All news

Putin considers RF’s ensuring defence capacity his priority

Putin said the priority of the leadership’s policy is to ensure Russia’s defence capacity amidst instability
Photo ITAR-TASS
Photo ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, February 23 (Itar-Tass) – President Vladimir Putin said the priority of the leadership’s policy is to ensure Russia’s defence capacity amidst instability and conflicts in the world.

Speaking at a concert devoted to Defender of the Fatherland Day on Saturday, Putin said, “Ensuring Russia’s defence capacity is the state policy’s priority. Unfortunately, the modern world is far from the calm and secure development. New conflicts are added to old-dated crises. We should be ready to defend our country and its citizens at any moment. We should be able to outlook the situation and develop the military potential due to it.”

The president recalled that in order to achieve this goal by 2020 major arms were planning to be rearmed by 70 percent. The Russian defence-industrial complex will solve this problem. “Colossal funding has been provided for this purpose,” Putin added.

“Cardinal transformations in the military sphere are a difficult and complicated process. To delay it aims at posing a threat to the country’s security,” the head of state stressed.

“People, our traditions and the continuity of military construction’s experience is one more formula for the success. It is necessary to create a healthy moral climate in the army. The morale of the Armed Forces should be high. This is professional responsibility of any officer and any commander,” he noted.

Putin said the Armed Forces should have “equipped by strong, high professional and trained personnel, who will be capable of carrying out combat tasks”.

“The state’s obligation is to create necessary conditions for the service and life. We’ll continue the work to increase social guarantees of servicemen. This is an inalienable part of the Russian Armed Forces,” the president said.

By congratulating servicemen and veterans, the Commander-in-Chief said, “Special patriotism is proper to our officers because they choose the service to defend the Fatherland. Their fate is their main ideal and their highest morale that is why our officers are a reliable and strong pillar of the Russian statehood.”

“Russian officers preserved the army and the country in the very difficult times. I’m convinced that our officers were and remain the spark of the Armed Forces. Courage, honour, dignity and decency are the main features of a Russian officer. They will serve an example for subordinates and new soldiers, for our society and our young people,” the president pointed out.

The concert was attended by the leaders of both houses of the Federal Assembly, the head of the Constitutional Court, the head of the Supreme Court and the head of the Court of Arbitration, members of the government and the presidential administration, parliamentarians, veterans and the Cadet Corps, and representatives of public organisations.