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Putin makes 'State of the Union'-style annual address to Russian lawmakers amid diplomatic stand-off with West Putin says Russia developing high-tech nuclear & laser weapons, warning ‘provocateurs’ will regret crossing country’s red lines
(about 4 hours later)
President Vladimir Putin is delivering his much anticipated annual address to Russian legislators and top officials, all of whom have had to get three consecutive negative Covid-19 tests in order to attend the event in person. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the vast majority of the country’s Soviet-era atomic stockpile will soon be replaced by modern weapons, warning that Moscow is intent on defending itself against foreign aggression.
The Russian president is required by law to give a report each year on the state of national affairs to the Federal Assembly, a joint session of the two chambers of the Russian parliament. Traditionally, however, the event is more representative, with governors, government members, and other top officials invited. Speaking as part of his annual address to the Federal Assembly in Moscow on Wednesday, Putin said that his government “wants to have positive relationships with everyone on the international stage, including those with whom relations have broken down recently. We really don’t want to burn bridges.”
This year the session is being held in person despite Covid-19 concerns, though all necessary precautions have been taken. The spacious Manege exhibition hall in central Moscow has been chosen as the venue, while all guests are required to take three tests to prove they do not have the disease. At the same time, however, he cautioned that “those who mistake this stance for weakness need to know that Russia’s response [to any aggression] will be asymmetrical, swift and harsh.” Those planning provocations, he said, “will regret their deeds in a way they have not regretted anything else for a long time.”
According to the outcome of the meeting that President Putin held on Tuesday with top government officials to discuss his upcoming address, its agenda will be focused on domestic affairs, like social programs and infrastructure investments. As part of the country’s plans to defend itself, he said, its stockpile of strategic weapons is currently being overhauled, updating older Soviet-era equipment in favor of next-generation technology, such as “hypersonic and laser” armaments.
Putin’s speech comes amid a period of higher-than usual diplomatic confrontation with Western nations, following a series of expulsions of embassy staff and a rhetorical stand-off over the situation in Ukraine and Russian troop movements. Among the overhaul, he revealed that the advanced RS-28 Sarmat missile will be delivered to troops in the field from 2022. A heavy intercontinental ballistic rocket, it boasts up to 15 nuclear warheads which can be directed against individual targets and each deliver 350 kilotons of atomic hellfire. Ship-mounted missiles and other, “next-generation” projectiles are also slated for deployment in the near future.
The address to the Federal Assembly is often used to announce major changes in Russian domestic and foreign policy. In 2018, Putin showed new in-development strategic deterrence weapons during the event. Last year, he announced a national vote on constitutional amendments that paved the way for his potential reelection in 2024. According to the president, more than two-thirds of Russia’s military equipment will be “modern” at the end of the next three years, while more than 88% of nuclear weapons will be this year as well.
If you like this story, share it with a friend! Putin also referenced the Peresvet, a secretive laser cannon that is said to have the potential to shoot down both enemy aircraft and incoming missiles. The weapon has reportedly already been deployed to installations across the country.
“We have patience, self-confidence and righteousness on our side,” Putin added. “I hope no one will think of crossing red lines in their relations with Russia. Where that line sits is ours to determine.”
The US is currently reportedly developing a $100 billion ground-based intercontinental ballistic missile system to replace its Cold War-era Minuteman-III rockets. However, it has come under criticism from experts, with the Federation of American Scientists arguing that the program has been driven by industry lobbying rather than a genuine need for the launch complex “in a post-Cold War security environment.”
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