Speaking at an extended meeting of the board of the Russian Defense Ministry Board on Dec. 16, President Vladimir Putin reviewed military work accomplished over 2024, and outlined the strategy of Russian forces going forward. He warned of the policy of the West in continuing to push against Russia’s red lines. He said, “We see that the current U.S. administration, almost the entire collective West, are not abandoning their attempts to maintain their global dominance, and continue to impose their so-called rules on the world community, which time and time again they are changing as it suits them. Actually, there is only one stable rule: no rules for those who are for those who make them, those who consider themselves to be at the head of the whole world, those who consider themselves representatives of God on earth, although they themselves don’t believe in God.
“At the same time, they conduct hybrid wars and implement containment policies against dissenting states, including Russia. In a bid to weaken our country and inflict a strategic defeat on us, the U.S. continues to pump the actually illegitimate Kiev regime with weapons and money, as well as sending mercenaries and military advisors, thereby encouraging further escalation of the conflict.”
Putin indicated that Russia had achieved the strategic advantage in Ukraine. He also underlined that maintaining Russia’s strategic forces would be at the center of their military concerns. He noted the increase in NATO spending and the plans of the United States to place high-precision ground-strike weapons in forward zones of Europe with a range of 5500 km.
He explained that that would have been a violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty before the U.S. withdrew from it, and reiterated that despite the treaty’s termination, Russia remained committed not to deploy short- or medium-range missiles unless such missiles were deployed on the side of the West. “In fact, Russia has taken on these obligations unilaterally. However, as I said, if the United States begins to deploy such systems, then all our voluntary restrictions will be lifted.”
He discussed the Oreshnik missile system. “As is well known, Oreshnik medium-range missile system is Russia’s most recently deployed powerful weapon. In November, in response to the attacks using Western weapons which targeted our country’s territory, a ballistic hypersonic missile with a non-nuclear payload was successfully used. The serial production of such complexes to protect Russia and our allies’ security should begin in the near future. Without a doubt, this will be accomplished.”
Speaking again of the significance of the Oreshnik missile, Putin said near the conclusion of his presentation: “And finally, the Oreshnik system, which has already proven itself well, is very powerful. I would like to repeat once again—specialists know this, the commander of the Strategic Missile Forces Sergey Karakayev is here, he thinks so and told me about it—when used in a complex manner, when several systems are used in a group at the same time, it is comparable in power to the use of nuclear weapons. But it is not nuclear, since there is no nuclear fuel, no nuclear component, no contamination. And this is a very important element when deciding what means of armed struggle we can use.”
He also explained the improvement in Russian capabilities in the improvement in the speed of communications among military units on the ground. “As a result of their use, the time taken for decision-making has decreased by 1.5 to 2 times. It is now imperative to establish a unified information network that integrates reconnaissance and engagement capabilities at the strategic, operational and tactical levels of control, through the introduction of advanced developments in the military-industrial complex.”
He said that Russia would increase the production of robotic systems and unmanned systems of various types. It was also announced that there would be created a new branch of service focused on unmanned systems. Russian Minister of Defense Andrey Belousov, who spoke before Putin, elaborated on this new service branch.
Putin described how Ukraine has effectively ceased to be a functioning state, with no elections and most of its state entities, including the courts, no longer functioning. Moreover, “The Chairman of the Supreme Court is in prison—they simply remain silent about it…. The Supreme Court is authorized, among other things, to overturn illegitimate decisions made by the President.” Putin also expressed his firm commitment to eliminate the Ukrainian and allied units which have conducted a criminal incursion into the Kursk region.
