MOSCOW, July 29. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who also leads the United Russia party's election list, says it's Russia's huge resource base and industry that have largely shielded it from Western sanctions, and don't forget that Russia has a long history of overcoming difficulties.

"First of all, thanks to our ancestors who created such a country. The richest, largest country in the world, with access to seas, oceans, which allows us to develop trade and ensure our security, including with the involvement of the Navy. Unquestionably, industrialization, which began in the Russian Empire. People are talking a lot about it now," the foreign minister said in an interview with TASS Director General Andrey Kondrashov.

"The railroads that connect the entire country were being laid back then, as were many foundations of ferrous metallurgy. Industrialization continued in the days of the Soviet Union, when colossal successes were achieved in the shortest possible time, within just 10 or 15 years before the start of the Great Patriotic War. And this in many ways helped prevent a catastrophe," he added.

"But still, our main national quality is something that does not exist in the West. In our civilization, it is respect for those who created it, built cities, and defeated enemies," Lavrov stated.