters is that they will never have people or
officers like the Russian pilot Major Roman Filipov.
I hope that everything that was said today would make any potential
aggressor think twice, since unfriendly steps against Russia such as
deploying missile defences and bringing NATO infrastructure closer to the
Russian border become ineffective in military terms and entail unjustified
costs, making them useless for those promoting these initiatives.
It was our duty to inform our partners of what I said here today under the
international commitments Russia had subscribed to. When the time comes,
foreign and defence ministry experts will have many opportunities to discuss
all these matters with them, if of course our partners so desire.
For my part, I should note that we have conducted the work to reinforce
Russia's defence capability within the current arms control agreements; we
are not violating anything. I should specifically say that Russia's growing
military strength is not a threat to anyone; we have never had any plans to
use this potential for offensive, let alone aggressive goals.
We are not threatening anyone, not going to attack anyone or take away
anything from anyone with the threat of weapons. We do not need anything.
Just the opposite. I deem it necessary to emphasise (and it is very
important) that Russia's growing military power is a solid guarantee of
global peace as this power preserves and will preserve strategic parity and
the balance of forces in the world, which, as is known, have been and remain
a key factor of international security after WWII and up to the present day.
And to those who in the past 15 years have tried to accelerate an arms race
and seek unilateral advantage against Russia, have introduced restrictions
and sanctions that are illegal from the standpoint of international law
aiming to restrain our nation's development, including in the military area,
I will say this: everything you have tried to prevent through such a policy
has already happened. No one has managed to restrain Russia.
Now we have to be aware of this reality and be sure that everything I have
said today is not a bluff ‒ and it is not a bluff, believe me ‒ and to give
it a thought and dismiss those who live in the past and are unable to look
into the future, to stop rocking the boat we are all in and which is called
the Earth.
In this connection, I would like to note the following. We are greatly
concerned by certain provisions of the revised nuclear posture review, which
expand the opportunities for reducing and reduce the threshold for the use
of nuclear arms. Behind closed doors, one may say anything to calm down
anyone, but we read what is written. And what is written is that this
strategy can be put into action in response to conventional arms attacks and
even to a cyber-threat.
I should note that our military doctrine says Russia reserves the right to
use nuclear weapons solely in response to a nuclear attack, or an attack
with other weapons of mass destruction against the country or its allies, or
an act of aggression against us with the use of conventional weapons that
threaten the very existence of the state. This all is very clear and
specific.
As such, I see it is my duty to announce the following. Any use of nuclear
weapons against Russia or its allies, weapons of short, medium or any range
at all, will be considered as a nuclear attack on this country. Retaliation
will be immediate, with all the attendant consequences.
There should be no doubt about this whatsoever. There is no need to create
more threats to the world. Instead, let us sit down at the negotiating table
and devise together a new and relevant system of international security and
sustainable development for human civilisation. We have been saying this all
along. All these proposals are still valid. Russia is ready for this.
Our policies will never be based on claims to exceptionalism. We protect our
interests and respect the interests of other countries. We observe
international law and believe in the inviolable central role of the UN.
These are the principles and approaches that allow us to build strong,
friendly and equal relations with the absolute majority of countries.
Our comprehensive strategic partnership with the People’s Republic of China
is one example. Russia and India also enjoy a special privileged strategic
relationship. Our relations with many other countries in the world are
entering a new dynamic stage.
Russia is widely involved in international organisations. With our partners,
we are advancing such associations and groups as the CSTO, the Shanghai
Cooperation Organisation and BRICS. We are promoting a positive agenda at
the UN, G20 and APEC. We are interested in normal and constructive
cooperation with the United States and the European Union. We hope that
common sense will prevail and our partners will opt for honest and equal
work together.
Even if our views clash on some issues, we still remain partners because we
must work together to respond to the most complex challenges, ensure global
security, and build the future world, which is becoming increasingly
interconnected, with more and more dynamic integration processes.
Russia and its partners in the Eurasian Economic Union seek to make it a
globally competitive integration group. The EAEU’s agenda includes building
a common market for electricity, oil, petroleum products and gas,
harmonising financial markets, and linking our customs authorities. We will
also continue to work on a greater Eurasian partnership.
Colleagues, this is a turning period for the entire world and those who are
willing and able to change, those who are taking action and moving forward
will take the lead. Russia and its people have expressed this will at every
defining moment in our history. In just 30 years, we have undergone changes
that took centuries in other countries.
We will continue to confidently chart our own course, just as we always
have. We will stick together, as we always have. Our unity is the most
durable foundation for future progress. In the coming years, it is our goal
to further strengthen this unity so that we are one team that understands
that change is necessary and is ready to devote its energy, knowledge,
experience and talent to achieving common goals.
Challenges and big goals give special meaning to our lives. We must be bold
in our plans and actions, take responsibility and initiative, and grow
stronger, which means being of use to our families, children, the whole
country; changing the world and our country for the better; and creating the
Russia that we all dream about. Only then will the next decade and the
entire 21st century undoubtedly be an age of outstanding triumphs for Russia
and our shared success. I believe it will be so.
Thank you.

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