MOSCOW, December 19. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin wished happiness to future generations in a symbolic time-capsule message and emphasized that Russians living today are working, fighting, and struggling for their sake.

During a round of quick-fire questions at the end of the combined Direct Line Q&A session and year-end press conference headlined "Results of the Year," Putin was asked what message he would send to future generations in a "time capsule." "Wow, that's a blitz," the president responded. "I need to sit down and think about that. I think each of us thinks about the future of our children and grandchildren and the future of the country. I also understand, in principle, what I should say, but I need to structure my thoughts. Let's try. I don't know how it will turn out, but let's give it a try. Let's take a pen and write."

Then, Putin read the message out loud.

"Those of us who lived in Russia in the 20th and 21st centuries gratefully accepted everything that our predecessors and ancestors did. Like everyone else, we lived with our current concerns. But we did not stand still. We moved forward. We worked. We struggled. We fought. We tried our best to solve the problems our time presented us. We thought about the future. We thought about you. If you now hold our message in your hands, it means that you, too, feel part of our shared, endless flow of time. It means that you also sense and understand the bond that stretches through the ages. This is very important. We congratulate you on this. When we worked, fought, and thought about you, we did not live in vain. We achieved much. We wish you happiness and success. We hope your children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren will be proud of you, just as we are proud of our own ancestors. Period," the president stated.