Dmitry Kiselyov Draws the Balance: 2017 Was Good for Russia, 2018 Will be Even Better
We're saying goodbye to another year. It was both difficult and happy, both uneasy and calmer than in many other countries, used to considering themselves as role models. In the world political unrest, Russia remained an island of security. At the same time, our voice and our actions carried a lot of weight in the world. But first of all, Russia, of course, took care of its own agenda. The economic recession is over, and the country moved on to growth.
Some important final news of this year include Putin's announcement to participate in next year’s presidential election. Putin won’t represent any political party. He’s everyone’s president. And last week became indicative.
Our political observer, Pavel Zarubin, will tell about the President’s important meetings this week. Ice hockey players, hitting the ice with their clubs, were welcoming the player number 11, President Putin. On the ice rink near the Kremlin, a new match of the Night Hockey League took place. Putin, Shoygu, Bure, Fetisov, Butman. Excitement and emotions prevail. The voice of the Tula Region governor, goalkeeper Dyumin, was heard throughout the Red Square: "The referee is standing there! The referee is there! The referee is there!"
The match was attended by hundreds of random spectators, residents, and guests of the capital. Player Putin attacked constantly. Despite knowing who was approaching them, other players tried not to succumb.
During a short break, they drank tea and coffee, took pictures with cafe workers and guests and then resumed the battle. The final score was 9 to 3, Putin's team won.
Vladimir Putin: "We’ll make our way from one victory to another. This is sure to happen!"
The President is, of course, talking about the country’s victories, and he’s sure that Russia will see more of them. This week, Putin actually outlined his program as a presidential candidate. A breakthrough of the country into the future, is possible if the existing foundation is preserved.
Vladimir Putin: "Today, it’s our obligation to safeguard our statehood and freedom, stability and social harmony, safeguard everything, even the modest successes we achieved so far, so that our achievements and real positive changes become irreversible. In this, I see our common task, my personal duty and my civil and human responsibility, both as the active head of state and a candidate for President of the Russian Federation".
At the largest-ever Russian Popular Front Forum, Putin emphasized that Russia must adequately respond to the fateful, historic challenges.
Vladimir Putin: "Preserving and enlarging our nation, building a new economy, developing the Arctic, the Far East, Siberia and, in fact, all regions of our enormous country. We must be leaders in knowledge, intellect and social and cultural development. We mustn’t stumble, mustn’t turn from the chosen course, otherwise, we’ll have to start everything virtually from zero. There are so many young people here in this hall today. But all of us, young and old, as the saying goes, we must all remember that Russia, our people, and, in fact, all our families, lived through a very complicated and extremely hard period in their history in the past century, through revolutions, wars, cardinal overhauls of their lifestyle. We heard all kinds of prophecies at the beginning of the 2000s. They said the country would break apart, the state would collapse, the nation would die off. And it’s true, the situation was very difficult, and even critical sometimes".
People were crying because of despair and utter helplessness. Now, these videos seem unreal, but the whole country lived like this:
- We’re asking for food! We don’t need anything else".
Closed roads, constant strikes, rallies, and pickets:
- I have five young children who go to school. Tell him that I can’t even feed them".
Even ambulance workers couldn’t work, hunger strikes were held in the nuclear plants' workshops:
- Who will answer for us? Who will answer to our children?
- We ask all of Russia to hear us.
The suicides of the men who couldn’t provide for their families for years:
- I have a hungry child at home. He needs formula. It costs 50 rubles. He no longer eats breast milk, because my wife got sick. And I don’t have the money to buy the formula. He’s four months old. My second child will go to school, to first grade. He doesn’t have clothes.
- Are we slaves? Or are we people?
The darkness reigned in entire regions, rotating blackouts for everything and everyone without distinction, even hospitals and schools. Dying children in clinics without electricity, frozen cities:
- It’s three above zero indoors. What’s going on?
We have excellent specialists, mechanics. We can work, we can do all the work. But how can we go to work being hungry?
Educated people were sellers at outdoor markets. Humiliated teachers and scientists:
- I’m ashamed to look into children’s eyes. After all, children remain hostages of the country’s policy.
The policy of populism when they were saying, promising, but doing nothing.
Vladimir Putin: "They often approved decisions that could never have been implemented. Then they did nothing and took on new obligations that were never met either. This is a path that we must certainly avoid. We remember what it led to. It led to 40 million people living below the poverty line in 2000, which was almost one-third of the population back then".
People were paid with coffins, crystal vases, jars, pots. They were lucky if the currency was bags of flour:
- Children need more than just flour. They need butter, eggs, milk. Where can I get them?
Officers worked as street cleaners:
- The street cleaner does a great job and works every day. Hard working guy!
Mass desertion, the fleet was rotting, planes were on the ground.
- They only fly on holidays.
The country was breaking into pieces, governors were fighting with Moscow, mayors were fighting with governors; miraculously preserved factories were robbed by raiders.
And it was back then that we had the best relations with the West in all of history.
Vladimir Putin: "Remember that after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, we heard a lot of magnanimous and sympathetic words, but in reality, nobody did anything to help us. And we didn’t expect them to. We don’t need help from outside. We not only managed to preserve Russia’s unity and sovereignty and to travel the complex path of revival but to achieve true breakthroughs in the most important developing areas. We made a giant step forward in the economy, the social sphere, and the country’s security."
Alexei Vedyashchev, a fighter pilot: "I wasn't in the military in the 1990s, but I know well how it used to be. I'm a service member now. And I know and see what's going on now".
Alexei Vedyashchev, senior pilot of the Russian Air Force in Syria, risked his life many times during combat missions, covered the presidential aircraft with his Flanker-Е+ during its landing at the Khmeimim airbase.
Alexei Vedyashchev: "I can say firsthand that I believe that now I'm piloting the best plane not only in Russia but in the whole world".
Alexei Vedyashchev joined the action group on Putin’s nomination as the presidential candidate. This group consists of public and not very public people, but everyone makes their personal contribution to make Russia better.
Now, the whole world is talking about Russian IT specialists, but in fact, the industry started from contraband foreign computers.
Natalya Kaspersky, Putin’s nomination action group member: "Domestic developers matured not due to the state's efforts, but rather despite them. Since the 2000s, the situation has been changing, the system support for the industry has begun. And now — the digital economy program. That’s a clear movement towards supporting the industry".
Sergey Karjakin, a young grandmaster, who has already proven a lot, a resident of Crimea, is confident that Putin will be able to resolve the problems that the country has.
Sergey Karjakin, Putin’s nomination action group member: “He's exactly the person who will do the best, unequivocally. I’ll definitely vote for him, even though during elections I’ll be participating in the tournament."
Sofya Voytko, Putin’s nomination action group member. "After all, it’s important for any person that life is calm, that it’s possible to imagine what will happen tomorrow. And if we strive for something and improve something, rather than break it, then, of course, everything will be better".
Alexander Kalyagin, actor: "Everything is being done, I see it being done. Sometimes it’s hard, sometimes it’s easy. The fact that he knows how to listen to people, how he reacts, how he pays attention to everything, is important to me".
Nikolay Tsiskaridze, choreographer: "I can see that he works without a cue, without an IPad, without anything. This man keeps so much in his head and has so much information. It's very valuable".
Denis Matsuev, pianist: "It’s not without the reason that there are lines at the opening of the ticket office starting at 3 a.m. as during in the Soviet era, they used to line up to buy sausage. They write the queue number on their hands. This is our achievement, the birth of a new generation of the audience, who are accustomed, in a good sense, to going to classical music concerts. This is an amazing achievement, we must talk about it".
If you have ideas, speak up. The Russian Popular Front is a great way to help solve the problems of your city or village. Instead of complaining about your life on the Internet, you can change it yourself.
The Russian Popular Front, created by Putin only 6 years ago, has become a truly powerful positive social force. And a stormy surge of volunteerism is certainly one of the results of the country's investment in active young people.
Vladimir Putin: "We all need a strong and future-oriented Russia, and everything depends only on us! Thank you very much for your support!"
Members of the Russian Popular Front:
- Of course, we’ll help together with the youth! We’ll help you!
- And the Far East is with Putin!
- We’re on the same team, and we really support him, and it comes from the heart.
- Today, our country has many achievements, which we must continue to develop, without lowering the bar.
Pavel Savchuk, Putin’s nomination action group member: "When at a huge 15-thousand-seat stadium, the President announced that the next year will be the year of the volunteer, of course, the whole stadium exploded, everyone clapped, hugged and rejoiced. These millions of good hearts definitely deserve it".
Vladimir Putin: "...to announce 2018 as the year of the volunteer! It'll become..."
- Thank you!
- Mr. President, will you be with us next year?
Vladimir Putin: "If I make such a decision, will you and the people close to you in spirit support this decision?"
- We’re with you!
Artyom Baranov, the GAZ employee, who on that day asked the key question and received the key response from the President also joined Putin’s nomination action group.
"Please, announce your decision! After all, we’re with you!"
Vladimir Putin: "Thank you for your support. I’ll participate in the election for the President of the Russian Federation!"
Artyom Baranov, Putin’s nomination action group member: "He has a crazy schedule, look, he constantly speaks with people personally, right? And it's not just going to any specific events. These are mothers with many children, Afghan soldiers, and teachers. He knows first-hand what problems the workers have".
Vladimir Putin: "Yes, we realize that we could have achieved more. This is always the case when one takes up the most difficult tasks, when one sets ambitious goals. But it’s much worse when such ambitious goals are not set. Then nothing will come out at all".
Putin sets new ambitious goals and relies on the broad support of people and the largest political force in the country, United Russia.
Vladimir Putin: "Russia is a country with a thousand-year history. But we shouldn’t treat it as a beloved granny. Give her medications on time so that she doesn't have any pains, and do nothing else. Not at all. We must make Russia young, focused on the future. These tasks cannot be resolved with slogans and catchwords alone or just by handing out money to someone at a certain political stage without caring about what will happen tomorrow. This is a road to nowhere".
Young Russia, according to Putin, is Russia with modern health care, with new schools and kindergartens, with modernized roads and ports, with increased real wages and pensions. This is Russia, firmly entrenched in the top five world economies, with global champion companies, with genuine economic freedom for those who conduct their business.
Vladimir Putin: "We need to drop all the vague, ambiguous, unclear legal norms that are used by corrupt law enforcement officials to harass businesses, to force them to pay up and defraud them of their property".
Russia, which is focused on the future, according to the President, is a country with a new digital economy, with a stable political system.
Vladimir Putin: "Stability mustn’t mean inertia, stagnation, or a frozen petrified structure that lags behind the challenges of the time. Nothing undermines stability and steals the resource of development as much as untruth, injustice, lawlessness, the rust of corruption and bribery, arrogance and superciliousness, whether displayed by politicians, officials, businesses or those who call themselves "the elite".
Russia, which is focused on the future, is a country with a capable and responsible opposition, with a mature civil society.
Vladimir Putin: "Such society rejects populism and empty words. Such a society is resistant to any attempts to destabilize it. It’ll never let the country be dragged into chaos, be led astray, made weak and dependent. We know that such examples are plentiful in many countries around us. It can happen very fast if we are not committed to stability in society."
Pavel Zarubin:
- Taking into account, among other things, the foreign policy situation, in your opinion, what will the starting election campaign’s atmosphere be?
Sergey Kiriyenko, Presidential Administration First Deputy Chief of Staff:
- You know, this is a question of choosing the country’s fate for the next six years. Will there be attempts of putting pressure externally in this respect? Of course, there will. We see them today. Are there any attempts to somehow influence, intervene and try to suppress public opinion in the upcoming election campaign? They’re visible. This is reported by the Commission of the Federation Council, which is engaged in this constantly. This can be seen with the naked eye. Will this pressure influence the people in the country? I'm sure not.
It’s extremely important, as Putin emphasizes especially, to explain to people the actions of the authorities, to admit mistakes if they’re made, and to do everything to prevent them.
Vladimir Putin: "We must act responsibly and professionally, basing our actions on the long-term prospects of the country’s development rather than on the present-day situation. Only in that case will we be able to march from one victory to another. I really count on your support, thank you very much for it".
The action group supporting Putin will meet on December 26. This day, the presidential candidate nomination procedure will be officially launched.
Pavel Zarubin, Victoriya Filatova, Natalia Gubina, Yuliya Brilyova, and Pyotr Ravnov, Vesti News of the Week