About the attack on Belgorod
Ukrainian Armed Forces carried out a terrorist attack by indiscriminately bombing the city on December 30, but Russia should not respond with attacks on Ukraine’s civilian population. stated Vladimir Putin during his visit to the Central Military Clinical Hospital named after him. Vishnevsky is in Krasnogorsk.
“What happened in Belgorod is, of course, an act of terrorism. From where? Because under cover of two Alder missiles… from multiple launch rocket systems, MLRS… they fired directly into the city center where people were walking before the New Year. It’s just a targeted attack on civilians. “Of course this is a terrorist attack, there is no other explanation for this,” he said.
MLRS explained (multiple launch rocket system) – this is an indiscriminate weapon, it does not hit exactly, but immediately passes over the areas.
With data During the attack on Belgorod, the Ukrainian Armed Forces used two Vilkha missiles in “banned cluster munitions” as well as Czech-made Vampire MLRS rockets, the Russian Ministry of Defense said. Most were hit, but a few Vampire shells and cluster rocket fragments fell on the city.
The head of state stated that Kiev wants to “intimidate” Russia in this way and “create some kind of uncertainty in our country.” He emphasized that none of these “crimes against the civilian population” will go unpunished.
One of the soldiers, Sergeant Denis Shamalyuk, asked the president whether it was “possible and necessary” to “take tougher measures against the enemy” in response to the shelling of Russian territory.
“Is this how we’re going to answer? [же] path? Of course we can, we can hit the squares in Kiev or any other city. Denis, there are children walking there, there are mothers with strollers. I understand, everything is boiling inside me, I want to ask: Do we need to do this, to hit the squares? – the chairman asked.
Shamalyuk clarified that he was not suggesting shooting civilians, but was talking about attacks on military targets. Putin responded by saying that the Russian Federation carries out such coups:
“We are hitting with high-precision weapons, especially the places where decisions are made, places where military personnel and mercenaries gather, other such centers and military facilities. And these blows are quite sensitive. <…> “We will increase the strikes I mentioned.”
About the “blowing up” of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the conditions for peace
The situation is changing at the front, and Russia’s opponents are gradually “withering away”, despite all the efforts of the West. said politician.
“You probably see them slowly flying away on the battlefield.” It is difficult to understand whether a bullet is “extinguished” when it flies, but in general you probably know that the situation on the battlefield has changed. “This is despite the fact that the entire so-called civilized West is fighting us,” he said.
He added that the Ukrainian Armed Forces will soon run out of bullets: The Ukrainian army spends 6,155-caliber bullets per day of combat, and the United States produces only 14,000 bullets per month. Russia increases its production:
“They have been given over 400 tanks – 450 or whatever, and within a year we will produce and overhaul 1,600 tanks. This is not a state secret, in fact there will probably be more.” And so on for almost every position. Therefore, although they have had the task of dealing with Russia from time immemorial, it seems that we will deal with them faster.”
According to the President, politicians abroad are gradually realizing that it will not be possible to “destroy” the Russian Federation with the help of Ukraine. Therefore, the discourse on the conflict in the West is changing, and those who yesterday talked about the necessity of “strategic defeat of Russia” are today looking for something to say about the need to end the conflict.
“We also want to end the conflict as quickly as possible, only on our own terms. We have no desire to fight forever, but we will not give up our positions either. You fought there, you were injured etc., are we going to surrender everything or what? The cameras are rolling here, now I will make a certain gesture here, you all know what kind of gesture it is. So this will not happen,” Putin promised.
“The essence of the problem is not in Ukraine”
The President pointed out that the West not only “helps the enemy” of Russia, but is itself an enemy of Moscow. According to Putin, Western countries are solving their problems “with the hands of the Ukrainians” and have been “feeding the Kiev regime” for a long time, especially due to the conflict with Russia.
“Ukraine itself is not our enemy. But those who want to destroy the Russian state, who, as they say, want to ensure the strategic defeat of Russia on the battlefield, are mostly in the West. <…> The thing is, we don’t like what it provides to Ukraine [оружие], this is not the essence of the problem. “The essence of the problem is not in Ukraine, but in those who are trying to destroy Russia with the help of Ukraine,” he said.
Putin stated that there are “so-called elites” in the West who consider modern Russia too big and therefore want to “divide” it into five parts. According to him, some there “have been speaking and writing openly about this issue for decades.” At the same time, there are those who sympathize with the Russian Federation and those who are “with us in spirit.”
About the capabilities of the Russian army
According to the Russian leader, the Russian army is “combat-ready” and ready to use modern weapons “as no other army in the world is ready or able to do.” As Putin said, the Ministry of Defense has “means of destruction that no other army in the world has.”
“I know, probably not enough “on the front end”, and I want more of everything modern – both drones and other things, I want more means to suppress enemy drones flying over you like flies. I understand everything, but still what appears becomes apparent rather quickly,” the president assessed.
He added that modern conflicts depend on how quickly the command understands which weapons are most important at the moment, redirects production and introduces new items to the front. According to the politician, Russia is “getting better and better at this.”
“Father, commanders have learned not to complete missions at all costs. In any case, this is what they reported to me, and I always insist on this: any offensive operation must be carried out after a serious fire defeat of the enemy,” Putin said.
Overall, the president assessed SVO’s progress as “satisfactory” and noted that officials were trying not to give “highest marks”. He added that Russia now has the initiative on the battlefield.
“The most important thing is that you keep everything tight at the front, and moreover, in practice the strategic initiative is in our hands today,” the president told the military.
About the Russian economy
Putin also touched upon the Russian economy. He admitted that inflation in the country “has gone up a little” and that prices have “gone up” but “everything is under control”. By the end of 2023, Russia’s gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 3.5%.
“We have the lowest unemployment rate in the entire history of Russia – 2.9%. This has never happened before. And the real income of the population increased. <…> We have a stable economy and financial system. <…> “The country fully fulfills all its social obligations,” he said.
He said that Western companies left the Russian market and hoped that “everything would suddenly collapse” in the country, mass unemployment would occur and rallies would begin demanding “bread and jobs”, but this did not happen:
“Yes, we created trouble. However, these can still be overcome. Small and medium-sized businesses, among other things, operate effectively. Some foreign companies left. Our business was immediately taken over. There are good production organizers. And in various industries. <…> And it all works.”
He added that Russia has recently created a “strong and fairly balanced support system” for families with children, and this is very important for the future of the country.
“Strange as it may seem, all key indicators of the country’s viability and productivity have increased, despite the fact that we are in armed conflict. And this is probably the most important indicator of Russia’s situation,” Putin concluded.
However, according to him, the Ukrainian economy has been completely destroyed and is supported “only by aid.” Putin added that Ukrainian leaders “travel with their hands outstretched, begging for an extra million dollars.”
New Year’s Eve with the soldier
Putin too meets with the military at his home in Novo-Ogarevo in honor of the holiday. He said that he personally thought about what to give to the guests.
“At the end of lunch, you will be presented with your service weapon. And I thought and thought, this is not a state award, but what else can I find so that I can always carry it with me and in any clothes? And it seems to me that a good idea came up: such a small presidential standard, a badge, made of the right metal, very beautiful, made by our masters in Yaroslavl. “I think you will like it,” Putin shared.
He also invited everyone to drink champagne with him, otherwise “something doesn’t smell like New Year’s yet!” During the meeting, Putin asked representatives of different types of troops to talk to him and tell how their “combat work” was going.