Address by the President of the Russian Federation

The answer is simple. Everything is clear and obvious. In the late 1980s, the Soviet Union grew weaker and subsequently broke apart. That experience should serve as a good lesson for us, because it has shown us that the paralysis of power and will is the first step towards complete degradation and oblivion. We lost confidence for only one moment, but it was enough to disrupt the balance of forces in the world.

As a result, the old treaties and agreements are no longer effective. Entreaties and requests do not help. Anything that does not suit the dominant state, the powers that be, is denounced as archaic, obsolete and useless. At the same time, everything it regards as useful is presented as the ultimate truth and forced on others regardless of the cost, abusively and by any means available. Those who refuse to comply are subjected to strong-arm tactics.

What I am saying now does not concerns only Russia, and Russia is not the only country that is worried about this. This has to do with the entire system of international relations, and sometimes even US allies. The collapse of the Soviet Union led to a redivision of the world, and the norms of international law that developed by that time – and the most important of them, the fundamental norms that were adopted following WWII and largely formalised its outcome – came in the way of those who declared themselves the winners of the Cold War.

Of course, practice, international relations and the rules regulating them had to take into account the changes that took place in the world and in the balance of forces. However, this should have been done professionally, smoothly, patiently, and with due regard and respect for the interests of all states and one’s own responsibility. Instead, we saw a state of euphoria created by the feeling of absolute superiority, a kind of modern absolutism, coupled with the low cultural standards and arrogance of those who formulated and pushed through decisions that suited only themselves. The situation took a different turn.

There are many examples of this. First a bloody military operation was waged against Belgrade, without the UN Security Council’s sanction but with combat aircraft and missiles used in the heart of Europe. The bombing of peaceful cities and vital infrastructure went on for several weeks. I have to recall these facts, because some Western colleagues prefer to forget them, and when we mentioned the event, they prefer to avoid speaking about international law, instead emphasising the circumstances which they interpret as they think necessary.

Then came the turn of Iraq, Libya and Syria. The illegal use of military power against Libya and the distortion of all the UN Security Council decisions on Libya ruined the state, created a huge seat of international terrorism, and pushed the country towards a humanitarian catastrophe, into the vortex of a civil war, which has continued there for years. The tragedy, which was created for hundreds of thousands and even millions of people not only in Libya but in the whole region, has led to a large-scale exodus from the Middle East and North Africa to Europe.

A similar fate was also prepared for Syria. The combat operations conducted by the Western coalition in that country without the Syrian government’s approval or UN Security Council’s sanction can only be defined as aggression and intervention.

But the example that stands apart from the above events is, of course, the invasion of Iraq without any legal grounds. They used the pretext of allegedly reliable information available in the United States about the presence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. To prove that allegation, the US Secretary of State held up a vial with white power, publicly, for the whole world to see, assuring the international community that it was a chemical warfare agent created in Iraq. It later turned out that all of that was a fake and a sham, and that Iraq did not have any chemical weapons. Incredible and shocking but true. We witnessed lies made at the highest state level and voiced from the high UN rostrum. As a result we see a tremendous loss in human life, damage, destruction, and a colossal upsurge of terrorism.

Overall, it appears that nearly everywhere, in many regions of the world where the United States brought its law and order, this created bloody, non-healing wounds and the curse of international terrorism and extremism. I have only mentioned the most glaring but far from only examples of disregard for international law.

This array includes promises not to expand NATO eastwards even by an inch. To reiterate: they have deceived us, or, to put it simply, they have played us. Sure, one often hears that politics is a dirty business. It could be, but it shouldn’t be as dirty as it is now, not to such an extent. This type of con-artist behaviour is contrary not only to the principles of international relations but also and above all to the generally accepted norms of morality and ethics. Where is justice and truth here? Just lies and hypocrisy all around.

Incidentally, US politicians, political scientists and journalists write and say that a veritable “empire of lies” has been created inside the United States in recent years. It is hard to disagree with this – it is really so. But one should not be modest about it: the United States is still a great country and a system-forming power. All its satellites not only humbly and obediently say yes to and parrot it at the slightest pretext but also imitate its behaviour and enthusiastically accept the rules it is offering them. Therefore, one can say with good reason and confidence that the whole so-called Western bloc formed by the United States in its own image and likeness is, in its entirety, the very same “empire of lies.”

As for our country, after the disintegration of the USSR, given the entire unprecedented openness of the new, modern Russia, its readiness to work honestly with the United States and other Western partners, and its practically unilateral disarmament, they immediately tried to put the final squeeze on us, finish us off, and utterly destroy us. This is how it was in the 1990s and the early 2000s, when the so-called collective West was actively supporting separatism and gangs of mercenaries in southern Russia. What victims, what losses we had to sustain and what trials we had to go through at that time before we broke the back of international terrorism in the Caucasus! We remember this and will never forget.

Properly speaking, the attempts to use us in their own interests never ceased until quite recently: they sought to destroy our traditional values and force on us their false values that would erode us, our people from within, the attitudes they have been aggressively imposing on their countries, attitudes that are directly leading to degradation and degeneration, because they are contrary to human nature. This is not going to happen. No one has ever succeeded in doing this, nor will they succeed now.

Despite all that, in December 2021, we made yet another attempt to reach agreement with the United States and its allies on the principles of European security and NATO’s non-expansion. Our efforts were in vain. The United States has not changed its position. It does not believe it necessary to agree with Russia on a matter that is critical for us. The United States is pursuing its own objectives, while neglecting our interests.

Of course, this situation begs a question: what next, what are we to expect? If history is any guide, we know that in 1940 and early 1941 the Soviet Union went to great lengths to prevent war or at least delay its outbreak. To this end, the USSR sought not to provoke the potential aggressor until the very end by refraining or postponing the most urgent and obvious preparations it had to make to defend itself from an imminent attack. When it finally acted, it was too late.

As a result, the country was not prepared to counter the invasion by Nazi Germany, which attacked our Motherland on June 22, 1941, without declaring war. The country stopped the enemy and went on to defeat it, but this came at a tremendous cost. The attempt to appease the aggressor ahead of the Great Patriotic War proved to be a mistake which came at a high cost for our people. In the first months after the hostilities broke out, we lost vast territories of strategic importance, as well as millions of lives. We will not make this mistake the second time. We have no right to do so.

Those who aspire to global dominance have publicly designated Russia as their enemy. They did so with impunity. Make no mistake, they had no reason to act this way. It is true that they have considerable financial, scientific, technological, and military capabilities. We are aware of this and have an objective view of the economic threats we have been hearing, just as our ability to counter this brash and never-ending blackmail. Let me reiterate that we have no illusions in this regard and are extremely realistic in our assessments.

As for military affairs, even after the dissolution of the USSR and losing a considerable part of its capabilities, today’s Russia remains one of the most powerful nuclear states. Moreover, it has a certain advantage in several cutting-edge weapons. In this context, there should be no doubt for anyone that any potential aggressor will face defeat and ominous consequences should it directly attack our country.

At the same time, technology, including in the defence sector, is changing rapidly. One day there is one leader, and tomorrow another, but a military presence in territories bordering on Russia, if we permit it to go ahead, will stay for decades to come or maybe forever, creating an ever mounting and totally unacceptable threat for Russia.

Even now, with NATO’s eastward expansion the situation for Russia has been becoming worse and more dangerous by the year. Moreover, these past days NATO leadership has been blunt in its statements that they need to accelerate and step up efforts to bring the alliance’s infrastructure closer to Russia’s borders. In other words, they have been toughening their position. We cannot stay idle and passively observe these developments. This would be an absolutely irresponsible thing to do for us.

Any further expansion of the North Atlantic alliance’s infrastructure or the ongoing efforts to gain a military foothold of the Ukrainian territory are unacceptable for us. Of course, the question is not about NATO itself. It merely serves as a tool of US foreign policy. The problem is that in territories adjacent to Russia, which I have to note is our historical land, a hostile “anti-Russia” is taking shape. Fully controlled from the outside, it is doing everything to attract NATO armed forces and obtain cutting-edge weapons.

For the United States and its allies, it is a policy of containing Russia, with obvious geopolitical dividends. For our country, it is a matter of life and death, a matter of our historical future as a nation. This is not an exaggeration; this is a fact. It is not only a very real threat to our interests but to the very existence of our state and to its sovereignty. It is the red line which we have spoken about on numerous occasions. They have crossed it.

This brings me to the situation in Donbass. We can see that the forces that staged the coup in Ukraine in 2014 have seized power, are keeping it with the help of ornamental election procedures and have abandoned the path of a peaceful conflict settlement. For eight years, for eight endless years we have been doing everything possible to settle the situation by peaceful political means. Everything was in vain.

As I said in my previous address, you cannot look without compassion at what is happening there. It became impossible to tolerate it. We had to stop that atrocity, that genocide of the millions of people who live there and who pinned their hopes on Russia, on all of us. It is their aspirations, the feelings and pain of these people that were the main motivating force behind our decision to recognise the independence of the Donbass people’s republics.

I would like to additionally emphasise the following. Focused on their own goals, the leading NATO countries are supporting the far-right nationalists and neo-Nazis in Ukraine, those who will never forgive the people of Crimea and Sevastopol for freely making a choice to reunite with Russia.

They will undoubtedly try to bring war to Crimea just as they have done in Donbass, to kill innocent people just as members of the punitive units of Ukrainian nationalists and Hitler’s accomplices did during the Great Patriotic War. They have also openly laid claim to several other Russian regions.

If we look at the sequence of events and the incoming reports, the showdown between Russia and these forces cannot be avoided. It is only a matter of time. They are getting ready and waiting for the right moment. Moreover, they went as far as aspire to acquire nuclear weapons. We will not let this happen.

I have already said that Russia accepted the new geopolitical reality after the dissolution of the USSR. We have been treating all new post-Soviet states with respect and will continue to act this way. We respect and will respect their sovereignty, as proven by the assistance we provided to Kazakhstan when it faced tragic events and a challenge in terms of its statehood and integrity. However, Russia cannot feel safe, develop, and exist while facing a permanent threat from the territory of today’s Ukraine.

Let me remind you that in 2000–2005 we used our military to push back against terrorists in the Caucasus and stood up for the integrity of our state. We preserved Russia. In 2014, we supported the people of Crimea and Sevastopol. In 2015, we used our Armed Forces to create a reliable shield that prevented terrorists from Syria from penetrating Russia. This was a matter of defending ourselves. We had no other choice.

The same is happening today. They did not leave us any other option for defending Russia and our people, other than the one we are forced to use today. In these circumstances, we have to take bold and immediate action. The people’s republics of Donbass have asked Russia for help.

In this context, in accordance with Article 51 (Chapter VII) of the UN Charter, with permission of Russia’s Federation Council, and in execution of the treaties of friendship and mutual assistance with the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic, ratified by the Federal Assembly on February 22, I made a decision to carry out a special military operation.

The purpose of this operation is to protect people who, for eight years now, have been facing humiliation and genocide perpetrated by the Kiev regime. To this end, we will seek to demilitarise and denazify Ukraine, as well as bring to trial those who perpetrated numerous bloody crimes against civilians, including against citizens of the Russian Federation.

It is not our plan to occupy the Ukrainian territory. We do not intend to impose anything on anyone by force. At the same time, we have been hearing an increasing number of statements coming from the West that there is no need any more to abide by the documents setting forth the outcomes of World War II, as signed by the totalitarian Soviet regime. How can we respond to that?

The outcomes of World War II and the sacrifices our people had to make to defeat Nazism are sacred. This does not contradict the high values of human rights and freedoms in the reality that emerged over the post-war decades. This does not mean that nations cannot enjoy the right to self-determination, which is enshrined in Article 1 of the UN Charter.

Let me remind you that the people living in territories which are part of today’s Ukraine were not asked how they want to build their lives when the USSR was created or after World War II. Freedom guides our policy, the freedom to choose independently our future and the future of our children. We believe that all the peoples living in today’s Ukraine, anyone who want to do this, must be able to enjoy this right to make a free choice.

In this context I would like to address the citizens of Ukraine. In 2014, Russia was obliged to protect the people of Crimea and Sevastopol from those who you yourself call “nats.” The people of Crimea and Sevastopol made their choice in favour of being with their historical homeland, Russia, and we supported their choice. As I said, we could not act otherwise.

The current events have nothing to do with a desire to infringe on the interests of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. They are connected with the defending Russia from those who have taken Ukraine hostage and are trying to use it against our country and our people.

I reiterate: we are acting to defend ourselves from the threats created for us and from a worse peril than what is happening now. I am asking you, however hard this may be, to understand this and to work together with us so as to turn this tragic page as soon as possible and to move forward together, without allowing anyone to interfere in our affairs and our relations but developing them independently, so as to create favourable conditions for overcoming all these problems and to strengthen us from within as a single whole, despite the existence of state borders. I believe in this, in our common future.

I would also like to address the military personnel of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Comrade officers,

Your fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers did not fight the Nazi occupiers and did not defend our common Motherland to allow today’s neo-Nazis to seize power in Ukraine. You swore the oath of allegiance to the Ukrainian people and not to the junta, the people’s adversary which is plundering Ukraine and humiliating the Ukrainian people.

I urge you to refuse to carry out their criminal orders. I urge you to immediately lay down arms and go home. I will explain what this means: the military personnel of the Ukrainian army who do this will be able to freely leave the zone of hostilities and return to their families.

I want to emphasise again that all responsibility for the possible bloodshed will lie fully and wholly with the ruling Ukrainian regime.

I would now like to say something very important for those who may be tempted to interfere in these developments from the outside. No matter who tries to stand in our way or all the more so create threats for our country and our people, they must know that Russia will respond immediately, and the consequences will be such as you have never seen in your entire history. No matter how the events unfold, we are ready. All the necessary decisions in this regard have been taken. I hope that my words will be heard.

Citizens of Russia,

The culture and values, experience and traditions of our ancestors invariably provided a powerful underpinning for the wellbeing and the very existence of entire states and nations, their success and viability. Of course, this directly depends on the ability to quickly adapt to constant change, maintain social cohesion, and readiness to consolidate and summon all the available forces in order to move forward.

We always need to be strong, but this strength can take on different forms. The “empire of lies,” which I mentioned in the beginning of my speech, proceeds in its policy primarily from rough, direct force. This is when our saying on being “all brawn and no brains” applies.

We all know that having justice and truth on our side is what makes us truly strong. If this is the case, it would be hard to disagree with the fact that it is our strength and our readiness to fight that are the bedrock of independence and sovereignty and provide the necessary foundation for building a reliable future for your home, your family, and your Motherland.

Dear compatriots,

I am certain that devoted soldiers and officers of Russia’s Armed Forces will perform their duty with professionalism and courage. I have no doubt that the government institutions at all levels and specialists will work effectively to guarantee the stability of our economy, financial system and social wellbeing, and the same applies to corporate executives and the entire business community. I hope that all parliamentary parties and civil society take a consolidated, patriotic position.

At the end of the day, the future of Russia is in the hands of its multi-ethnic people, as has always been the case in our history. This means that the decisions that I made will be executed, that we will achieve the goals we have set, and reliably guarantee the security of our Motherland.

I believe in your support and the invincible force rooted in the love for our Fatherland.

Here is a link to watch it as well:

https://rumble.com/vvpvsl-putin-addresses-world-declares-war-on-ukraine.-full-statement.html

“Where did this insolent manner of talking down from the height of their exceptionalism”

Putin is like a hobo burning with resentment for all the rich people who look down on him. He knows he can’t do anything to them, so instead he goes kick local dog.

Well, he’s not wrong.

This isn’t praise for Putin, but imagine Biden giving such an address, all the big words. We are so screwed.

“Well, he’s not wrong.”

*****

He said they waited too long last century to fight the Nazi’s, they won’t make the same mistake again.

“This isn’t praise for Putin, but imagine Biden giving such an address, all the big words.”

*****

An adult talking to adults.

I now know how people felt in the 30’s; a corrupt POTUS looting the country and enriching the elites *AND* a homicidal thug (albeit a brilliant one) running amok in Europe with a plain plane to take it all over for an empire reconstructed in the image of the past.

The official position comes from the Russian Communist Party... it’s a screed about Ukrainian “nazis”...

“GENNADY ZYUGANOV: IT IS TIME TO PUT A STOP TO NATO’S ACTIONS TO TURN UKRAINE INTO A FASCIST STATE
February 22, 2022
The situation on the border between Ukraine and the Donbass republics has deteriorated to the limit. Ukrainian armed units are intensifying the shelling of the territories of the DPR and LPR creating the need for a mass evacuation of the population. Simultaneously the West and pro-Western and nationalist Ukrainian media outlets are stepping up the information war against Russia. The situation obviously points to close coordination of military provocations and information aggression.

The US President is more and more openly masterminding the dangerous adventures. Biden personally announces mythical dates of the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine, comments on clashes in Donbass and reprimands Zelensky now for saying that he sees no signs of Russia’s preparations for aggression, now for making an ill-timed trip to the Munich Security Conference. In other words, Washington purposefully provokes growing tensions in Russia-Ukraine relations.

The Central Committee of the CPRF has repeatedly noted that the aim of the US authorities and their London co-thinkers is final enslavement of Ukraine and bleeding Russia white. Simultaneously the project of undermining the economic potential of the European Union and diminishing its influence in the modern world is being pursued. War in the center of Europe, forced sanctions against Russia, and decline of economic activity in the EU would increase the competitive advantages of the USA. Washington, growing weaker in its global competition with socialist China, seeks to solve its own problems by wrecking the economies of its NATO allies. Today, those who play according to Anglo-Saxon rules habitually subject Russia to a barrage of accusations and “do not notice” the provocative actions of official Kiev. The fact that Ukraine is being step-by-step turned into a Bandera state has long been ignored. Western leaders pretend that they do not know the meaning and spirit of the Nuremberg Trial decisions. Big business in the US and Europe, which connived at Hitler’s coming to power, is today ready to connive at bloodshed and aggression. In the middle of the last century humankind paid for such policy with millions of human lives. The Soviet people alone lost 27 million lives of its men and women in the fight against Fascism.

The CPRF is convinced that the West’s military blackmail must get a robust answer in the shape of Russia’s firm stand in defense of the civilian population of Donbass and punishment of aggressors. Putting a stop to the West’s actions aimed at turning Ukraine into a Fascist state is emerging as the key task of the world community. The situation prompts the following complex of emergency measures.

First. It is necessary to help the children, women and old people – all the refugees from Donbass — who seek shelter from the war on Russian territory. We call on everyone to render them all the assistance they need. This work must involve the bodies of state power, parties and movements, enterprises and organizations and citizens of our country.

Second. The appeal of the State Duma to the President of the RF to recognize the independence of the DPR and LPR is becoming ever more relevant. Today such a decision is emerging as the key to curbing the aggression against the two republics and to protecting their populations.

Third. That Washington is implementing a multi-pronged plan to enslave Ukraine, demonize Russia and weaken Europe has become perfectly clear. There is no point in hoping for a dialog with the heirs of Bandera and Shukhevich, especially considering that they have powerful patrons. A series of measures must be taken to coerce the initiators of mass bloodshed into peace.

Fourth. On the international arena the time has come to launch a decisive political offensive against any attempts at rehabilitation of Fascism. On the international arena the Russian authorities should use all the influence our country has at international organizations to that end. In mounting anti-Fascist and anti-war movements we propose to use the whole arsenal of bi-lateral and multi-lateral interaction with other countries, and make wide use of parliamentary and people diplomacy.

Everyone should be aware that democratic mechanisms in Ukraine have beenEveryone should be aware that democratic mechanisms in Ukraine have been abolished. After the 2014 state coup real policy on its territory is increasingly dictated by aggressive nationalist bands. Representing an absolute terrorist minority, they hold Ukrainian people in fear and impose rules of behavior on members of the political establishment. This accounts for the political transformation of Vladimir Zelensky. Elected by Ukrainians as the president of peace in Donbass and normalization of relations with Russia he became a vehicle of the opposite kind of policy.

In the current situation, the task of liberating Ukraine from the Bandera dictatorship cannot be solved by the Ukrainian people itself. The country’s civilian population is still partly able to express its opinion through what remains of parliamentary procedures, but it cannot oppose the forces of terror which are armed to the teeth. The task of denazification of Ukraine must become the key concern of the world community.

Post navigation

Putin has lied repeatedly at every stage of this.

Everything he says is designed for momentary advantage, echoed by his sycophants to fool the gullible and then when no longer useful he moves on to his next set of lies.

“This is merely a military exercise, no we are not staying in Belarus, our troops are heading home, there will be no attack, and on and on.”

This is primarily for internal consumption, to try to solidify support among the Russian people, especially the security forces, government workers, the military and his circle of oligarchs, to stay in power.

His choice to focus on the supposed mortal threat to Russia posed by NATO, when the truth of the matter is that it is a defensive alliance to protect the right to self-government in the countries of Europe from being removed by Moscow, is because this is his best ground to play to his audience.

And we have seen this week how necessary such a defensive alliance is now that Putin has decided to remove the power of self-government from Ukraine. He has himself proven the urgent necessity of NATO.

To bolster his arguments he cites things the Clintons did - Bill bombing Serbia, Hillary bombing Libya (both without a congressional declaration of war) and so on, and this is low-hanging fruit, but this is to distract from the matter at hand, whether the people of Ukraine have the right to exist as a country with self-government.

But Putin let the cat of the bag in his earlier rambling, Hitler-like crude discourse on history - no, he does not think Ukraine has the right to exist as a separate country.

This President-for-life of a brutal, kleptocratic regime seeks to encompass more populations in his Russian neo-empire for control and exploitation by his favored oligarchs and so he can look in the mirror and fancy himself among the famous Czars.

The real issue is not NATO. It is the EU. These populations don’t want their economic fortunes dictated by Putin and his crew in Moscow. They want progress and prosperity for themselves and their children.

On attempts by western liberals to homosexualize Russia :

“.. Properly speaking, the attempts to use us in their own interests never ceased until quite recently: they sought to destroy our traditional values and force on us their false values that would erode us, our people from within, the attitudes they have been aggressively imposing on their countries, attitudes that are directly leading to degradation and degeneration, because they are contrary to human nature. This is not going to happen. No one has ever succeeded in doing this, nor will they succeed now. ”

This isn’t praise for Putin, but imagine Biden giving such an address, all the big words. We are so screwed.

My guess is that Putin no more writes his messages/speeches than Biden writes his.

No, you are likely right, but my point was, can you imagine Biden delivering such a speech?

For 30 years I’ve been watching the bunglers, airheads, and grifters that my country put in charge of foreign policy throw away the opportunity and blessing of the Soviet Union’s disintegration. Blessings for them, for us, for everybody. They just weren’t interested. It’s gone now.

Since he’s gone ahead and pulled the cork, I at least hope that Putin’s people find the hard documentation on all of the grift, dirty political intrigue, money laundering, and rank official incompetence that our garbage elite have been practicing in their Ukrainian playground (at our gigantic expense) for all these years. And I hope he simultaneously gives it to the UN and publishes all of it on the internet for the whole friggin world to see.

Well said.