On February 21 at noon, Russian President Vladimir Putin will address the Federal Assembly with a message for the first time since 2021. The event will take place in Gostiny Dvor. Participants of a special military operation are also invited to it, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed. Vedomosti asked deputies, entrepreneurs and cultural figures what they expect from the president’s message.
Anatoly Aksakov, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on the Financial Market:
“Well, first of all, of course, there will be an assessment of the geopolitical situation, and how we met these challenges, including economically. The economy is developing normally, despite the very serious restrictions that the West has imposed on our country: sanctions, termination of trade and economic relations. Nevertheless, the economy is functioning, working quietly. The financial system also works without problems, without failures. It is clear that tectonic changes are taking place now, a restructuring of our realities. We are restructuring the economy towards relations with India, with China, with African countries, with Asian countries, it is obvious that we will develop our relations with Latin America as well.
Thanks to this, the economy will become more harmonious, more diversified in terms of economic relationships. Such a task was set back in the 1990s, but, unfortunately, they did not move from words to deeds. As a result, we are now forced to diversify the economy, develop internal technologies, mechanical engineering, electronics, instrumentation. Again, they called earlier, prescribed such a task in the documents, but nothing happened, because earlier interests and the entire economy were tied up, but above all interests to the West. Now both business interests and the interests of the economy are simply forced to reorganize towards that part of the world that is ready to cooperate with us.
I am sure that Europe will also turn in our direction, because economic interests will outweigh all politics anyway.”
Ex-head of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin:
“In the rear they are waiting for tough instructions for full mobilization in support of the front, and at the front they are waiting for shells. And in Donetsk and Gorlovka, they are waiting for water and an end to the barbaric shelling. I think that the message will outline political, organizational and personnel measures to achieve these goals.”
Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans Affairs Yaroslav Nilov:
“What is a message? This is an assessment of today’s events, the conclusions of yesterday, this is the setting of tasks for the future. Of course, we will talk about social policy – not a single message could do without a social program. The second is an assessment of the foreign policy situation, the vector of foreign policy, relations with a number of countries: with the United States, the West, the countries of the East and Asia. Issues of the special operation, support for the families of the mobilized, volunteers – these are also, obviously, the issues that will be reflected in the message. Well, in general, I think that some theses and some proposals should be voiced, which would give, first of all, an emotional wave to citizens, in order to orient them, so that there is no confusion. Something so emotional and energetic should sound.”
Chairman of the National Anti-Corruption Committee, member of the Presidential Council for Human Rights (HRC) Kirill Kabanov:
“I think that the president, of course, will talk about veterans of the special operation. We talked about the need for consistency in the treatment of the wounded in civilian and military medicine. We are in favor of paying attention to the topic of prostheses, we need high-quality prostheses. I hope that the topic of social support will be specifically voiced. I really hope that there will be a question of tougher discipline, including financial responsibility.”
Ombudsman for the Moscow restaurant market and owner of the Meat & Fish restaurant chain Sergey Mironov:
“We would very much like the regulatory guillotine, which began a long time ago, to continue, so that we would remove unnecessary and non-working norms, which are many and which hinder our work. We would like the norms that are adopted to be verified by the business community, because they are often unenforceable. That is, on the one hand, within the framework of the regulatory guillotine, we are removing the old norms, and on the other hand, we are ready to accept new ones on the same principle that do not pass the examination of the business community. It is clear that deputies cannot foresee everything, there are not so many specialists and professionals from all industries, but working with specialists and professionals will help to make sure that business can work correctly and do everything that is accepted in the State Duma.”
People’s Artist of Russia, General Director of the Great Moscow State Circus Edgard Zapashny:
“Obviously, Vladimir Vladimirovich [Путин] will clarify the situation in which we all now live. These are international sanctions, this is counteraction to our any friendship with Iran, with China, with other countries that did not support the United States and Europe, regarding our conflict in Ukraine. I would also really like to hear not even an indirect, but a direct answer [на вопрос]what Biden is doing in Kyiv. Because I personally do not understand – we have [идет] a special military operation or a country with a tourist route for politics now appeared at hand, where anyone, at any time and in fact on anything, calmly arrives.