PYATIGORSK, May 19. /TASS/. The Russian people understand that the nation draws its strength from its unity, so they are coming together like never before, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday.

"There is more trust and mutual support in society, our cohesion has become stronger and more reliable, our ties to the motherland, responsibility for the homeland and its future have taken on a more profound meaning," he said at a meeting of the council on interethnic relations.

According to Putin, everyone understands why the country is coming together. "Ordinary people understand that only unity makes us strong and invincible and this is what matters the most because our very existence depends on it," he said. "I would like to stress that everyone feels and understands this with their mind, soul, and heart. That is why it is absolutely evident that society is growing more consolidated now."

According to the president, levels of civic identity, "when a person considers himself a citizen of Russia in the first place, and then a representative of this or that nationality," has grown in direct proportion to the pressure on Russia. "The more sanctions are imposed on us, the more slander there has been, the greater the general consolidation was. In the past five years, it has grown by a third and exceeded 94% as of the beginning of 2023," he said, adding that the level of civic identity was 63% in 2017 and 94.2% in 2022.

"The absolute majority of people think of themselves first and foremost as citizens of the country, prioritize their being part of Russian society, the Russian state rather than being part of some ethnic group," Putin stressed.