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PUTIN'S INTERVIEW TO TASS

Putin assures non-systemic opposition not an enemy of the state

Putin noted that the political awareness of Russia's ordinary citizens had grown over the past year

MOSCOW, March 17. /TASS/. Non-systemic opposition members are not enemies of the state, Russian President Vladimir Putin has avowed.

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Putin hails non-systemic opposition, notes its contribution to bettering society

"Nothing of the sort. This has nothing to do with reality," Putin told TASS in an interview for the project entitled "20 Questions with Vladimir Putin".

He said he believes that politicians, including opposition ones, should not just criticize the authorities, but have a clear vision of how to go about the business of addressing the problems the country is faced with.

"An average person wants to see not just somebody criticizing the authorities, but hear and understand what is being proposed by those who do the criticizing," he said. "When nothing but criticism is heard in reply, then the question arises: Who should you vote for?"

Putin remarked that Russians were far from being naive when it came to politics. "It's not enough to just offer to put food on their table," he pointed out. "The political awareness of Russia's ordinary citizens has grown over the past year."

Episode 15 of the video interview is available at https://putin.tass.ru/en.

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Putin's speech shows West that Russia won’t waver, is ready for any scenario — expert

Dmitry Suslov pointed to a crucial message in the President's speech: "Russia firmly believes that the West has moved from a proxy war to a direct war" and that the sides are already "in a state of global conflict"

Russian embassy warns UK about dangers of calling for Moscow’s ‘defeat’

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Robert Fico pointed out that "more and more evidence show that the West seeks to prolong the war in Ukraine for various reasons"

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Andrey Belousov stressed that Russian troops have accelerated their advance in the special military operation zone and have effectively disrupted Kiev's 2025 military campaign

Tehran to launch new centrifuges in response to IAEA anti-Iran resolution — statement

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US not seeking confrontation with Russia, but will continue assistance to Kiev — Pentagon

Department of Defense Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh also claimed that Washington, while helping Ukraine, is not attempting to turn the conflict into a large-scale regional confrontation that spills beyond the country’s borders

US decision to allow missile strikes deep into Russia fuels global escalation — Slovak PM

Robert Fico also rejected the belief that this escalation would not impact "those living far away, in Spain, England, or America"

Western nations should take Putin's statement seriously, warns Hungarian PM

Viktor Orban recalled that Russia has "one of the most powerful armies in the world, which boasts the most advanced, most powerful weapons"

Ukraine was warned about possible missile strike — Pentagon

Department of Defense Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh gave no answer to the question of how could Ukraine prepare for this kind of attack

Western air defense systems unlikely to intercept Russian missiles — France’s Le Monde

According to the French military source, Russia's recent use of the Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile should be taken in the context of possible negotiations regarding the ongoing Ukrainian conflict

Oreshnik test aims to persuade West to avoid escalation in Ukraine — media

According to the report, the use of Oreshnik has become "part of a new era of missile warfare"

NATO deployment to Ukraine would mark its entry into the war, Russian diplomat warns

According to Maria Zakharova, the Estonian minister is inciting other NATO members to engage in a venture that is "bound to fail"

Russian army pushes Ukraine out of Kurakhovo water reservoir’s north shore

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Bulgarian politician sees Oreshnik missile strike as wake-up call for peace

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West builds up military presence near Russia’s Arctic borders — presidential aide

According to Nikolay Patrushev, the "imposed sanctions restrictions are aimed at thwarting the implementation of Russia’s Arctic projects"

Western countries should 'be afraid, tremble' after Putin's statement — lawmaker

Andrey Kartapolov added that the special military operation in Ukraine "will continue its course until all tasks are completed"

Japanese lawmaker praises Putin's restraint amid decision to strike deep into Russia

Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell confirmed that the US administration had lifted restrictions for US-supplied missiles to be used for strikes up to 300 kilometers inside Russia

Nuclear escalation of Ukraine conflict unlikely, says ex-French envoy

"In my opinion, as long as Russia has an advantage on the battlefield, and at this point it does, the risk of nuclear escalation is low," Jean de Gliniasty poited out

Washington has no plans of updating nuclear posture after Russia’s test of new missile

"We haven't seen any adjustments that we've observed in their nuclear posture, and we haven't adjusted our nuclear posture in exchange," Department of Defense Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said

US missile defense base in Poland long among Russian army’s targets — Foreign Ministry

Maria Zakharova stated that the US-NATO construction project, ongoing for nearly a decade with complete disregard to Russian security concerns, has consistently been a focus of Russia's attention

Signal to West and 'red card': experts weigh in on Putin’s missile launch statements

The important message in Vladimir Putin’s speech was that "Russia does believe that the West has shifted from a proxy-war to direct war" and that the parties find themselves in "a global conflict" now, Dmitry Suslov said

Belarusian president believes humanity is on the brink of World War III

Alexander Lukashenko also emphasized that a real information war has been underway for a long time

German politician slams Ukraine’s ‘irresponsible’ strike on Russia with UK-made missiles

"A diplomatic search for balance and mutual understanding should be the goal, instead of further escalation," Alice Weidel said

Russian troops destroy Ukrainian fortification in LPR’s Makeyevka, strengthen positions

Andrey Marochko noted that the Russian forces' advances along this stretch of the front are facilitated by their control over an earlier seized strategic position, as "the activities of the assault groups are provided with cover," and "the Russian Armed Forces outnumber Ukrainian units"

Kremlin confident Putin's statement got through to US administration

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on November 21 that the United States and its NATO allies had earlier announced that they would authorize Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons to hit inside Russia, after which American and British missiles struck Russian military facilities in the Kursk and Bryansk regions

Ukrainian conflict acquires global elements after strikes with Western missiles — Putin

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Russia’s re-election to UNCITRAL confirms its global reputation — Foreign Ministry

Russia got the support of 129 countries in a November 20 vote in New York at the 40th plenary session of the UN General Assembly

West irrational, fails to understand it cannot intercept Russia's new missiles — Kneissl

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North Korean leader warns of growing risk of nuclear war — KCNA

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Putin warns West that Russia can respond to any turn of events

"There will always be an answer," the president said

Russia fires ballistic, non-nuclear-tipped missile at Ukrainian aerospace plant — Putin

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Zelensky begs ‘for his country to be flattened’ — US journalist

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NATO enters conflict, Russia has every right to attack its targets now — expert

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Biden’s decision to use ATACMS against Russia may 'blow up in America’s face' — US expert

According to Daniel Davis authorizing US long-range weapons to be used against Russia is "foolhardy to the highest order," "especially because there is no military upside for doing so"

Russian military to warn Ukrainian civilians of future Oreshnik attacks — Kremlin

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"An automated warning was sent 30 minutes before the launch," Dmitry Peskov said

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"It is important to ensure a thorough investigation and clarify the reasons why underwater cables in the Baltic Sea are now out of order," embassy said

Oreshnik can reach targets across entire Europe — missile troops commander

"Based on the tasks and the range of this weapon, it can hit targets across entire Europe, which sets it apart from other high-precision long-range weapons," Sergey Karakayev said

Putin’s remarks on hypersonic missiles send serious warning to West — Turkish politician

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Russia entitled to use weapons against military sites of states attacking it — Duma

"Russia has repeatedly stated that such actions will receive a response – and it will be a stronger one," Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin stressed

Diplomat mocks US Senator for talking about invading Netherlands

Maria Zakharova quoted the US Senator, who called the ICC a "Kangaroo court" and ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan a "deranged fanatic"

German chancellor reiterates decision not to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine

Olaf Scholz stated that only the Social Democratic Party of Germany could maintain a balance between caution and clear support for Ukraine

Ukraine conflict entering decisive phase, Polish PM says

According to Donald Tusk, "no one knows how the conflict will end"

Russia uses aerial bombs to destroy Ukrainian positions near DPR’s Konstantinovka — source

According to the report, at least 15 Ukrainian servicemen were killed as a result of the attack

Ukrainian frontline may 'collapse' under onslaught of Russian forces — BBC

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Oreshnik missile to go into serial production, Putin says

The president stressed that given the weapon’s special power, it "will be provided precisely to the Strategic Missile Forces"

Putin says Oreshnik missile system cutting-edge innovation by Russia, not Soviet byproduct

The Russian Defense Ministry announced earlier in the day that the country’s latest Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile hit all the targets at a major Ukrainian military-industrial enterprise in Dnepr (Dnepropetrovsk) with its MIRVed warheads

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Russia not obliged to notify anyone about launch of intermediate-range missile — Kremlin

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World has not seen such chaos, brutality since World War II — Kim Jong Un

The North Korean leader explained that the "shameless tricks" of the US to establish its hegemony and "the resulting discord and confrontation of all kinds" have passed the "critical point of explosion" and escalated into "unjust and terrible wars" and "catastrophic disasters"

Russia’s Oreshnik has no analogues worldwide — Putin

"We know what kind of developments are being carried out there, but this will happen tomorrow or in a year or two, but we have such a system already today," the president said

Ukraine should consider territorial concessions to Russia in return for peace — magazine

Foreign Policy pointed out that Western officials should stop insisting in public speeches on the need to achieve a strategic defeat for Russia

Biden’s actions on Ukraine meant to 'muck things up' for Trump — Lavrov

According to the Russian foreign minister, such behavior is "typical of the Democrats"

China holds US responsible for disrupted defense ministers' meeting in Laos

Wu Qian stated that the United States must immediately correct its mistakes, "honestly respect China’s main interests, and seek to create favorable conditions for high-level contacts between the military of the two countries"

Zelensky’s actions make Ukraine vulnerable to coup, says politician

"Democratic institutions in the country have been destroyed, rendering dialogue between the government and the people impossible," Viktor Medvedchuk said

Russia to hold informal UN Security Council meeting on unilateral restrictions

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China urges restraint after Russia, Ukraine's exchange of attacks — foreign ministry

Lin Jian also reaffirmed Beijing's position on the Ukrainian issue

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Zelensky shook up by Russia’s response to permission to attack it — Lavrov

According to the Russian foreign minister, the West is directly involved in the use of long-range weapons against Russia, as not a single missile could be launched without its involvement

Putin stays open to contacts to reach 'peaceful track' — Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a televised address to the nation on November 21, announcing that in response to the West’s decision to authorize strategic-depth strikes on Russia, Moscow used its new Oreshnik medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile for the first time

US administration chooses to escalate Ukraine conflict — Kremlin

Earlier, Putin stressed that the Ukrainian army is unable to fire the latest Western-made long-range missiles on its own without support from NATO satellite feeds and the involvement of the bloc’s military

Press review: Russia fires missile at Ukraine plant and Biden forgives Kiev $4.65 bln debt

Top stories from the Russian press on Friday, November 22nd

US, European officials suggest returning nukes to Ukraine — NYT

US officials believe that ramping up weapons supplies to Ukraine is unlikely to change the situation in the combat zone short term, but it may help Kiev strengthen its stance in case a truce is reached

US makes mistake by destroying INF Treaty — Putin

The Russian leader stressed that the United States made a mistake by unilaterally destroying the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 2019 under a far-fetched pretext

Russia hit Ukrainian military-industrial facility in response to use of Western missiles

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Iran begins installation of three new generations of centrifuges to enrich uranium — TV

The decision was reportedly made in response to the anti-Iran resolution of the International Atomic Energy Agency

Enemy has no countermeasures for Russia’s Oreshnik missile — Putin

Speaking in a televised address, the head of state assured that Russia will issue notifications before using this type of missile

Russian ambassador says UK prime minister doesn’t understand situation in Ukraine

Turning to the Labour Party’s domestic policies, Andrey Kelin said Starmer’s plans to spur the economy were "not met with applause by the population

Moscow hopes West will thoroughly analyze Russia's nuclear doctrine — ambassador

Andrey Kelin also recalled that the policy of the Russian leadership enjoys the full support and confidence of the country's population