The day prior to his Sept. 21 national address mobilizing the nation to prepare to defeat those in the West seeking “to weaken, divide and ultimately destroy” Russia, President Vladimir Putin met with top managers from Russia’s defense industry companies to discuss how to meet the requirements for an increased supply of weapons for the broader war now faced. In opening the meeting, Putin praised the industries for having risen to the first challenges of Russia’s deployment in the Donbass, even sending representatives to the front lines to identify improvements needed in military equipment for that theater. But production capacities now must be increased, and where necessary, modernized. Defense production must be 100% national, with all imports substituted, he advised. He noted, that with NATO throwing virtually all its weapons stocks into Ukraine, Russia’s defense industry can and must study those arsenals, “and break new ground in building up our capabilities,” and referenced various changes in appropriations and credit terms to facilitate this endeavor.
The next day, when Putin delivered his national address, was also the 1,160th anniversary of the founding of Russian statehood. His address to a gala concert that evening marking the anniversary reflected the deep national spirit which NATO’s assault has called up within Russia, a nation which, as Putin noted, has an “uninterrupted thousand-year history which we are proud of.” Sane people in the West should take note.
“During more than a millennium, our statehood has lived through many eras, including cruel enemy invasions, disunity and the tragedies of feuds, but each of these difficult periods invariably ended with the revival of the Fatherland.” This was accomplished by people who in their time “created and expanded the grandeur of our Fatherland,” he said, naming 32 exemplary cases, ranging from emperors such as Peter and Catherine the Great, to the scientist Lomonosov, the poet Pushkin, Yuri Gagarin (Russia’s first cosmonaut), and other leaders, military and civilian.
“For 1,160 years now, we have firmly learned that for Russia it is mortally dangerous to relax its sovereignty or renounce its interests even for a limited time. Russia’s very existence has come under threat during these times.
“They can no longer expect us to make these mistakes. We will not succumb to blackmail or intimidation, and we will never betray or lose our sovereignty. By strengthening it, we are developing our country. Sovereignty is the guarantee of freedom for everyone.”
Putin vowed that Russia will continue to defend its freedom and independence, culture and traditions for the sake of future generations and a great future. “We will fight for our Fatherland, for our Motherland, the only one we have, for our freedom, independence and sovereignty, for our culture and traditions. We will defend and protect them in the name of our ancestors and our descendants, for the sake of Russia, its great history and great future.”
