MOSCOW, December 14. /TASS/. The safety margin of the Russian economy is enough to be on firm ground and progress, President Vladimir Putin said at the combined Direct Line Q&A session and year-end press conference.

The national economy’s safety margin is "sufficient to not merely feel confident but to go ahead," the Russian leader said.

This safety margin is supported by several components, Putin noted.

"The first, and this is the most important, is high consolidation of the Russian society. The second is resilience of the financial and economic system of the country. It turned out that it was a surprise for our so-called 'partners' and, frankly speaking, for many of us that Russia accumulated this safety and stability margin in finance and the economy over past decades," the President said.

"Definitely, the third one is the buildup of capabilities of our power component: armed forces and security authorities," Putin added.