Brazilian Portuguese subtitles for clip: File:Обращение Президента Российской Федерации 2022-02-21.webm

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Presidente da Rússia Vladimir Putin:
Cidadãos da Rússia,

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amigos,

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O meu discurso diz respeito aos acontecimentos na Ucrânia

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e por que isso é tão importante
para nós, para a Rússia.

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Claro, minha mensagem também é endereçada
aos nossos compatriotas na Ucrânia.

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O assunto é muito sério
e precisa ser discutido com firmeza.

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O assunto é muito sério.

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A situação em Donbass
atingiu um estágio crítico e agudo.

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Eu estou falando com vocês diretamente hoje
não apenas para explicar o que está acontecendo

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mas também para informá-los
das decisões que estão sendo tomadas

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bem como possíveis outras etapas.

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Eu gostaria de enfatizar novamente

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que a Ucrânia não é apenas
um país vizinho para nós.

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É uma parte inalienável de nossa própria
história, cultura e espaço espiritual.

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Eles são nossos companheiros,
os mais queridos para nós, 

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não só colegas, amigos
e pessoas que uma vez serviram juntos,

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mas também parentes, pessoas
ligados pelo sangue, pelos laços familiares.

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Desde tempos remotos,

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as pessoas que vivem no sudoeste
do que historicamente tem sido terra russa

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eram chamados de
russos e cristãos ortodoxos.

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Era assim antes do século XVII(17),

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quando uma parte deste território
voltou ao estado russo e depois.

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Como sabemos, de um modo geral
todos nós conhecemos esses fatos e

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que isso é de conhecimento comum.

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Ainda assim, é preciso dizer
pelo menos algumas palavras

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sobre a história desta questão para
para entender o que está acontecendo hoje,

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para explicar os motivos por trás das ações da Rússia
e o que pretendemos alcançar.

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Então, vou começar com o fato
que a Ucrânia moderna

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foi inteiramente criado pela Rússia

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ou, para ser mais preciso,
pelos Bolcheviques, a Rússia comunista.

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Este processo começou praticamente
logo após a revolução de 1917,

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quando Lenin e seus associados,

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de uma forma extremamente 
dura com a Rússia,

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separou o que é historicamente 
era terra russa.

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Ninguém perguntou aos milhões
de pessoas que viviam lá

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o que pensavam, é claro.

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Então, pouco antes
e logo depois da Grande Guerra Patriótica,

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Stalin incorporado na URSS,
transferiu para a Ucrânia algumas terras

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que antes pertenciam à
Polônia, Romênia e Hungria.

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No processo, ele deu à Polônia parte

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do que era tradicionalmente
terras alemãs como compensação,

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e em 1954, Khrushchev tirou a Crimeia
da Rússia por algum motivo

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e também deu para a Ucrânia.

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Deste modo, é assim que o território
da Ucrânia moderna está formado.

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Mas agora eu gostaria de focar a atenção

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no período inicial
da formação da URSS.

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Eu acredito que isso é extremamente
importante para nós.

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Terei de me aproximar disso
'à distância', por assim dizer.

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Vou relembrá-lo que depois
a Revolução de Outubro de 1917

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e da subsequente Guerra Civil,

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os bolcheviques começaram a criar
um novo estado.

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Eles tiveram desentendimentos bastante sérios
entre si neste ponto.

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Em 1922, Stalin ficou ao
lado de ambos:

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o secretário-geral do Partido Comunista
da Rússia (bolcheviques)

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e o Comissário do Povo
para Assuntos Étnicos.

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Ele sugeriu construir o país
sobre os princípios da autonomização

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isto é, dando às repúblicas – o futuro
entidades administrativas e territoriais –

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amplos poderes ao ingressar em um estado unificado.

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Lenin criticou este plano e sugeriu 
fazer concessões aos nacionalistas,

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a quem ele chamou de
“independentes” naquela época.

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As ideias de Lenin sobre o que, em essência,
equivale a um arranjo de estado confederado

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e um slogan sobre o direito das nações
à autodeterminação, até a secessão,

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foram lançados na fundação
do estado soviético.

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Inicialmente foram confirmados

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na declaração
sobre a formação da URSS em 1922,

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e mais tarde, após a morte de Lenin, foram
incorporados na Constituição Soviética de 1924.

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Isso imediatamente levantou muitas questões.

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O primeiro é realmente o principal:

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por que era necessário apaziguar
os nacionalistas,

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para satisfazer incessantemente
crescentes ambições nacionalistas,

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nos arredores do antigo império?

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Qual o sentido de transferir
para o recém-formado, muitas vezes arbitrariamente

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unidades administrativas -
as repúblicas sindicais –

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vastos territórios que
nada tinham a ver com eles?

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Deixe-me repetir que esses territórios

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foram transferidos junto com a população
do que foi historicamente era a Rússia.

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Além disso, essas unidades administrativas

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receberam de facto o estatuto
e forma das entidades estatais nacionais.

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Isso levanta outra questão:

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por que foi necessário
dar presentes tão generosos,

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além dos sonhos mais loucos
dos nacionalistas mais zelosos

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e, ainda por cima,
dar às repúblicas o direito

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para se separar do estado unificado
sem condições?

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À primeira vista, isso parece absolutamente
incompreensível, até louco.
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Mas apenas à primeira vista.

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There is an explanation.

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After the revolution,
the Bolsheviks’ main goal

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was to stay in power at all costs,
absolutely at all costs.

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They did everything for this purpose:

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accepted the humiliating
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk,

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although the military
and economic situation

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in Kaiser Germany
and its allies was dramatic

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and the outcome of the First World War
was a foregone conclusion,

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and satisfied any demands

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and wishes of the nationalists
within the country.

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When it comes to the historical
destiny of Russia and its peoples,

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Lenin’s principles of state development
were not just a mistake;

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they were worse than a mistake,
as the saying goes.

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This became patently clear

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after the dissolution
of the Soviet Union in 1991.

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Of course, we cannot change past events,

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but we must at least
admit them openly and honestly,

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without any reservations or politicking.

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Personally, I can add 
that no political factors,

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however impressive or profitable
they may seem at any given moment,

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can or may be used

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as the fundamental principles
of statehood.

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I am not trying
to put the blame on anyone.

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The situation in the country at that time,
both before and after the Civil War,

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was extremely complicated;
it was critical.

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The only thing I would like to say today
is that this is exactly how it was.

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It is a historical fact!

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Actually, as I have already said,

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Soviet Ukraine is the result
of the Bolsheviks’ policy

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and can be rightfully called

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“Vladimir Lenin’s Ukraine.”

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He was its creator and architect.

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This is fully and comprehensively
corroborated by archival documents,

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including Lenin’s harsh
instructions regarding Donbass,

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which was actually shoved into Ukraine.

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And today the “grateful progeny” has
overturned monuments to Lenin in Ukraine.

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They call it decommunization.

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You want decommunization?

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Very well, this suits us just fine.

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But there is no need to stop halfway.

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We are ready to show what real
decommunizations would mean for Ukraine.

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Going back to history, I would like
to repeat that the Soviet Union

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was established in the place
of the former Russian Empire in 1922.

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But practice showed immediately
that it was impossible to preserve

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or govern such a vast
and complex territory

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on the amorphous principles
that amounted to confederation.

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They were far removed 
from reality and the historical tradition.

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It is logical that the Red Terror and
a rapid slide into Stalin’s dictatorship,

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the domination of the communist ideology
and the Communist Party’s monopoly on power,

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nationalisation and the planned economy –

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all this transformed the formally declared

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but ineffective principles of government
into a mere declaration.

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In reality, the union republics
did not have any sovereign rights,

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none at all.

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The practical result
was the creation of a tightly centralised

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and absolutely unitary state.

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In fact, what Stalin
fully implemented was not Lenin’s

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but his own principles of government.

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But he did not make
the relevant amendments

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to the cornerstone documents,
to the Constitution,

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and he did not formally revise
Lenin’s principles

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underlying the Soviet Union.

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From the look of it,
there seemed to be no need for that,

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because everything seemed 
to be working well

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in conditions of the totalitarian regime,

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and outwardly it looked wonderful,
attractive and even super-democratic.

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And yet, it is a great pity

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that the fundamental and formally
legal foundations of our state

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were not promptly
cleansed of the odious

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and utopian fantasies
inspired by the revolution,

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which are absolutely destructive
for any normal state.

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As it often happened
in our country before,

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nobody gave any thought to the future.

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It seems that the Communist Party
leaders were convinced

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that they had created
a solid system of government

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and that their policies
had settled the ethnic issue for good.

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But falsification, misconception,

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tampering with public opinion
and deception have a high cost.

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The virus of nationalist ambitions
is still with us,

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and the mine laid at the initial stage
to destroy state immunity

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to the disease of nationalism was ticking.

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As I have already said,

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the mine was the right of secession
from the Soviet Union.

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In the mid-1980s,

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the increasing socioeconomic problems

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and the apparent crisis of the planned
economy aggravated the ethnic issue,

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which essentially was not based

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on any expectations or unfulfilled
dreams of the Soviet peoples

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but primarily the growing appetites
of the local elites.

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However, instead of analysing
the situation,

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taking appropriate measures,
first of all in the economy,

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and gradually transforming
the political system and government

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in a well-considered and balanced manner,

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the Communist Party leadership
only engaged in open doubletalk

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about the revival of the Leninist
principle of national self-determination.

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Moreover, in the course of power struggle
within the Communist Party itself,

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each of the opposing sides,
in a bid to expand its support base,

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started to thoughtlessly incite
and encourage nationalist sentiments,

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manipulating them and promising their
potential supporters whatever they wished.

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Against the backdrop of the superficial
and populist rhetoric

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about democracy and a bright future based
either on a market or a planned economy,

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but amid a true impoverishment of people
and widespread shortages,

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no one among the powers

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that be was thinking about the inevitable
tragic consequences for the country.

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Next, they entirely embarked on the track
beaten at the inception of the USSR

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and pandering to the ambitions
of the nationalist elites

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nurtured within their own party ranks.

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But in so doing, they forgot
that the CPSU no longer had – thank God –

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the tools for retaining power
and the country itself,

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tools such as state terror
and a Stalinist-type dictatorship,

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and that the notorious
guiding role of the party

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was disappearing without a trace, like
a morning mist, right before their eyes.

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And then, the September 1989

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plenary session of the CPSU Central
Committee approved a truly fatal document,

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the so-called ethnic policy of the party
in modern conditions, the CPSU platform.

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It included the following
provisions, I quote:

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“The republics of the USSR
shall possess all the rights

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appropriate to their status
as sovereign socialist states.”

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The next point:

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“The supreme representative bodies
of power of the USSR republics

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can challenge and suspend
the operation of the USSR Government’s

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resolutions and directives
in their territory.”

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And finally:

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“Each republic of the USSR
shall have citizenship of its own,

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which shall apply
to all of its residents.”

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Wasn’t it clear

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what these formulas
and decisions would lead to?

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Now is not the time or place

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to go into matters pertaining
to state or constitutional law,

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or define the concept of citizenship.

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But one may wonder:

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why was it necessary
to rock the country even more

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in that already complicated situation?

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The facts remain.

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Even two years
before the collapse of the USSR,

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its fate was actually predetermined.

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It is now that radicals and nationalists,
including and primarily those in Ukraine,

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are taking credit
for having gained independence.

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As we can see, this is absolutely wrong.

225
00:14:45,281 --> 00:14:47,508
The disintegration of our united country

226
00:14:47,549 --> 00:14:50,191
was brought about by the historic,
strategic mistakes

227
00:14:50,207 --> 00:14:53,092
on the part of the Bolshevik
leaders and the CPSU leadership,

228
00:14:53,122 --> 00:14:56,064
mistakes committed
at different times in state-building

229
00:14:56,109 --> 00:14:58,504
and in economic and ethnic policies.

230
00:14:59,763 --> 00:15:04,544
The collapse of the historical Russia
known as the USSR is on their conscience.

231
00:15:06,234 --> 00:15:11,480
Despite all these injustices,
lies and outright pillage of Russia,

232
00:15:11,493 --> 00:15:15,745
it was our people who accepted
the new geopolitical reality

233
00:15:15,784 --> 00:15:18,413
that took shape
after the dissolution of the USSR,

234
00:15:18,458 --> 00:15:20,783
and recognised the new independent states.

235
00:15:21,252 --> 00:15:24,551
Not only did Russia recognise
these countries,

236
00:15:24,594 --> 00:15:29,467
but helped its CIS partners, even though
it faced a very dire situation itself.

237
00:15:29,506 --> 00:15:31,778
This included our Ukrainian colleagues,

238
00:15:31,798 --> 00:15:35,125
who turned to us
for financial support many times

239
00:15:35,142 --> 00:15:38,859
from the very moment
they declared independence.

240
00:15:39,552 --> 00:15:42,253
Our country provided this assistance

241
00:15:42,318 --> 00:15:46,326
while respecting Ukraine’s
dignity and sovereignty.

242
00:15:47,260 --> 00:15:48,898
According to expert assessments,

243
00:15:48,918 --> 00:15:53,186
confirmed by a simple calculation
of our energy prices,

244
00:15:53,213 --> 00:15:57,118
the subsidised loans Russia
provided to Ukraine

245
00:15:57,139 --> 00:15:59,800
along with economic and trade preferences,

246
00:15:59,827 --> 00:16:06,453
the overall benefit for the Ukrainian
budget in the period from 1991 to 2013

247
00:16:06,474 --> 00:16:09,969
amounted to $250 billion.

248
00:16:10,743 --> 00:16:12,762
However, there was more to it than that.

249
00:16:12,791 --> 00:16:15,242
By the end of 1991,

250
00:16:15,285 --> 00:16:20,687
the USSR owed some $100 billion
to other countries

251
00:16:20,718 --> 00:16:23,505
and international funds.

252
00:16:24,122 --> 00:16:27,213
Initially, there was this idea
that all former Soviet republics

253
00:16:27,264 --> 00:16:32,180
will pay back these loans together,
in the spirit of solidarity

254
00:16:32,200 --> 00:16:35,533
and proportionally
to their economic potential.

255
00:16:35,784 --> 00:16:40,436
However, Russia undertook
to pay back all Soviet debts

256
00:16:40,468 --> 00:16:42,784
and delivered on this promise

257
00:16:42,820 --> 00:16:47,503
by completing this process in 2017.

258
00:16:48,304 --> 00:16:50,758
In exchange for that,
the newly independent states

259
00:16:50,773 --> 00:16:56,029
had to hand over to Russia part
of the Soviet foreign assets.

260
00:16:56,095 --> 00:17:02,847
An agreement to this effect was reached 
with Ukraine in December 1994.

261
00:17:03,570 --> 00:17:07,489
However, Kyiv failed
to ratify these agreements

262
00:17:07,546 --> 00:17:10,367
and later simply refused to honour them

263
00:17:10,393 --> 00:17:14,480
by making demands for a share
of the Diamond Treasury, gold reserves,

264
00:17:14,502 --> 00:17:18,818
as well as former USSR property
and other assets abroad.

265
00:17:19,305 --> 00:17:23,475
Nevertheless,
despite all these challenges,

266
00:17:23,518 --> 00:17:28,205
Russia always worked with Ukraine
in an open and honest manner

267
00:17:28,239 --> 00:17:31,133
and, as I have already said,
with respect for its interests.

268
00:17:31,451 --> 00:17:35,165
We developed our ties in multiple fields.

269
00:17:35,201 --> 00:17:41,295
Thus, in 2011, bilateral trade
exceeded $50 billion.

270
00:17:42,273 --> 00:17:47,580
Let me note that in 2019,
that is before the pandemic,

271
00:17:47,621 --> 00:17:51,747
Ukraine’s trade with all EU countries
combined was below this indicator.

272
00:17:52,356 --> 00:17:55,355
At the same time, it was striking
how the Ukrainian authorities

273
00:17:55,385 --> 00:17:58,127
always preferred dealing with Russia
in a way that ensured

274
00:17:58,147 --> 00:18:03,430
having all the rights and privileges
while remaining free from any obligations.

275
00:18:03,783 --> 00:18:07,530
The officials in Kyiv replaced partnership

276
00:18:07,550 --> 00:18:13,847
with a parasitic attitude acting at times
in an extremely brash manner.

277
00:18:14,304 --> 00:18:18,319
Suffice it to recall the continuous
blackmail on energy transits

278
00:18:18,344 --> 00:18:20,822
and the fact that
they literally stole gas.

279
00:18:21,534 --> 00:18:25,758
I can add that Kyiv
tried to use dialogue with Russia

280
00:18:25,783 --> 00:18:28,210
as a bargaining chip
in its relations with the West,

281
00:18:28,239 --> 00:18:31,326
using the threat
of closer ties with Russia

282
00:18:31,345 --> 00:18:34,175
for blackmailing the West
to secure preferences

283
00:18:34,229 --> 00:18:38,540
by claiming that otherwise Russia
would have a bigger influence in Ukraine.

284
00:18:38,958 --> 00:18:41,469
At the same time,
the Ukrainian authorities –

285
00:18:41,512 --> 00:18:45,782
I would like to emphasise this –
began by building their statehood

286
00:18:45,818 --> 00:18:48,966
on the negation of everything
that united us,

287
00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:53,526
trying to distort the mentality and
historical memory of millions of people,

288
00:18:53,543 --> 00:18:55,824
of entire generations living in Ukraine.

289
00:18:56,792 --> 00:18:59,177
It is not surprising that Ukrainian society

290
00:18:59,197 --> 00:19:01,502
was faced with the rise
of far-right nationalism,

291
00:19:01,509 --> 00:19:06,496
which rapidly developed into aggressive
Russophobia and neo-Nazism.

292
00:19:07,046 --> 00:19:11,410
This resulted in the participation
of Ukrainian nationalists and neo-Nazis

293
00:19:11,444 --> 00:19:14,179
in the terrorist groups
in the North Caucasus

294
00:19:15,122 --> 00:19:19,105
and the increasingly loud
territorial claims to Russia.

295
00:19:20,285 --> 00:19:22,752
A role in this was played
by external forces,

296
00:19:22,783 --> 00:19:26,235
which used a ramified network
of NGOs and special services

297
00:19:26,279 --> 00:19:28,715
to nurture their clients in Ukraine

298
00:19:28,733 --> 00:19:31,599
and to bring their representatives
to the seats of authority.

299
00:19:32,270 --> 00:19:34,498
It should be noted that Ukraine actually

300
00:19:34,539 --> 00:19:38,530
never had stable traditions
of real statehood.

301
00:19:38,788 --> 00:19:45,614
And, therefore, in 1991 it opted
for mindlessly emulating foreign models,

302
00:19:45,667 --> 00:19:49,725
which have no relation
to history or Ukrainian realities.

303
00:19:50,506 --> 00:19:53,786
Political government institutions
were readjusted many times

304
00:19:53,814 --> 00:19:58,745
to the rapidly growing clans
and their self-serving interests,

305
00:19:58,785 --> 00:20:02,526
which had nothing to do with 
the interests of the Ukrainian people.

306
00:20:03,169 --> 00:20:07,414
Essentially, the so-called
pro-Western civilizational choice

307
00:20:07,456 --> 00:20:11,713
made by the oligarchic Ukrainian
authorities was not and is not aimed

308
00:20:11,741 --> 00:20:15,738
at creating better conditions
in the interests of people’s well-being

309
00:20:15,760 --> 00:20:18,510
but at keeping the billions of dollars

310
00:20:18,527 --> 00:20:21,545
that the oligarchs have stolen
from the Ukrainians

311
00:20:21,587 --> 00:20:25,219
and are holding in their accounts
in Western banks,

312
00:20:25,262 --> 00:20:28,819
while reverently accommodating
the geopolitical rivals of Russia.

313
00:20:29,561 --> 00:20:32,218
Some industrial and financial groups

314
00:20:32,265 --> 00:20:34,949
and the parties and politicians
on their payroll

315
00:20:34,968 --> 00:20:38,265
relied on the nationalists and radicals
from the very beginning.

316
00:20:38,676 --> 00:20:41,501
Others claimed to be in favour
of good relations with Russia

317
00:20:41,552 --> 00:20:45,093
and cultural and language diversity,

318
00:20:45,109 --> 00:20:47,820
coming to power
with the help of their citizen

319
00:20:47,848 --> 00:20:51,056
who sincerely supported
their declared aspirations,

320
00:20:51,109 --> 00:20:54,097
including the millions of people
in the south-eastern regions.

321
00:20:54,123 --> 00:20:56,473
But after getting the positions
they coveted,

322
00:20:56,506 --> 00:20:58,721
these people immediately
betrayed their voters,

323
00:20:58,752 --> 00:21:01,749
going back on their election promises

324
00:21:01,806 --> 00:21:05,468
and instead steering
a policy prompted by the radicals

325
00:21:05,501 --> 00:21:08,363
and sometimes even
persecuting their former allies –

326
00:21:08,408 --> 00:21:13,306
the public organisations that supported
bilingualism and cooperation with Russia.

327
00:21:14,201 --> 00:21:17,236
These people took advantage
of the fact that their voters

328
00:21:17,254 --> 00:21:20,220
were mostly law-abiding citizens
with moderate views

329
00:21:20,252 --> 00:21:22,469
who used to trust the authorities,

330
00:21:22,499 --> 00:21:25,780
and that, unlike the radicals,
they would not act aggressively

331
00:21:25,821 --> 00:21:28,067
or make use of illegal instruments.

332
00:21:28,507 --> 00:21:31,707
Meanwhile, the radicals became
increasingly brazen in their actions

333
00:21:31,737 --> 00:21:33,906
and made more demands every year.

334
00:21:34,423 --> 00:21:39,214
They found it easy to force
their will on the weak authorities,

335
00:21:39,262 --> 00:21:43,784
which were infected with the virus
of nationalism and corruption

336
00:21:43,816 --> 00:21:48,073
as well and which artfully replaced
the real cultural, economic

337
00:21:48,117 --> 00:21:52,295
and social interests of the people
and Ukraine’s true sovereignty

338
00:21:52,347 --> 00:21:55,479
with various ethnic speculations

339
00:21:55,516 --> 00:21:58,153
and formal ethnic attributes.

340
00:21:58,993 --> 00:22:02,493
A stable statehood has never
developed in Ukraine;

341
00:22:02,510 --> 00:22:06,208
its electoral and other political
procedures just serve as a cover,

342
00:22:06,248 --> 00:22:09,477
a screen for the redistribution
of power and property

343
00:22:09,515 --> 00:22:12,826
between various oligarchic clans.

344
00:22:14,197 --> 00:22:18,478
Corruption, which is certainly a challenge
and a problem for many countries,

345
00:22:18,506 --> 00:22:20,223
including Russia,

346
00:22:20,253 --> 00:22:23,786
has gone beyond
the usual scope in Ukraine.

347
00:22:24,114 --> 00:22:27,700
It has literally permeated
and corroded Ukrainian statehood,

348
00:22:27,715 --> 00:22:29,825
the entire system,
and all branches of power.

349
00:22:30,741 --> 00:22:34,207
Radical nationalists took advantage
of the justified public discontent

350
00:22:34,254 --> 00:22:40,500
and saddled the Maidan protest,
escalating it to a coup d'état in 2014.

351
00:22:41,452 --> 00:22:45,488
They also had direct assistance
from foreign states.

352
00:22:45,748 --> 00:22:50,265
According to reports,
the US Embassy provided $1 million a day

353
00:22:50,292 --> 00:22:56,170
to support the so-called protest camp
on Independence Square in Kyiv.

354
00:22:56,764 --> 00:22:59,479
In addition, large amounts

355
00:22:59,514 --> 00:23:03,497
were impudently transferred directly
to the opposition leaders’ bank accounts,

356
00:23:03,519 --> 00:23:06,294
tens of millions of dollars.

357
00:23:06,770 --> 00:23:09,766
But the people who actually suffered,

358
00:23:09,786 --> 00:23:13,516
the families of those who died
in the clashes provoked in the streets

359
00:23:13,564 --> 00:23:17,046
and squares of Kyiv and other cities,
how much did they get in the end?

360
00:23:17,248 --> 00:23:19,500
Better not ask.

361
00:23:19,749 --> 00:23:21,557
The nationalists who have seized power

362
00:23:21,573 --> 00:23:24,910
have unleashed persecution,
a real terror campaign against those

363
00:23:24,929 --> 00:23:28,166
who opposed
their anti-constitutional actions.

364
00:23:28,377 --> 00:23:31,939
Politicians, journalists,
and public activists

365
00:23:31,959 --> 00:23:34,741
were harassed and publicly humiliated.

366
00:23:35,060 --> 00:23:38,491
A wave of violence swept Ukrainian cities,

367
00:23:38,525 --> 00:23:41,794
including a series of high-profile
and unpunished murders.

368
00:23:42,248 --> 00:23:46,732
One shudders at the memories
of the terrible tragedy in Odessa,

369
00:23:46,780 --> 00:23:50,501
where peaceful protesters
were brutally murdered,

370
00:23:50,535 --> 00:23:53,564
burned alive in the House of Trade Unions.

371
00:23:55,381 --> 00:23:59,459
The criminals who committed
that atrocity have never been punished,

372
00:23:59,483 --> 00:24:01,526
and no one is even looking for them.

373
00:24:01,720 --> 00:24:04,175
But we know their names

374
00:24:04,219 --> 00:24:07,939
and we will do everything to punish them,

375
00:24:08,222 --> 00:24:10,283
find them and bring them to justice.

376
00:24:13,127 --> 00:24:16,225
Maidan did not bring Ukraine
any closer to democracy and progress.

377
00:24:16,255 --> 00:24:18,241
Having accomplished a coup d'état,

378
00:24:18,268 --> 00:24:22,257
the nationalists and those political
forces that supported them

379
00:24:22,275 --> 00:24:24,784
eventually led Ukraine into an impasse,

380
00:24:25,562 --> 00:24:28,222
pushed the country
into the abyss of civil war.

381
00:24:28,831 --> 00:24:32,303
Eight years later, the country is split.

382
00:24:32,736 --> 00:24:35,748
Ukraine is struggling
with an acute socio-economic crisis.

383
00:24:36,519 --> 00:24:38,489
According to international organizations,

384
00:24:38,522 --> 00:24:43,057
in 2019,

385
00:24:43,106 --> 00:24:47,728
almost 6 million Ukrainians –
I emphasize – about 15 percent,

386
00:24:47,745 --> 00:24:51,475
not of the workforce, but of the entire
population of that country,

387
00:24:51,505 --> 00:24:55,256
had to go abroad to find work.

388
00:24:55,517 --> 00:25:00,805
Most of them do odd jobs.

389
00:25:01,230 --> 00:25:03,451
The following fact is also revealing:

390
00:25:03,483 --> 00:25:08,252
since 2020, over 60,000 doctors
and other health workers

391
00:25:08,281 --> 00:25:11,520
have left the country amid the pandemic.

392
00:25:12,559 --> 00:25:17,697
Since 2014, water bills
increased by almost a third,

393
00:25:17,730 --> 00:25:20,104
and energy bills grew several times,

394
00:25:20,131 --> 00:25:23,292
while the price of gas for households
surged several dozen times.

395
00:25:24,225 --> 00:25:27,682
Many people simply do not have
the money to pay for utilities.

396
00:25:27,720 --> 00:25:29,766
They literally struggle to survive.

397
00:25:30,285 --> 00:25:33,289
What happened? Why is this all happening?

398
00:25:33,507 --> 00:25:36,229
The answer is obvious.

399
00:25:36,259 --> 00:25:41,015
They spent and embezzled the legacy
inherited not only from the Soviet era

400
00:25:41,039 --> 00:25:44,530
but also from the Russian Empire.

401
00:25:45,294 --> 00:25:47,671
They lost tens,
hundreds of thousands of jobs

402
00:25:47,697 --> 00:25:51,467
which enabled people to earn a reliable
income and generate tax revenue,

403
00:25:51,504 --> 00:25:54,768
among other things thanks
to close cooperation with Russia.

404
00:25:55,125 --> 00:25:56,961
Sectors including machine building,

405
00:25:57,010 --> 00:26:01,505
instrument engineering,
electronics, ship, and aircraft building

406
00:26:01,522 --> 00:26:05,758
have been undermined
or destroyed altogether.

407
00:26:05,927 --> 00:26:08,215
There was a time, however,
when not only Ukraine,

408
00:26:08,245 --> 00:26:10,960
but the entire Soviet Union
took pride in these companies.

409
00:26:11,071 --> 00:26:15,761
In 2021, the Black Sea Shipyard
in Nikolayev went out of business.

410
00:26:15,796 --> 00:26:19,233
Its first docks date back
to Catherine the Great.

411
00:26:19,884 --> 00:26:21,769
Antonov, the famous manufacturer,

412
00:26:21,805 --> 00:26:25,740
has not made a single commercial
aircraft since 2016,

413
00:26:25,752 --> 00:26:29,898
while Yuzhmash, a factory specializing
in missile and space equipment,

414
00:26:29,919 --> 00:26:34,253
is nearly bankrupt,
as is The Kremenchuk Steel Plant.

415
00:26:34,275 --> 00:26:36,750
This sad list goes on and on.

416
00:26:37,246 --> 00:26:39,142
As for the gas transportation system,

417
00:26:39,185 --> 00:26:41,503
it was built in its entirety
by the Soviet Union,

418
00:26:41,542 --> 00:26:44,465
and it has now deteriorated
to an extent that using it

419
00:26:44,505 --> 00:26:48,265
creates major risks and comes
at a high cost for the environment.

420
00:26:48,691 --> 00:26:50,744
This situation begs the question:

421
00:26:50,778 --> 00:26:52,699
poverty, lack of opportunity,

422
00:26:52,731 --> 00:26:55,935
and lost industrial
and technological potential –

423
00:26:55,954 --> 00:26:59,129
is this the pro-Western
civilizational choice

424
00:26:59,142 --> 00:27:02,729
they have been using for many years
to fool millions of people

425
00:27:02,755 --> 00:27:04,548
with promises of heavenly pastures?

426
00:27:06,228 --> 00:27:09,932
It all came down 
to a Ukrainian economy in tatters

427
00:27:09,968 --> 00:27:13,247
and outright pillage 
of the country’s citizens,

428
00:27:13,738 --> 00:27:17,487
while Ukraine itself was placed
under external control,

429
00:27:17,769 --> 00:27:21,542
directed not only
from the Western capitals

430
00:27:21,575 --> 00:27:24,269
but also on the ground,
as the saying goes,

431
00:27:24,319 --> 00:27:28,934
through an entire network of foreign
advisors, NGOs, and other institutions

432
00:27:28,951 --> 00:27:30,800
present in Ukraine.

433
00:27:31,266 --> 00:27:35,239
They have a direct bearing
on all the key appointments and dismissals

434
00:27:35,280 --> 00:27:37,819
and on all branches
of power at all levels,

435
00:27:37,859 --> 00:27:40,253
from the central government
down to municipalities,

436
00:27:40,273 --> 00:27:42,754
as well as on state-owned
companies and corporations,

437
00:27:42,769 --> 00:27:46,727
including Naftogaz, Ukrenergo,
Ukrainian Railways,

438
00:27:46,757 --> 00:27:51,761
Ukroboronprom, Ukrposhta,
and the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority.

439
00:27:52,543 --> 00:27:55,130
There is no independent judiciary
in Ukraine.

440
00:27:55,194 --> 00:27:57,219
The Kyiv authorities,
at the West’s demand,

441
00:27:57,270 --> 00:28:00,107
delegated the priority right
to select members

442
00:28:00,156 --> 00:28:03,240
of the supreme judicial bodies,
the Council of Justice,

443
00:28:03,263 --> 00:28:07,832
and the High Qualifications Commission
of Judges, to international organizations.

444
00:28:08,930 --> 00:28:13,245
In addition, the United States

445
00:28:13,277 --> 00:28:18,262
directly controls the National Agency
on Corruption Prevention,

446
00:28:18,290 --> 00:28:21,010
the National Anti-Corruption Bureau,

447
00:28:21,059 --> 00:28:23,569
the Specialised Anti-Corruption
Prosecutor's Office

448
00:28:23,590 --> 00:28:25,827
and the High Anti-Corruption Court.

449
00:28:26,234 --> 00:28:28,679
All this is done under the noble pretext

450
00:28:28,701 --> 00:28:31,000
of invigorating efforts
against corruption.

451
00:28:31,269 --> 00:28:32,937
All right,

452
00:28:32,978 --> 00:28:34,744
but where are the results?

453
00:28:34,778 --> 00:28:39,286
Corruption is flourishing
like never before.

454
00:28:40,215 --> 00:28:44,163
Are the Ukrainian people aware
that this is how their country is managed?

455
00:28:44,202 --> 00:28:46,083
Do they realize that their country

456
00:28:46,114 --> 00:28:50,081
has turned not even into a political
or economic protectorate

457
00:28:50,106 --> 00:28:53,541
but has been reduced to a colony
with a puppet regime?

458
00:28:54,477 --> 00:28:56,571
The state was privatized -- as a result,

459
00:28:56,609 --> 00:28:59,710
the government, which designates
itself as the “power of patriots”

460
00:28:59,750 --> 00:29:02,029
no longer acts in a national capacity

461
00:29:02,062 --> 00:29:06,022
and consistently pushes Ukraine
towards losing its sovereignty.

462
00:29:06,712 --> 00:29:08,907
The policy to root out
the Russian language

463
00:29:08,926 --> 00:29:11,300
and culture and promote
assimilation carries on.

464
00:29:11,613 --> 00:29:15,835
The Verkhovna Rada has generated
a steady flow of discriminatory bills,

465
00:29:15,874 --> 00:29:19,824
and the law on the so-called indigenous
people has already come into force.

466
00:29:19,873 --> 00:29:21,860
People who identify as Russians

467
00:29:21,893 --> 00:29:25,038
and want to preserve
their identity, language, and culture

468
00:29:25,058 --> 00:29:27,938
are getting the signal that they are
not wanted in Ukraine.

469
00:29:28,753 --> 00:29:31,767
Under the laws on education

470
00:29:31,801 --> 00:29:35,756
and the Ukrainian language
as a state language,

471
00:29:35,784 --> 00:29:39,460
the Russian language has no place
in schools or public spaces,

472
00:29:39,505 --> 00:29:41,319
even in ordinary shops.

473
00:29:42,139 --> 00:29:45,674
The law on the so-called vetting
of officials and purging their ranks

474
00:29:45,693 --> 00:29:49,325
created a pathway for dealing
with unwanted civil servants.

475
00:29:49,862 --> 00:29:51,557
There are more and more acts

476
00:29:51,595 --> 00:29:54,494
enabling the Ukrainian military
and law enforcement agencies

477
00:29:54,516 --> 00:29:57,293
to crack down on the freedom of speech,

478
00:29:57,326 --> 00:30:00,241
dissent, and going after the opposition.

479
00:30:00,771 --> 00:30:04,795
The world knows the deplorable practice of
imposing unilateral illegitimate sanctions

480
00:30:04,815 --> 00:30:08,530
against other countries,
foreign individuals, and legal entities.

481
00:30:09,813 --> 00:30:12,718
Ukraine has outperformed
its Western masters

482
00:30:12,755 --> 00:30:17,448
by inventing sanctions against
its own citizens, companies,

483
00:30:17,479 --> 00:30:21,545
television channels, other media outlets,
and even members of parliament.

484
00:30:22,108 --> 00:30:27,058
Kyiv continues to prepare the destruction
of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

485
00:30:27,098 --> 00:30:28,859
of the Moscow Patriarchate.

486
00:30:29,776 --> 00:30:32,439
This is not an emotional judgement;

487
00:30:32,477 --> 00:30:35,502
proof of this can be found
in concrete decisions and documents.

488
00:30:36,147 --> 00:30:38,744
The Ukrainian authorities
have cynically turned

489
00:30:38,790 --> 00:30:42,105
the tragedy of the schism
into an instrument of state policy.

490
00:30:42,771 --> 00:30:46,532
The current authorities do not react
to the Ukrainian people’s appeals

491
00:30:46,568 --> 00:30:49,511
to abolish the laws that are infringing
on believers’ rights.

492
00:30:49,775 --> 00:30:53,584
Moreover, new draft laws directed against
the clergy and millions of parishioners

493
00:30:53,610 --> 00:30:56,473
of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church
of the Moscow Patriarchate

494
00:30:56,499 --> 00:30:58,760
have been registered
in the Verkhovna Rada.

495
00:30:59,775 --> 00:31:02,209
A few words about Crimea.

496
00:31:02,752 --> 00:31:07,783
The people of the peninsula freely
made their choice to be with Russia.

497
00:31:09,110 --> 00:31:14,498
The Kyiv authorities cannot challenge
the clearly stated choice of the people,

498
00:31:14,542 --> 00:31:17,353
which is why they have opted
for aggressive action,

499
00:31:17,374 --> 00:31:22,762
for activating extremist cells,
including radical Islamist organisations,

500
00:31:22,822 --> 00:31:26,254
for sending subversives
to stage terrorist attacks

501
00:31:26,295 --> 00:31:28,931
at critical infrastructure facilities,

502
00:31:28,960 --> 00:31:31,563
and for kidnapping Russian citizens.

503
00:31:31,766 --> 00:31:35,265
We have factual proof
that such aggressive actions

504
00:31:35,293 --> 00:31:38,304
are being taken with support
from Western security services.

505
00:31:38,971 --> 00:31:43,806
In March 2021, a new Military Strategy
was adopted in Ukraine.

506
00:31:44,738 --> 00:31:49,207
This document is almost entirely
dedicated to confrontation with Russia

507
00:31:49,251 --> 00:31:54,498
and sets the goal of involving foreign
states in a conflict with our country.

508
00:31:56,021 --> 00:31:59,133
The strategy stipulates the organisation
of what can be described

509
00:31:59,173 --> 00:32:02,550
as a terrorist underground movement
in Russia’s Crimea and in Donbass.

510
00:32:03,084 --> 00:32:06,793
It also sets out
the contours of a potential war,

511
00:32:07,292 --> 00:32:11,753
which should end,
according to the Kyiv strategists,

512
00:32:11,780 --> 00:32:13,400
I quote further:

513
00:32:13,791 --> 00:32:16,722
“with the assistance
of the international community

514
00:32:16,741 --> 00:32:19,226
on favourable terms for Ukraine,”

515
00:32:19,645 --> 00:32:24,239
as well as currently expressed in Kyiv,
I also quote here –

516
00:32:25,826 --> 00:32:27,728
please, listen carefully –

517
00:32:27,762 --> 00:32:30,776
“with foreign military support

518
00:32:30,824 --> 00:32:33,997
in the geopolitical confrontation
with the Russian Federation.”

519
00:32:34,547 --> 00:32:37,521
In fact, this is nothing other
than preparation for hostilities

520
00:32:37,554 --> 00:32:39,810
against our country, Russia.

521
00:32:40,175 --> 00:32:42,536
As we know, it has
already been stated today

522
00:32:42,575 --> 00:32:46,794
that Ukraine intends to create
its own nuclear weapons,

523
00:32:47,506 --> 00:32:49,738
and this is not just bragging.

524
00:32:49,782 --> 00:32:54,243
Ukraine has the nuclear technologies
created back in the Soviet times

525
00:32:54,279 --> 00:32:57,667
and delivery vehicles for such
weapons, including aircraft,

526
00:32:57,705 --> 00:33:03,547
as well as the Soviet-designed
Tochka-U precision tactical missiles

527
00:33:03,562 --> 00:33:05,822
with a range of over 100 kilometres.

528
00:33:05,952 --> 00:33:08,745
But they can do more;
it is only a matter of time.

529
00:33:09,530 --> 00:33:12,299
They have had the groundwork
for this since the Soviet era.

530
00:33:12,318 --> 00:33:14,920
In other words,
acquiring tactical nuclear weapons

531
00:33:14,957 --> 00:33:19,726
will be much easier for Ukraine
than for some other states

532
00:33:19,759 --> 00:33:23,285
I am not going to mention here,
which are conducting such research,

533
00:33:23,644 --> 00:33:27,231
especially if Kyiv receives
foreign technological support.

534
00:33:28,190 --> 00:33:30,063
We cannot rule this out either.

535
00:33:30,251 --> 00:33:33,224
If Ukraine acquires
weapons of mass destruction,

536
00:33:33,266 --> 00:33:37,508
the situation in the world and in Europe
will drastically change,

537
00:33:37,564 --> 00:33:40,768
especially for us, for Russia.

538
00:33:41,773 --> 00:33:45,090
We cannot but react to this real danger,

539
00:33:45,116 --> 00:33:48,760
all the more so since, let me repeat,
Ukraine’s Western patrons

540
00:33:48,799 --> 00:33:51,766
may help it acquire these weapons

541
00:33:51,796 --> 00:33:55,044
to create yet another threat
to our country.

542
00:33:55,504 --> 00:34:00,479
We are seeing how persistently
the Kyiv regime is being pumped with arms.

543
00:34:00,787 --> 00:34:06,204
Since 2014, the United States alone has
spent billions of dollars for this purpose,

544
00:34:06,253 --> 00:34:09,922
including supplies of arms
and equipment and training of specialists.

545
00:34:10,811 --> 00:34:15,657
In the last few months, there has been
a constant flow of Western weapons

546
00:34:15,702 --> 00:34:19,242
to Ukraine, ostentatiously,
with the entire world watching.

547
00:34:21,144 --> 00:34:24,320
Foreign advisors supervise
the activities of Ukraine’s armed forces

548
00:34:24,340 --> 00:34:26,832
and special services
and we are well aware of this.

549
00:34:26,877 --> 00:34:28,336
Over the past few years,

550
00:34:28,350 --> 00:34:31,870
military contingents of NATO countries
have been almost constantly present

551
00:34:31,901 --> 00:34:34,697
on Ukrainian territory
under the pretext of exercises.

552
00:34:34,878 --> 00:34:38,901
The Ukrainian troop control system
has already been integrated into NATO.

553
00:34:39,250 --> 00:34:42,186
This means that NATO headquarters

554
00:34:42,244 --> 00:34:45,291
can issue direct commands
to the Ukrainian armed forces,

555
00:34:45,309 --> 00:34:47,490
even to their separate units and squads.

556
00:34:48,206 --> 00:34:51,710
The United States and NATO
have started an impudent development

557
00:34:51,766 --> 00:34:55,575
of Ukrainian territory as a theatre
of potential military operations.

558
00:34:55,864 --> 00:34:59,520
Their regular joint exercises
are obviously anti-Russian.

559
00:34:59,855 --> 00:35:03,727
Last year alone, over 23,000 troops

560
00:35:03,766 --> 00:35:06,471
and more than a thousand units
of hardware were involved.

561
00:35:06,740 --> 00:35:11,730
A law has already been adopted
that allows foreign troops

562
00:35:11,768 --> 00:35:16,199
to come to Ukraine in 2022
to take part in multinational drills.

563
00:35:16,497 --> 00:35:19,494
Understandably, these are
primarily NATO troops.

564
00:35:20,076 --> 00:35:25,602
This year, at least ten
of these joint drills are planned.

565
00:35:26,165 --> 00:35:28,141
Obviously, such undertakings

566
00:35:28,160 --> 00:35:31,744
are designed to be a cover-up for a rapid
buildup of the NATO military group

567
00:35:31,786 --> 00:35:33,658
on Ukrainian territory.

568
00:35:33,682 --> 00:35:38,441
This is all the more so since the network
of airfields upgraded with US help

569
00:35:38,477 --> 00:35:42,527
in Borispol, Ivano-Frankovsk,
Chuguyev and Odessa, to name a few,

570
00:35:42,546 --> 00:35:46,534
is capable of transferring army units
in a very short time.

571
00:35:47,072 --> 00:35:49,739
Ukraine’s airspace is open to flights

572
00:35:49,777 --> 00:35:54,247
by US strategic and reconnaissance
aircraft and drones

573
00:35:54,297 --> 00:35:57,758
that conduct surveillance
over Russian territory.

574
00:35:58,168 --> 00:36:03,476
I will add that the US-built Maritime
Operations Centre in Ochakov

575
00:36:03,497 --> 00:36:06,923
makes it possible to support
activity by NATO warships,

576
00:36:06,957 --> 00:36:11,700
including the use of precision weapons,
against the Russian Black Sea Fleet

577
00:36:11,738 --> 00:36:15,783
and our infrastructure
on the entire Black Sea Coast.

578
00:36:16,662 --> 00:36:21,718
At one time, the United States intended
to build similar facilities in Crimea

579
00:36:21,739 --> 00:36:25,467
as well but the Crimeans and residents
of Sevastopol wrecked these plans.

580
00:36:25,495 --> 00:36:27,699
We will always remember this.

581
00:36:28,553 --> 00:36:31,495
I would like to repeat
that today such a centre

582
00:36:31,515 --> 00:36:35,137
has already been deployed in Ochakov.

583
00:36:35,552 --> 00:36:40,483
In the 18th century, soldiers
of Alexander Suvorov fought for this city.

584
00:36:40,544 --> 00:36:44,404
Owing to their courage,
it became part of Russia.

585
00:36:44,836 --> 00:36:48,035
Also in the 18th century,
the lands of the Black Sea littoral,

586
00:36:48,058 --> 00:36:51,469
incorporated in Russia as a result
of wars with the Ottoman Empire,

587
00:36:51,491 --> 00:36:53,968
were given the name
of Novorossiya (New Russia).

588
00:36:54,016 --> 00:36:57,720
Now attempts are being made to condemn
these landmarks of history to oblivion,

589
00:36:57,743 --> 00:37:01,458
along with the names of state
and military figures of the Russian Empire

590
00:37:01,491 --> 00:37:05,643
without whose efforts modern Ukraine
would not have many big cities

591
00:37:05,665 --> 00:37:07,725
or even access to the Black Sea.

592
00:37:08,285 --> 00:37:11,764
A monument to Alexander Suvorov
was recently demolished in Poltava.

593
00:37:12,745 --> 00:37:14,286
What is there to say?

594
00:37:14,875 --> 00:37:17,282
Are you renouncing your own past?

595
00:37:17,834 --> 00:37:21,534
The so-called colonial heritage
of the Russian Empire?

596
00:37:21,770 --> 00:37:24,499
Well, in this case, be consistent.

597
00:37:26,746 --> 00:37:30,774
Next, notably, Article 17
of the Constitution of Ukraine stipulates

598
00:37:30,810 --> 00:37:33,966
that deploying foreign military
bases on its territory is illegal.

599
00:37:34,639 --> 00:37:36,050
However, as it turns out,

600
00:37:36,078 --> 00:37:39,054
this is just a conventionality
that can be easily circumvented.

601
00:37:39,866 --> 00:37:43,756
Ukraine is home to NATO training missions

602
00:37:43,801 --> 00:37:47,235
which are, in fact,
foreign military bases.

603
00:37:47,808 --> 00:37:51,178
They just called a base a mission
and were done with it.

604
00:37:51,487 --> 00:37:56,111
Kyiv has long proclaimed
a strategic course on joining NATO.

605
00:37:56,131 --> 00:37:58,506
Indeed, each country is entitled

606
00:37:58,519 --> 00:38:03,264
to pick its own security system
and enter into military alliances.

607
00:38:03,758 --> 00:38:06,930
There would be no problem with that,
if it were not for one “but.”

608
00:38:07,304 --> 00:38:10,725
International documents expressly 
stipulate the principle of equal

609
00:38:10,752 --> 00:38:12,764
and indivisible security,

610
00:38:12,792 --> 00:38:17,382
which includes obligations
not to strengthen one's own security

611
00:38:17,420 --> 00:38:20,843
at the expense of the security
of other states.

612
00:38:22,198 --> 00:38:27,731
This is stated in the 1999 OSCE
Charter for European Security

613
00:38:27,785 --> 00:38:32,505
adopted in Istanbul
and the 2010 OSCE Astana Declaration.

614
00:38:32,903 --> 00:38:36,185
In other words, the choice of pathways
towards ensuring security

615
00:38:36,221 --> 00:38:39,731
should not pose a threat to other states,

616
00:38:39,766 --> 00:38:44,430
whereas Ukraine joining NATO
is a direct threat to Russia's security.

617
00:38:45,106 --> 00:38:46,565
Let me remind you

618
00:38:46,589 --> 00:38:51,162
that at the Bucharest NATO summit
held in April 2008,

619
00:38:51,190 --> 00:38:54,470
the United States pushed through
a decision to the effect that Ukraine

620
00:38:54,484 --> 00:38:57,230
and, by the way, Georgia
would become NATO members.

621
00:38:57,269 --> 00:39:01,228
Many European allies of the United States

622
00:39:01,265 --> 00:39:05,876
were well aware of the risks associated
with this prospect already then,

623
00:39:05,906 --> 00:39:09,776
but were forced to put up
with the will of their senior partner.

624
00:39:10,225 --> 00:39:12,505
The Americans simply used them

625
00:39:12,540 --> 00:39:15,802
to carry out a clearly
anti-Russian policy.

626
00:39:16,177 --> 00:39:19,736
A number of NATO member state
are still very skeptical

627
00:39:19,784 --> 00:39:21,529
about Ukraine joining NATO.

628
00:39:21,788 --> 00:39:25,740
We are getting signals
from some European capitals

629
00:39:25,781 --> 00:39:29,697
telling us not to worry since
it will not happen literally overnight.

630
00:39:29,736 --> 00:39:33,364
In fact, our US partners
are saying the same thing as well.

631
00:39:33,364 --> 00:39:36,297
“All right, then” we respond,
“if it does not happen tomorrow,

632
00:39:36,337 --> 00:39:38,341
then it will happen
the day after tomorrow.

633
00:39:38,361 --> 00:39:40,863
What does it change
from the historical perspective?

634
00:39:41,163 --> 00:39:42,821
Nothing at all.”

635
00:39:43,289 --> 00:39:47,558
Furthermore, we are aware
of the US leadership’s position

636
00:39:47,577 --> 00:39:50,800
and words that active hostilities
in eastern Ukraine

637
00:39:50,819 --> 00:39:54,480
do not rule out the possibility
of that country joining NATO

638
00:39:54,515 --> 00:39:58,646
if it meets NATO criteria

639
00:39:58,682 --> 00:40:00,542
and overcomes corruption.

640
00:40:01,490 --> 00:40:04,723
All the while, they are trying
to convince us over and over again

641
00:40:04,765 --> 00:40:09,149
that NATO is a peace-loving
and purely defensive alliance

642
00:40:09,185 --> 00:40:11,308
that poses no threat to Russia.

643
00:40:11,983 --> 00:40:14,467
Again, they want 
to take their word for it.

644
00:40:14,518 --> 00:40:17,953
But we are well aware
of the real value of these words.

645
00:40:18,922 --> 00:40:23,443
In 1990, when German
unification was discussed,

646
00:40:23,491 --> 00:40:26,795
the United States promised
the Soviet leadership

647
00:40:26,833 --> 00:40:30,750
that NATO jurisdiction
or military presence

648
00:40:30,769 --> 00:40:35,837
will not expand one inch to the east

649
00:40:36,216 --> 00:40:38,497
and that the unification of Germany

650
00:40:38,521 --> 00:40:42,454
will not lead to the spread of NATO's
military organization to the east.

651
00:40:42,481 --> 00:40:43,702
This is a quote.

652
00:40:45,446 --> 00:40:48,418
They issued lots of verbal assurances,

653
00:40:48,459 --> 00:40:51,251
all of which turned out
to be empty phrases.

654
00:40:51,505 --> 00:40:53,738
Later, they began to assure us

655
00:40:53,757 --> 00:40:57,089
that the accession to NATO by Central
and Eastern European countries

656
00:40:57,118 --> 00:40:59,671
would only improve relations with Moscow,

657
00:40:59,704 --> 00:41:05,235
relieve these countries of the fears
steeped in their bitter historical legacy,

658
00:41:05,265 --> 00:41:09,412
and even create a belt of countries
that are friendly towards Russia.

659
00:41:09,964 --> 00:41:12,763
However, the exact opposite happened.

660
00:41:13,023 --> 00:41:15,550
The governments of certain
Eastern European countries,

661
00:41:15,570 --> 00:41:18,729
speculating on Russophobia,
brought their complexes and stereotypes

662
00:41:18,769 --> 00:41:20,871
about the Russian threat to the Alliance

663
00:41:20,897 --> 00:41:24,163
and insisted on building up
the collective defence potentials

664
00:41:24,194 --> 00:41:27,814
and deploying them
primarily against Russia.

665
00:41:28,482 --> 00:41:32,231
Worse still, that happened
in the 1990s and the early 2000s

666
00:41:32,282 --> 00:41:38,483
when, thanks to our openness
and goodwill,

667
00:41:38,527 --> 00:41:42,267
relations between Russia and the West
had reached a high level.

668
00:41:42,854 --> 00:41:45,554
Russia has fulfilled
all of its obligations,

669
00:41:45,576 --> 00:41:50,466
including the pullout from Germany,
from Central and Eastern Europe,

670
00:41:50,494 --> 00:41:55,545
making an immense contribution
to overcoming the legacy of the Cold War.

671
00:41:55,796 --> 00:41:59,734
We have consistently proposed
various cooperation options,

672
00:41:59,778 --> 00:42:04,520
including in the NATO-Russia Council
and the OSCE formats.

673
00:42:04,811 --> 00:42:09,811
Moreover, I will say something
I have never said publicly,

674
00:42:10,446 --> 00:42:12,232
I will say it now for the first time.

675
00:42:13,445 --> 00:42:19,620
When then outgoing US President
Bill Clinton visited Moscow in 2000,

676
00:42:19,641 --> 00:42:25,800
I asked him how America would feel
about admitting Russia to NATO.

677
00:42:27,834 --> 00:42:30,962
I will not reveal
all the details of that conversation,

678
00:42:30,997 --> 00:42:35,735
but the reaction to my question was,
let us say, quite restrained,

679
00:42:36,700 --> 00:42:40,165
and the Americans’ true attitude
to that possibility

680
00:42:40,183 --> 00:42:44,811
can actually be seen from their subsequent
steps with regard to our country.

681
00:42:45,781 --> 00:42:49,549
I am referring to the overt support
for terrorists in the North Caucasus,

682
00:42:49,599 --> 00:42:54,065
the disregard for our security
demands and concerns,

683
00:42:54,124 --> 00:42:56,171
NATO’s continued expansion,

684
00:42:56,207 --> 00:42:59,359
withdrawal from the ABM Treaty,
and so on, and so on.

685
00:43:01,268 --> 00:43:05,775
It raises the question: why? What is
all this about, what is the purpose?

686
00:43:05,935 --> 00:43:10,478
All right, you do not want
to see us as friends or allies,

687
00:43:10,508 --> 00:43:13,001
but why make us an enemy?

688
00:43:14,205 --> 00:43:16,273
There can be only one answer –

689
00:43:16,300 --> 00:43:20,252
this is not about our political regime
or anything like that.

690
00:43:20,269 --> 00:43:25,182
They just do not need a big and
independent country like Russia around.

691
00:43:25,506 --> 00:43:27,751
This is the answer to all questions.

692
00:43:27,790 --> 00:43:34,188
This is the source of America’s
traditional policy towards Russia.

693
00:43:34,456 --> 00:43:37,973
Hence the attitude
to all our security proposals.

694
00:43:38,238 --> 00:43:42,455
Today, one glance at the map is enough
to see to what extent Western countries

695
00:43:42,485 --> 00:43:46,328
have kept their promise to refrain
from NATO’s eastward expansion.

696
00:43:46,785 --> 00:43:48,802
They just cheated.

697
00:43:49,425 --> 00:43:53,263
We have seen five waves of NATO
expansion, one after another –

698
00:43:53,319 --> 00:43:58,699
Poland, the Czech Republic
and Hungary were admitted in 1999;

699
00:43:58,762 --> 00:44:04,803
Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,
Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia in 2004;

700
00:44:04,841 --> 00:44:07,423
Albania and Croatia in 2009;

701
00:44:07,494 --> 00:44:12,302
Montenegro in 2017;
and North Macedonia in 2020.

702
00:44:12,768 --> 00:44:15,473
As a result, the Alliance,
its military infrastructure

703
00:44:15,509 --> 00:44:18,521
has reached Russia’s borders.

704
00:44:18,999 --> 00:44:23,264
This is one of the key causes
of the European security crisis;

705
00:44:23,303 --> 00:44:25,613
it has had the most negative impact

706
00:44:25,638 --> 00:44:28,088
on the entire system
of international relations

707
00:44:28,109 --> 00:44:30,750
and led to the loss of mutual trust.

708
00:44:31,256 --> 00:44:35,572
The situation continues to deteriorate,
including in the strategic area.

709
00:44:35,724 --> 00:44:38,300
Thus, positioning areas
for interceptor missiles

710
00:44:38,340 --> 00:44:41,059
are being established
in Romania and Poland

711
00:44:41,094 --> 00:44:44,803
as part of the US project to create 
a global missile defence system.

712
00:44:45,303 --> 00:44:48,634
It is common knowledge 
that the launchers deployed there

713
00:44:48,670 --> 00:44:52,483
can be used for Tomahawk cruise missiles –

714
00:44:52,503 --> 00:44:54,751
offensive strike systems.

715
00:44:55,270 --> 00:44:57,738
In addition, the United States
is developing

716
00:44:57,757 --> 00:45:04,044
its all-purpose Standard Missile-6,
which can provide air and missile defence,

717
00:45:04,073 --> 00:45:07,120
as well as strike ground
and surface targets.

718
00:45:07,380 --> 00:45:10,519
In other words, the allegedly
defensive US missile defence system

719
00:45:10,577 --> 00:45:15,334
is developing and expanding
its new offensive capabilities.

720
00:45:15,611 --> 00:45:18,527
The information we have
gives us good reason to believe

721
00:45:18,567 --> 00:45:20,786
that Ukraine’s accession to NATO

722
00:45:20,822 --> 00:45:24,732
and the subsequent
deployment of NATO facilities

723
00:45:24,768 --> 00:45:27,264
has already been decided

724
00:45:28,486 --> 00:45:30,242
and is only a matter of time.

725
00:45:30,993 --> 00:45:33,768
We clearly understand
that given this scenario,

726
00:45:33,790 --> 00:45:36,060
the level of military threats to Russia

727
00:45:36,083 --> 00:45:38,813
will increase dramatically,
several times over.

728
00:45:38,977 --> 00:45:41,116
And I would like
to emphasise at this point

729
00:45:41,137 --> 00:45:44,876
that the risk of a sudden strike
at our country will multiply.

730
00:45:45,497 --> 00:45:49,479
I will explain that American
strategic planning documents –

731
00:45:49,515 --> 00:45:55,469
documents! - confirm the possibility
of a so-called preemptive strike

732
00:45:55,507 --> 00:45:57,768
at enemy missile systems.

733
00:45:58,315 --> 00:46:02,381
We also know the main adversary
of the United States and NATO.

734
00:46:02,432 --> 00:46:03,805
It is Russia.

735
00:46:04,288 --> 00:46:07,208
NATO documents officially 
declare our country

736
00:46:07,230 --> 00:46:11,731
to be the main threat
to Euro-Atlantic security.

737
00:46:12,259 --> 00:46:16,918
Ukraine will serve as an advanced
bridgehead for such a strike.

738
00:46:17,526 --> 00:46:22,548
If our ancestors heard about this, they
would probably simply not believe this.

739
00:46:23,078 --> 00:46:28,530
We do not want to believe 
this today either, but it is what it is.

740
00:46:28,844 --> 00:46:33,758
I would like people in Russia
and Ukraine to understand this.

741
00:46:34,468 --> 00:46:38,744
Many Ukrainian airfields are located
not far from our borders.

742
00:46:38,770 --> 00:46:43,125
NATO’s tactical aviation deployed there,
including precision weapon carriers,

743
00:46:43,167 --> 00:46:45,979
will be capable of striking
at our territory to the depth of

744
00:46:46,012 --> 00:46:48,138
the Volgograd-Kazan-Samara-Astrakhan line.

745
00:46:48,608 --> 00:46:52,794
The deployment of reconnaissance radars
on Ukrainian territory

746
00:46:52,832 --> 00:46:56,496
will allow NATO to tightly control
Russia’s airspace

747
00:46:56,526 --> 00:46:58,056
up to the Urals.

748
00:46:58,218 --> 00:47:03,115
Finally, after the US
destroyed the INF Treaty,

749
00:47:03,161 --> 00:47:08,933
the Pentagon has been openly developing
many land-based attack weapons,

750
00:47:08,968 --> 00:47:12,240
including ballistic missiles
that are capable of hitting targets

751
00:47:12,280 --> 00:47:15,272
at a distance of up to 5,500 km.

752
00:47:15,565 --> 00:47:19,504
If deployed in Ukraine, such systems
will be able to hit targets

753
00:47:19,546 --> 00:47:23,312
in Russia’s entire European part.

754
00:47:24,051 --> 00:47:27,456
The flying time of Tomahawk
cruise missiles to Moscow

755
00:47:27,507 --> 00:47:29,502
will be less than 35 minutes;

756
00:47:29,523 --> 00:47:33,245
ballistic missiles from Kharkov
will take seven to eight minutes;

757
00:47:33,291 --> 00:47:37,231
and hypersonic assault weapons,
four to five minutes!

758
00:47:37,281 --> 00:47:39,770
It is like …

759
00:47:39,790 --> 00:47:41,507
a knife to the throat.

760
00:47:41,938 --> 00:47:46,650
I have no doubt that they hope
to carry out these plans,

761
00:47:46,683 --> 00:47:51,813
as they did many times in the past, 
expanding NATO eastward,

762
00:47:51,835 --> 00:47:55,986
moving their military infrastructure
to Russian borders

763
00:47:56,022 --> 00:48:00,550
and fully ignoring our concerns,
protests and warnings.

764
00:48:01,837 --> 00:48:05,264
Excuse me, but they simply
did not care at all about such things

765
00:48:05,296 --> 00:48:07,219
and did whatever they deemed necessary.

766
00:48:07,242 --> 00:48:11,191
Of course, they are going to behave
in the same way in the future,

767
00:48:11,406 --> 00:48:14,827
following a well-known proverb:
“The dogs bark but the caravan goes on.”

768
00:48:15,273 --> 00:48:20,478
Let me say right away – we do not accept 
this behaviour and will never accept it.

769
00:48:20,703 --> 00:48:22,295
That said, Russia has always

770
00:48:22,316 --> 00:48:25,167
advocated the resolution
of the most complicated problems

771
00:48:25,202 --> 00:48:29,034
by political and diplomatic means,
at the negotiating table.

772
00:48:29,335 --> 00:48:32,067
We are well aware
of our enormous responsibility

773
00:48:32,107 --> 00:48:34,542
when it comes to regional
and global stability.

774
00:48:34,826 --> 00:48:36,486
Back in 2008,

775
00:48:36,530 --> 00:48:40,992
Russia put forth an initiative to conclude
a European Security Treaty

776
00:48:41,996 --> 00:48:45,252
under which not
a single Euro-Atlantic state

777
00:48:45,293 --> 00:48:48,200
or international organisation

778
00:48:48,235 --> 00:48:51,931
could strengthen their security
at the expense of the security of others.

779
00:48:53,531 --> 00:48:57,289
However, our proposal 
was rejected right off the bat

780
00:48:58,368 --> 00:49:02,235
on the pretext that Russia should not be
allowed to put limits on NATO activities.

781
00:49:02,437 --> 00:49:07,247
Furthermore, it was made explicitly
clear to us that only NATO members

782
00:49:07,270 --> 00:49:10,164
can have legally binding 
security guarantees.

783
00:49:11,754 --> 00:49:14,234
Last December,

784
00:49:14,277 --> 00:49:16,923
we handed over to our Western
partners a draft treaty

785
00:49:16,950 --> 00:49:20,253
between the Russian Federation
and the United States of America

786
00:49:20,278 --> 00:49:21,992
on security guarantees,

787
00:49:22,014 --> 00:49:24,990
as well as a draft agreement
on measures to ensure the security

788
00:49:25,018 --> 00:49:27,770
of the Russian Federation 
and NATO member states.

789
00:49:28,256 --> 00:49:32,492
The United States and NATO
responded with general statements.

790
00:49:33,186 --> 00:49:35,755
There were kernels
of rationality in them as well,

791
00:49:35,800 --> 00:49:38,609
but they concerned matters
of secondary importance

792
00:49:38,630 --> 00:49:41,698
and it all looked like an attempt
to drag the issue out

793
00:49:41,723 --> 00:49:43,790
and to lead the discussion astray.

794
00:49:44,449 --> 00:49:47,513
We responded to this accordingly

795
00:49:47,545 --> 00:49:51,280
and pointed out that we were ready 
to follow the path of negotiations,

796
00:49:51,309 --> 00:49:53,188
provided, however, that all issues

797
00:49:53,209 --> 00:49:58,346
are considered as a package
that includes Russia’s core proposals

798
00:49:58,759 --> 00:50:01,897
which contain three key points.

799
00:50:02,526 --> 00:50:05,726
First, to prevent further NATO expansion.

800
00:50:05,969 --> 00:50:08,543
Second, to have the Alliance refrain

801
00:50:08,583 --> 00:50:11,767
from deploying assault weapon systems
on Russian borders.

802
00:50:12,162 --> 00:50:13,240
And finally,

803
00:50:13,261 --> 00:50:16,683
rolling back the bloc's military
capability and infrastructure in Europe

804
00:50:16,723 --> 00:50:22,677
to where they were in 1997, when 
the NATO-Russia Founding Act was signed.

805
00:50:23,291 --> 00:50:27,559
These principled proposals 
of ours have been ignored.

806
00:50:28,778 --> 00:50:32,050
To reiterate, our Western partners

807
00:50:32,103 --> 00:50:37,970
have once again vocalised
the all-too-familiar formulas

808
00:50:37,997 --> 00:50:42,489
that each state is entitled to freely
choose ways to ensure its security

809
00:50:42,526 --> 00:50:45,769
or to join any military union or alliance.

810
00:50:46,540 --> 00:50:50,429
That is, nothing has changed 
in their stance,

811
00:50:50,451 --> 00:50:55,499
we keep hearing the same old references 
to NATO’s notorious “open door” policy.

812
00:50:55,784 --> 00:50:59,495
Moreover, they are again
trying to blackmail us

813
00:50:59,539 --> 00:51:01,787
and are threatening us with sanctions,

814
00:51:01,810 --> 00:51:05,483
which, by the way,
they will introduce no matter what

815
00:51:05,504 --> 00:51:10,578
as Russia continues to strengthen 
its sovereignty and its Armed Forces.

816
00:51:10,760 --> 00:51:15,726
To be sure, they will never think twice 
before coming up with

817
00:51:15,743 --> 00:51:18,604
or just fabricating a pretext
for yet another sanction attack

818
00:51:18,630 --> 00:51:20,986
regardless of the developments in Ukraine.

819
00:51:21,015 --> 00:51:24,232
Their one and only goal
is to hold back the development of Russia.

820
00:51:24,493 --> 00:51:28,160
And they will keep doing so,
just as they did before,

821
00:51:28,883 --> 00:51:34,264
even without any formal pretext
just because we exist

822
00:51:34,312 --> 00:51:40,277
and will never compromise our sovereignty,
national interests or values.

823
00:51:40,899 --> 00:51:43,473
I would like to be clear
and straightforward:

824
00:51:43,509 --> 00:51:45,133
in the current circumstances,

825
00:51:45,176 --> 00:51:48,480
when our proposals for an equal
dialogue on fundamental issues

826
00:51:48,502 --> 00:51:52,284
have actually remained unanswered
by the United States and NATO,

827
00:51:52,326 --> 00:51:55,780
when the level of threats to our country 
has increased significantly,

828
00:51:55,810 --> 00:52:01,513
Russia has every right to respond
in order to ensure its security.

829
00:52:01,896 --> 00:52:04,762
That is exactly what we will do.

830
00:52:06,663 --> 00:52:10,235
With regard to the state
of affairs in Donbass,

831
00:52:10,267 --> 00:52:13,187
we see that the ruling Kyiv elites

832
00:52:13,245 --> 00:52:16,503
never stop publicly making clear
their unwillingness to comply

833
00:52:16,545 --> 00:52:20,040
with the Minsk Package
of Measures to settle the conflict

834
00:52:20,078 --> 00:52:22,491
and are not interested
in a peaceful settlement.

835
00:52:22,536 --> 00:52:27,170
On the contrary, they are trying 
to orchestrate a blitzkrieg in Donbass

836
00:52:27,194 --> 00:52:31,818
as was the case in 2014 and 2015.

837
00:52:32,256 --> 00:52:35,514
We all know how these 
reckless schemes ended.

838
00:52:36,059 --> 00:52:37,752
Now, not a single day goes

839
00:52:37,792 --> 00:52:40,937
by without Donbass communities 
coming under shelling attacks.

840
00:52:41,007 --> 00:52:43,808
The recently formed large military force

841
00:52:43,854 --> 00:52:48,611
makes use of attack drones, 
heavy equipment, missiles, artillery

842
00:52:48,668 --> 00:52:50,539
and multiple rocket launchers.

843
00:52:50,997 --> 00:52:54,892
The killing of civilians, the blockade, 
the abuse of people,

844
00:52:54,931 --> 00:52:58,948
including children, women 
and the elderly, continues unabated.

845
00:52:59,749 --> 00:53:02,748
As we say, there is no end 
in sight to this.

846
00:53:03,538 --> 00:53:08,172
Meanwhile, the so-called civilised world, 
which our Western colleagues

847
00:53:08,225 --> 00:53:11,442
proclaimed themselves 
the only representatives of,

848
00:53:11,482 --> 00:53:14,250
prefers not to see this,

849
00:53:14,274 --> 00:53:19,227
as if this horror and genocide,
which almost 4 million people are facing,

850
00:53:19,252 --> 00:53:22,084
do not exist.

851
00:53:22,511 --> 00:53:26,265
But they do exist and only because
these people did not agree

852
00:53:26,296 --> 00:53:30,181
with the West-supported 
coup in Ukraine in 2014

853
00:53:30,222 --> 00:53:37,759
and opposed the transition towards 
the Neanderthal and aggressive nationalism

854
00:53:37,779 --> 00:53:43,810
and neo-Nazism which have been elevated 
in Ukraine to the rank of national policy.

855
00:53:44,090 --> 00:53:47,582
They are fighting for their elementary 
right to live on their own land,

856
00:53:47,615 --> 00:53:52,272
to speak their own language, and to 
preserve their culture and traditions.

857
00:53:53,071 --> 00:53:55,500
How long can this tragedy continue?

858
00:53:56,747 --> 00:53:58,964
How much longer can one put up with this?

859
00:53:59,569 --> 00:54:03,732
Russia has done everything to preserve 
Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

860
00:54:03,766 --> 00:54:07,135
All these years, it has persistently
and patiently pushed for the implementation

861
00:54:07,174 --> 00:54:12,701
of UN Security Council Resolution 2202 
of February 17, 2015,

862
00:54:12,746 --> 00:54:17,011
which consolidated the Minsk Package 
of Measures of February 12, 2015,

863
00:54:17,040 --> 00:54:19,522
to settle the situation in Donbass.

864
00:54:19,746 --> 00:54:21,309
Everything was in vain!

865
00:54:21,791 --> 00:54:24,457
Presidents and Rada deputies come and go,

866
00:54:24,476 --> 00:54:28,247
but deep down the aggressive 
and nationalistic regime

867
00:54:28,293 --> 00:54:31,703
that seized power in Kyiv
remains unchanged.

868
00:54:31,752 --> 00:54:36,824
It is entirely a product of the 2014 coup,

869
00:54:37,386 --> 00:54:43,162
and those who then embarked on the path 
of violence, bloodshed and lawlessness

870
00:54:43,185 --> 00:54:45,373
did not recognise then
and do not recognise now

871
00:54:45,393 --> 00:54:48,210
any solution to the Donbass issue
other than a military one.

872
00:54:50,286 --> 00:54:57,059
In this regard, I consider it necessary 
to take a long overdue decision

873
00:54:57,119 --> 00:55:00,464
and to immediately recognize 
the independence and sovereignty

874
00:55:00,499 --> 00:55:04,573
of the Donetsk People's Republic 
and the Lugansk People's Republic.

875
00:55:05,253 --> 00:55:08,348
I would like to ask the Federal
Assembly of the Russian Federation

876
00:55:08,378 --> 00:55:11,234
to support this decision and then ratify

877
00:55:11,257 --> 00:55:16,268
the Treaty of Friendship and Mutual
Assistance with both republics.

878
00:55:16,954 --> 00:55:21,275
These two documents will be 
prepared and signed shortly.

879
00:55:23,741 --> 00:55:27,470
And from those who seized
and continue to hold power in Kiev,

880
00:55:27,516 --> 00:55:31,055
we demand an immediate
cessation of hostilities.

881
00:55:31,585 --> 00:55:36,713
Otherwise, the responsibility for
the possible continuation of the bloodshed

882
00:55:36,758 --> 00:55:41,798
will lie entirely on the conscience 
of Ukraine’s ruling regime.

883
00:55:43,218 --> 00:55:46,253
As I announce the decisions taken today,

884
00:55:46,269 --> 00:55:48,791
I remain confident
in the support of Russia’s citizens

885
00:55:48,791 --> 00:55:50,562
and the country’s patriotic forces.

886
00:55:51,926 --> 00:55:53,911
Thank you.