Putin answered the question of what the collapse of the USSR meant to him, saying: “It was a tragedy like the vast majority of the country’s citizens. After all, what is the collapse of the Soviet Union? This is the disintegration of historical Russia called the Soviet Union. “
–
Putin stressed that the country had lost 40 percent of its territory, about the same population and production capacity; most of the territory of the federal republics was part of tsarist Russia before the end of the autocracy.
–
“It simply came to our notice then. And what has accumulated in a thousand years has been largely lost, “Putin said.
–
He also mentioned the tragic impact it had on millions of people, because after the collapse of the Soviet Union, 25 million Russians found themselves abroad, in post-Soviet republics.
–
“It simply came to our notice then. They could not return, meet relatives. ”He also mentioned the severe economic consequences of the break-up. “There was no work, no place to live. This is a great humanitarian tragedy. “
–
The economic crisis has also hit Putin
Reuters reported that for the first time ever, the president spoke about the impact of economic problems after the fall of the Soviet Union, when Russia experienced double-digit inflation.
–
“Sometimes I had to wander like a taxi driver. It’s not nice to talk about it, but unfortunately it happened. “
–
As in the speeches on the state of the country, he paid great attention to the economy. “One of the main tasks was to rebuild the economy and, after recovery, the social sphere, because it was necessary to give people the opportunity to breathe clean air.”
–
Providing defense with hypersonic weapons
According to him, the restoration of power was just as crucial. “Restoration of military-industrial complexes, our universities and the armed forces. Much has been done about it. “
–
He stressed that the key was to ensure Russia’s security after the US withdrew from the missile defense treaty in the new millennium.
–
“We did it thanks to the new complexes I talked about in 2018.”
–
It was the first time he had said that the Russian Federation had hypersonic weapons in its arsenal, moving at speeds five to ten times the speed of sound, against which existing anti-missile umbrellas were ineffective.
–
“Nobody takes them down today, they are such that they cannot be taken off; that is the uniqueness of our position. “
–
However, Putin acknowledged that such a situation could not be permanent, and indirectly admitted that a new round of arms races was taking place.
–
“I have always said, and now I can confirm that the world’s leading military powers will undoubtedly have the same weapons as Russia now has; I mean hypersonic weapons. “
–
“Since 2018, no one has had these weapons yet. But many are working on them, we know they are working on them in other countries. We also continue to work on it. “
–
Reuters said Putin’s remarks among critics of the current Russian president would further fuel speculation about his foreign policy intentions.
–
According to them, the Soviet Union plans to rebuild, and is therefore currently considering an attack on Ukraine. The Kremlin denies such accusations.
—
