Meeting of Russia's Board of the Ministry of Defense

The two images ought to be combined into one large photo showing the entire auditorium at Russia’s MoD Moscow HQ. As you see there are four tiered positions related to rank. I’ve always been curious about Patriarch Kirill’s attendance over the years, but that’s now normal. When examining the provided photos, all faces are stone-serious with not one smile to be seen. It is wartime, after all. I’ve covered several of these previously at my VK, and the Kremlin’s website can be searched to find even older meetings. The meeting’s video is 1:11 long, so you can expect a long read. It can be found at the top of the linked transcript. Putin sets up the discussion to be an assessment of what was proposed at last year’s meeting. Here’s the official English transcript of that meeting for those curious. This year’s ought to be made available in a few days, although it is wartime, so who knows what will be divulged. The format’s the same with Putin opening and closing with Shoigu’s long report sandwiched within. The larger discussion by the extended Board isn’t included, although there might be some info about it at Russia’s MoD site, which I’m prohibited from accessing, or perhaps at its VK or Telegram which remain accessible. Here’s Putin:

Vladimir Putin: Dear comrades, Dear Sergey Kuzhugetovich,

A year ago, at the final board meeting of the Ministry of Defense, we discussed priority tasks related to conducting a special military operation, and talked about additional measures to strengthen the army and navy.

Today we will assess what has been done and how it has been done over the past period, and in what areas we need to improve and strengthen our work.

2023 was a busy year for the Armed Forces, and I want to say right away that our soldiers and officers, commanders at all levels courageously and professionally solved tasks during the special operation, ensured the country's sovereignty at the global level, missile and nuclear parity and Russia's strategic security. At the same time, high combat readiness of units and formations of all military districts and fleets was maintained. Combat training was carried out systematically, strictly according to the plan, and mobilization, technical and personnel issues were resolved.

I would like to thank the leadership and personnel of the Ministry of Defense for their service and conscientious implementation of the tasks set by the Motherland.

Special words of gratitude to all those who fought and continue to fight on the front lines, carry out complex service in the special military operation zone, protect the skies of Russia, repel enemy air and sea drones, stop shelling and sabotage attacks in our western border regions.

And of course, I would like to emphasize the unprecedented support of our people – the support of the defenders of the Fatherland, the patriotic spirit of the absolute majority of the country's citizens, the unity and cohesion of people of different nationalities and faiths. This is a reliable, unbreakable pillar of our army and navy.

We will always be loyal to the cause for which our comrades-in-arms gave their lives. Please observe a minute of silence in their memory.

(A minute of silence is observed.)

Dear Board members: The events of this year have confirmed all this: the West continues to wage a hybrid war against Russia, actively supplies the Kiev regime with real-time intelligence, sends military advisers, transfers modern weapons systems, including highly mobile multiple launch rocket systems, long-range missile systems, cluster munitions, as well as a large number of new unmanned aerial vehicles & aircraft. Plans to transfer to Ukraine, as we know, and multifunctional fighters F-16: pilot training in the West is underway.

Recently, the activity of the NATO military bloc as a whole has also increased sharply. Significant forces from the United States, including aircraft, have been deployed to our borders. The number of Alliance troops in Eastern and Central Europe has increased. Finland, as we know, has already been drawn into NATO, and Sweden is planning to join. In fact, this means the next stage of the Alliance's approach to our borders.

Let me remind you that we all know very well that in 1991 they promised Gorbachev: no, no, not an inch to the east – well, here you are. Such are the partners. They lie shamelessly at every turn. At the same time, the aggressive nature of the block is no longer hidden behind "defensive" formulations. I was once told that this is not a military bloc, but a political organization. And no one has ever canceled the fifth article. At the same time, the aggressive character, as I said, is not hidden. The United States ' doctrinal documents explicitly state its claims to global superiority.

The West does not abandon its strategy of containing Russia and its aggressive goals in Ukraine. Well, we are not going to give up our goals of a special military operation.

Assessing the current situation "on the ground", on the line of contact, we can say with confidence that our troops have the initiative. In fact, we do what we think is necessary, what we want. Where it is necessary, where you, the commanders, generally consider it appropriate to adhere to the tactics of active defense, this is happening, and where it is necessary, we are improving our positions.

The enemy is suffering heavy losses and has largely squandered its reserves, trying to show its real masters at least some result of its so-called counteroffensive. By the way, the myth of invulnerability of Western military equipment has also collapsed.

All attempts, as they said in the West, to inflict a military defeat on us, a strategic defeat, were dashed against the courage and steadfastness of our soldiers, faced with the increased power of our Armed Forces, the potential of domestic industry and defense industries.

At the same time, and we have talked about this more than once, the special operation also revealed problems. So, we need to seriously restructure the operation of the communication system, and use modern means of conducting reconnaissance, targeting and counter-battery warfare much more effectively. Increase the capabilities of our satellite constellation not only in the special operation zone, but also at the global level.

We will have to seriously increase the production and supply of high-precision projectiles and drones of various types. I know that changes are taking place, they are happening quite quickly, I will say more about this, but we still need to work on it, we need to consolidate this trend. The work of air defense also requires improvement. Of course, our well-known systems – Pantsir, Buk, S-300, S-400 – work flawlessly, they are the best in the world without any exaggeration.

But what we did not pay attention to before, we thought that it was some small thing, some plywood and so on, some small drones that fly – no, it turned out that this also causes damage, and this should not be overlooked in any case.

Yes, as I have already said, there is a reaction, it is clear and well-known, and the guys on the battlefield note it. Probably, there are fighters here who will receive awards today – they also probably see this and are ready to say it. But you still need to work with it.

I would like to draw your attention to a number of priority and systemic tasks.

First. In the context of the changing nature of military threats and the emergence of new military and political risks, the role of the nuclear triad, which ensures the balance of forces, the strategic balance of forces in the world, has significantly increased.

This year, thanks to the consistent implementation of the state armament program and the clear work of defense enterprises, the level of modern weapons and equipment in the strategic nuclear forces as a whole has been brought up to 95 percent, and the naval component – almost to 100 percent.

By the end of the year, 15 launchers of the Yars and Avangard missile systems will be put on combat duty in the strategic missile forces. We have received four submarines, most recently two, and last week I hosted the Krasnoyarsk, a multi-purpose nuclear submarine, and the Emperor Alexander III, equipped with Bulava ballistic missiles.

The aviation component is being upgraded. In particular, four Tu-160M missile carriers were delivered. We must continue to maintain the combat readiness of our strategic forces at the highest level. All the plans approved in this area will certainly be implemented.

Second. The performance achieved in re-equipping the nuclear triad is a benchmark for our work on conventional weapons and equipment. Their supplies to the troops have tripled in comparison with last year. It is expected that in general, the state defense order by the end of 2023 will be fulfilled at the level of about 98 percent. We need to continue to send the most modern weapons to the troops.

In 2024, taking into account additional budget allocations, the volume of purchases and repairs of weapons and equipment will be significantly increased. In addition, it is necessary to continue to create a reserve for the army and navy for the future, including the development and production of promising types of weapons in a series. I am referring to robotic systems and combat lasers, weapons using artificial intelligence technologies and based on new physical principles.

The third most important task is to fully supply the troops participating in a special military operation with everything they need in a timely manner.

Over the past year, the Coordination Council under the Government and the working group of the Military-Industrial Commission actively worked on the implementation of this task. Effective assistance is provided by the heads of regions, representatives of the defense industry. And of course, the results are there, the supply of troops is improving.

I would especially like to mention the teams of defense enterprises, employees of related industries, research institutes and design bureaus. They made a real labor breakthrough. Many businesses operate in three shifts. They gave their own working, engineering, scientific response to the challenge of the entire potential of the West, which works to contain Russia, to support the Kiev regime, to the war in Ukraine.

Our defense workers are faster – and this is the meaning of today's conflicts-they respond faster and more accurately to the events that are taking place, they respond faster to the needs of those who are fighting on the battlefield. I hope that this will continue.

This year, thanks to the work of the defense industry, the volume of deliveries of armored vehicles tripled, and cars-4.5 times. In general, the number of purchased basic weapons increased by 2.7 times, and the number of particularly popular ones-by seven times.

At the same time, I would like to draw your attention – there are representatives of the Government and the leadership of the Ministry of Defense here [in the hall] – we need to carefully analyze what is happening on the battlefield every day, and carefully look at what our fighters need on the front line in addition. You need to constantly analyze this. I mentioned armored vehicles, cars, and so on. Yes, the supply of armored vehicles has tripled. But we need more. We need modern tanks, modern armored vehicles.

It is important to further increase the supply of the most popular samples, as I have already said, including the formation of a serial line of unmanned aerial vehicles-from heavy shock and ultra-small vehicles. Involve high-tech businesses and engineering design companies in development and production. By the way, I want to thank them for this. Many private enterprises, which were previously generally far from the defense industry, have taken up separate topics and conduct them quickly, efficiently, and efficiently. Just great. Many probably didn't even expect it. In some countries, they are trying to establish the production of seemingly conventional weapons, but they are not working, but we are doing it. Thank you to all those who work on solving these problems.

As I did a few days ago during the "Direct Line", I would like to say again about the huge support that our citizens, entrepreneurs and volunteers, representatives of public organizations, parties and enterprise collectives, schoolchildren, students, and pensioners provide to combat units. Of course, everything that goes to the front is important to us, but this general consolidation of all the forces of Russian society is equally important – and perhaps most important. I once again thank everyone who helps our soldiers at the front, transfers money and sends cars and drones, walkie-talkies and bulletproof vests to the front line, sends New Year's gifts and letters of support, warm clothes, medicines and much more. This help, this patriotic spirit, this solidarity cannot be overestimated.

Further. The fourth is, as I have already said, the extensive use of the experience gained during the special operation in operational and combat training, in the educational processes of military universities and academies. I know that such work is actively underway. Updated programs and training plans for personnel, in particular, the programs of all educational institutions and centers of the Ministry of Defense include training modules for working with drones. The training and material base of the training grounds is being modernized. Instructors with combat experience are involved in conducting classes. They need to be involved in working with military personnel – well, in the civilian sphere, but this is a separate topic, we will talk about this with our colleagues.

On the basis of these developments, it is necessary to further improve the forms and methods of using troops, clarify the provisions of combat documents, charters and instructions, and also take this experience into account when preparing and conducting exercises and training at all levels.

What to say here, in this audience – we understand that no one in the world has such experience in conducting modern armed struggle as the Russian army. But this experience really needs to be used to further improve the training of military personnel.

Dear Board members,

I will focus separately on such an important topic as timely material and social support for participants in a special military operation and their families. Over the past year, much has been done to establish a system of monetary allowances for both contract employees and mobilized citizens, volunteers, as well as to provide them and their families with additional payments, benefits and compensations.

However, the problems are not all solved yet, they remain. And in this regard, I repeat once again: all participants of the special operation-contract servicemen, volunteers, mobilized citizens, fighters of individual formations, militia members of Donbass, whose fighting path began back in 2014-I repeat, all defenders of Russia, the families of our fallen heroes, our comrades should receive equal guarantees. This is the principle of justice and military brotherhood.

This fully applies to obtaining the status of a combat veteran, which provides benefits and additional support measures, including for the families of our fighters.

The Ministry of Defense, together with other departments and regions, must promptly solve the problems that arise here, ensure that the required payments are made on time and in full.

And of course, all the wounded participants of the special operation should be provided with proper medical care, including rehabilitation facilities, treatment in military sanatoriums – and in civilian ones. The Ministry of Health always offers its services, and is always open to working together with the Ministry of Defense.

I would like to note that in general, the system of benefits, compensations and additional payments in the Armed Forces should and will continue to be improved. This also applies to our work on housing and social programs for military personnel, on the arrangement of military towns and garrisons. We will definitely continue to work in this area as well.

Let's start with the reports. The floor to Defense Minister Sergei Kuzhugetovich Shoigu.

You are welcome.

Sergei Shoigu : Comrade Supreme Commander!

I'll start with the preliminary results of a special military operation.

Russian forces have liberated territory five times larger than that occupied by the Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics before the start of the special military operation. According to the results of referendums, the Russian Federation included four new subjects with a total area of more than 83 thousand square kilometers and a population of about five million people.

A naval area has been created in the Sea of Azov, which has become an internal sea of Russia. Railway traffic with the Donbass region has been restored. The land corridor with Crimea has been operating for more than a year. Communication by rail and road is established. Almost three million refugees who have not seen their families since 2014 have returned to the new regions of the Russian Federation.

Since the beginning of the special military operation, 54 countries have announced military supplies to the Kiev regime. In fact, weapons and military equipment come from 15 countries.

At the moment, Ukraine has received $ 203 billion from external sponsors, which is $ 30 billion more than the gross domestic product. In fact, this is a bankrupt country, since a significant part of these funds are loans that must be repaid.

In total, 5,220 tanks, armored infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers were delivered to Kiev; 28 aircraft; 87 helicopters, 23 thousand unmanned aerial vehicles; over 1,300 artillery systems, including 494 M777, Caesar, Paladin and Krab howitzers, two million 650 thousand 155 and 122 mm shells.

NATO military personnel directly control the air defense systems of operational-tactical missiles and multiple launch rocket systems. When preparing strikes with these means on radio intercepts, we record the American, Polish and English speech. NATO officers train military operations, train the personnel of the armed forces of Ukraine both in their own countries and at the training grounds of Ukraine. In the interests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 410 military and dual-use spacecraft of NATO countries are operating.

On June 4, the armed forces of Ukraine launched a large-scale counteroffensive, prepared by foreign curators. Without overcoming the tactical defense zone of our troops, the enemy was stopped and suffered colossal losses: 159 thousand soldiers killed and wounded, 121 aircraft, 23 helicopters, 766 tanks, including 37 Leopard, 2348 armored vehicles of various classes, including 50 Bradley. Apparently, this is why we still do not see the American Abrams delivered several months ago on the battlefield.

Since the beginning of the special operation, the losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have exceeded 383 thousand soldiers killed and wounded, 14 thousand tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, 553 aircraft and 259 helicopters, 7.5 thousand guns, field artillery and multiple launch rocket systems.

Ukraine has conducted nine waves of mobilization, the tenth continues. Currently, those who are only partially fit for military service are also called up.

The mercenaries actively involved since the beginning of the special operation have mostly been eliminated. More than 5,800 militants were killed, including 1,427 from Poland, 466 from the United States, and 344 from the United Kingdom. On the territory of Ukraine, 103 war criminals who showed particular cruelty were eliminated.

By the decision of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, unprecedented steps have been taken to rearm the army and Navy, as well as to provide social support for military personnel.

In order to meet the needs of the Armed Forces, enterprises of the military-industrial complex have increased their capacity four times and switched to a round-the-clock operation mode. Since February 2022, that is, since the beginning of the special military operation, the production of tanks has increased by 5.6 times, IFVs-by 3.6 times, armored personnel carriers-by 3.5 times, unmanned aerial vehicles-by 16.8 times, and artillery ammunition, which is extremely important, by 17.5 times. Today, in the special operation zone, the troops are provided with ammunition to the extent of their tasks.

Created by the decision of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the coordination centers took over control of the implementation of the state defense order, built a modern and efficient system. The production capacity of repair military units and subunits has been increased by 1.5 times. More than 270 field repair shops of key enterprises of the military-industrial complex have been created for the most complex operations in the special operation zone. As a result, the rate of repair and return to combat equipment increased by 2.5 times.

To increase the stability of the defense groups of troops, large-scale tasks on fortification equipment of defense lines were solved on behalf of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. Seven thousand kilometers of minefields, 1.5 million Pyramid anti-tank barriers, two thousand kilometers of anti-tank ditches, 12 thousand precast concrete structures, three thousand platoon strongpoints, 45 thousand dugouts and more than 150 thousand shelters for vehicles have been created along the entire length of the contact line, which is more than two thousand kilometers long. Today, the depth of mining is up to 600 meters, which is twice as high as the usual standard ones.

A colossal joint work was carried out by military builders, engineering and railway troops, whose forces built 82 percent of all works. By the decision of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the state company Avtodor and civilian specialists from the constituent entities of the Russian Federation were involved. Many governors personally traveled and coordinated the construction of defensive structures. Today, this work is yielding results.

In the conditions of modern combat operations, the approaches to the use of troops were clarified. The tactics of combined-arms combat have undergone major changes, assault units and unmanned aviation units have been created and deployed. We have revised our approaches to reserve formation. As a result, each army has its own reserve regiment.

During the special operation, they began to use air defense systems in a comprehensive manner. Due to this, their capabilities in terms of responsiveness and range of destruction have significantly increased. In just six months, 1062 NATO missiles for HIMARS MLRS, operational-tactical and cruise missiles, and guided aerial bombs were shot down.

With the active counteraction of modern enemy air defense and electronic warfare systems, high-precision weapons are successfully used. Hundreds of ammunition depots, weapons and equipment unloading stations, workshops, and enterprises that produce and repair military equipment were hit in the strategic operational depth. Thousands of Ukrainian militants, nationalists and foreign mercenaries were killed in the rear training and reserve formation centers.

During the special operation, we significantly improved the quality and reliability of the weapons and military equipment used. In the shortest possible time, industry representatives working in the army upgraded 107 samples. For the tasks of the troops, our leading designers have been creating the latest complexes and means of destruction for several months.

Weapons that were developed and tested under normal conditions for five to eight years are now being brought to mass production within four to seven months. This has not happened since the Great Patriotic War.

Modern Russian equipment passed a tough test in the conditions of a special operation and showed its superiority over similar models of NATO countries. Training grounds and training centers have been set up to train the use of FPV drones, individual electronic warfare equipment, and new aircraft weapons.

More than 1,700 crews of unmanned aerial vehicles and over 1,500 operators of FPV drones have been trained in the military groups. New non-standard tactical techniques of units ' actions have been introduced into combat training, showing their effectiveness on the battlefield. The capacity of district and army training grounds has been tripled. Additionally, more than 1,500 educational places are equipped, and more than 800 educational facilities are operated around the clock. Almost in the shortest possible time, a new system of training military specialists was created.

High results were achieved by medical support, first aid on the battlefield is usually provided in the first minutes after the injury. In the immediate vicinity of the front line, field hospitals are deployed, reinforced by experienced surgeons from central medical institutions. Multiple improvements in wounded survival. Thanks to prompt assistance on the battlefield, timely evacuation and high-precision medical care, more than 98 percent of the wounded are discharged with recovery. All military personnel who have been injured undergo a full-time medical examination by military medical commissions of military hospitals where treatment is carried out. Currently, there are 440 such commissions in operation. The mortality rate in the hospital unit is less than 0.5 percent and continues to decline. This is the lowest rate in the entire history of military medicine. All this makes it possible to return military personnel with combat experience to their units.

An effective rehabilitation system has been built in hospitals and health resort organizations. To date, nine rehabilitation centers have been created, where wounded people acquire new military and civilian specialties after prosthetics, 75 percent of them are employed in military commissariats, higher educational institutions and other organizations of the Ministry of Defense.

Russian servicemen and volunteers show bravery, perseverance and dedication during a special military operation. Tankers, motorized infantry, paratroopers, marines, pilots and gunners act courageously. 320 thousand people received state awards, 272-were awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Military-political bodies make a significant contribution to ensuring readiness for combat missions. Officers and political deputies are in combat formations, explain to the servicemen the goals and objectives of the special operation, instill in them faith in victory. Their work and patriotism ensure the high morale of our fighters.

A special military operation brought the army and people together. Every day, more than 1.5 thousand people apply for military service. This year alone, about 490,000 contract servicemen and volunteers have been recruited. More than four thousand Russian students have voluntarily taken academic leave and are performing combat missions. The number of foreign volunteers willing to fight on the side of truth has increased seven-fold. The opposite trend is observed in the Ukrainian army: the number of foreign mercenaries has decreased by six times.

I would also like to thank the volunteers who created 348 additional production facilities for the production of unmanned aerial vehicles, camouflage nets and equipment. Only students made more than 50 thousand square meters of camouflage nets, which made it possible to cover four battalion defense areas. University students have donated more than 17 tons of blood, and [they] continue to do so. It saved many fighters ' lives. We can say that the whole country supports the Armed Forces and is united around the leadership of the state.

Summing up the results of the year, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief noted that the state fully meets the needs of the troops. In addition to providing 100 percent of the troops ' groups, reserves have been created for 500 thousand sets of clothing and personal armor protection equipment, 300 thousand individual first-aid kits, and 160 vehicles for evacuating the wounded.

Every day, up to 15 thousand tons of ammunition and fuel, as well as two thousand tons of food and 1.5 thousand tons of drinking water are delivered to the groups of troops to make up for the cost. The level of monetary allowances for contract servicemen, volunteers and conscripts is balanced and ranges from 210 thousand rubles per month and above, depending on the position held and the performance of combat missions. Payment is made for the destruction or seizure of enemy weapons and military equipment. [About $2320/mo.]

All required payments are made on time, the issue of payments is kept under special control, and in case of any deviations, measures are taken immediately.

Participants in a special military operation are provided with housing as a matter of priority. 40 billion rubles have been allocated for these needs. To increase the efficiency of providing social guarantees to military personnel and military pensioners, a Military Social Center of the Ministry of Defense is being created, working on the principle of "one window".

The procedure for obtaining a combat veteran's certificate has been simplified. We have switched to a non-application procedure for issuing them, and 458 thousand certificates have already been handed over. We will issue them to all participants in the near future.

All soldiers involved in the special military operation zone to assist the Armed Forces, including private military companies, receive veteran's certificates in a timely manner after the measures taken. Only in the last month, 50 thousand such certificates were issued by the decision of the Ministry of Defense. Starting next year, we plan to switch to an electronic certificate of a combat veteran.

In general, the experience of the special operation has shown that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are able to respond adequately and quickly to the actions of any modern enemy. 650 thousand servicemen received combat experience.

Today, the Russian army is the most trained and combat-ready in the world, with advanced weapons tested in combat conditions.

Our nuclear triad is maintained at a level that allows us to guarantee the implementation of strategic deterrence. The high combat readiness of strategic nuclear forces is ensured by an unprecedented level of modern weapons, brought to 95 percent.

The Strategic Missile Forces have completed the re-equipment of the modern Avangard missile system, and the Yars complex continues to be equipped.

The delivery of four Tu-160M strategic missile carriers to the Aviation Strategic Nuclear Forces is being completed.

This year, the strategic aviation forces conducted 20 air patrols, including two joint ones with the Air Forces of the People's Liberation Army of China.

The next nuclear-powered submarine of the Borey-A project, Emperor Alexander III, armed with Bulava ballistic missiles, has been accepted into the Navy.

The Ground Forces received 1,530 new and upgraded tanks, 2,518 IFVs and armored personnel carriers.

The Aerospace Forces received 237 aircraft and helicopters, 86 samples of anti-aircraft missile weapons and 67 radar stations.

The development of training aviation continues. Thanks to the arrival of new combat training aircraft, the flight time of cadets increased by an average of 20 percent.

The space and ground echelons of the Missile Attack Warning System function with a given efficiency. This year, it detected 78 launches of various types of ballistic missiles, including foreign ones, as well as 168 launches of domestic and foreign space rockets.

At the Plesetsk cosmodrome, the construction of a unified technical complex for Angara launch vehicles has been completed, which allows for the full range of work to prepare for the launch of this type of rocket.

The Navy received four modern multi-purpose submarines and eight surface ships. As a result, despite the sanctions, we produce more high-tech weapons than NATO countries. The frigate "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov", armed with hypersonic missiles "Zircon", successfully completed the tasks of combat service in important areas of the World Ocean. In 263 days, they covered more than 46 thousand miles.

All plans for staffing the army and navy in the current year have been fully implemented, their number has been increased to one million 150 thousand military personnel.

Two combined-arms armies, a mixed aviation corps, 50 formations and military units, including four divisions, 18 brigades, and 28 regiments, have been formed, fully equipped, and equipped.

Since December 1, we have started fulfilling your instructions to build up the Armed Forces to one million 320 thousand people.

In connection with Finland's accession to NATO and the upcoming admission of Sweden to the alliance, the formation of the Leningrad and Moscow military districts continues. At the same time, we take into account the agreement signed between the United States and Finland, which provides for the use of 21 Finnish military facilities by the Americans, including all four air bases.

In proportion to external threats, the number of Armed Forces will be increased to 1.5 million soldiers in the future.

In 2023, all planned operational and combat training activities were completed, including 17 international exercises of various levels. In August of this year, the naval exercise "Ocean Shield-2023" was held in the Baltic Sea, during which the Navy and Aerospace Forces successfully completed tasks to protect sea communications and defend the coast.

During a special exercise, the strategic nuclear Forces successfully fulfilled the tasks of delivering a massive nuclear strike in response to the use of weapons of mass destruction by the enemy. This year, a surprise test of the Pacific Fleet's combat readiness was conducted. It involved more than 25 thousand military personnel, about 900 aircraft and helicopters, and about 160 ships. The Pacific Fleet showed high readiness to repel the aggression of a potential enemy from ocean and sea directions.

In order to train new professional personnel, we are actively developing the military education system. In 2023, the Military Engineering Academy in Krasnogorsk and the Donetsk Higher Combined Arms Command School were opened. The Baltic Higher Naval School named after Admiral Ushakov in Kaliningrad has acquired the status of an independent university.

To improve the quality of training of military personnel, modern training complexes are supplied, and educational programs of educational institutions of the Ministry of Defense include training modules in the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, robotics, and information technologies. Competition for military universities remains consistently high. According to these specialties, it has grown to four people per place.

Many foreign countries show great demand for the combat experience we have gained in a special military operation. We meet them halfway-we share.

In accordance with your instructions, the gradual development of the system of military training of students of civilian universities continues. Today, more than 60 thousand people are trained in 120 military training centers. Next year, there will be 137 of them. Military training will cover all regions of Russia. The network of pre-university educational organizations continues to develop, and the Suvorov School in Irkutsk has been established.

The pace of military and military-technical cooperation with foreign countries is increasing. We are developing relations with the armed forces of 110 countries. We continued our policy of strengthening our comprehensive strategic partnership with China. This year we have held 600 significant international events.

Despite the threats of sanctions, more and more foreign military-industrial companies are becoming participants of the Army forum. This year, delegations from 83 foreign countries arrived, and the number of visitors exceeded one million people.

Government contracts totaling more than 400 billion rubles have been signed. In August, the XI Moscow Conference on International Security was held, which brought together more than 800 delegates from 76 countries. This is still the most representative military-political event in the world.

The Second International Anti-fascist Congress was held in Minsk. It was attended by state and public figures, veterans of the Great Patriotic War, as well as representatives of 30 countries.

Russian groups of troops continue to be the mainstay and guarantor of peace in Syria and Karabakh.

On the military-construction complex. All plans have been fulfilled: more than 2,700 buildings and structures have been built. The main focus is on the development of infrastructure for strategic nuclear forces.

This year, 592 high-tech facilities were built to accommodate the Sarmat, Avangard and Yars missile systems. Infrastructure is being developed at an accelerated pace for strategic complexes with unlimited-range nuclear cruise missiles "Burevestnik "and carriers of unmanned underwater vehicles "Poseidon".

In Severomorsk, the construction of an energy center has been completed to support the facilities of the Northern Fleet.

A full-fledged naval base has been built at the main base of the Caspian Flotilla.

Reconstruction of the facilities of the Baltimore, Lipetsk, and Chkalovsky airfields has been completed to accommodate all modern aircraft models.

More than a thousand buildings and structures, parks and barracks housing areas were built as part of the development of military towns. In the next three months, the construction of nine new modern military hospitals in the regions of Russia will be completed.

The educational and laboratory complex of the Pskov State University Medical University was put into operation. It has started training 850 future military doctors in the interests of the Armed Forces.

In Mariupol, military builders built 18 residential buildings with 1,880 apartments, a school and a kindergarten.

The first stage of construction of the state-of-the-art complex of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency has been completed.

As part of the restoration of water supply in the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, the construction of three water pipelines with a total length of more than 250 kilometers was completed, which made it possible to provide water to more than 1.5 million people.

In accordance with your instructions, units of the railway troops continue the reconstruction of the BAM on the Ulak – Fevralsk section with a length of 339 kilometers. The main types of land works have been completed.

Housing conditions have been resolved for 56 thousand families of military personnel, and 100 thousand people receive compensation for subletting housing. Military personnel this year received housing subsidies for the purchase and construction of housing in the amount of 73 billion rubles.

Major patriotic and cultural projects have also been implemented. Special attention is paid to patriotic education of young people. Today, Unarmia is the largest military-patriotic organization in the country, numbering 1.5 million children and teenagers.

During the year, 79 new Unarmia training centers were opened, and their total number is 261 centers. The Avangard network of educational and methodical centers has become the basis for initial military training and the system of military-patriotic education of young people in the country.

Your decision to create regional centers in cities with a population of over 100 thousand has been practically implemented. They have started their construction in settlements with a population of 50 thousand people. In total, 73 regional centers were created, where more than 150 thousand high school students were trained.

Comrade Supreme Commander-in-Chief, in general, all the tasks set for 2023 for the Armed Forces have been completed. The specified level of maintaining the country's defense capability is provided.

Priority tasks for the next year: continue the special military operation until the tasks set by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief are fully completed. The main efforts in combat training should be focused on high-quality training of newly formed units, as well as coordination of formations and military units. Russian military contingents should ensure the preservation of peace and stability in Syria and Karabakh in the changing situation.

Implement a set of operational and combat training measures, taking into account the threats of further NATO expansion to the east. Prepare and conduct the strategic command and staff exercise "Ocean-2024". In the Strategic Missile Forces, complete the work on putting the Sarmat strategic missile system on combat duty. To accept two Tu-160M strategic missile carriers into the air strategic forces. Take the nuclear-powered submarine cruiser of the Borey-A project "Knyaz Pozharsky", as well as three submarines and 11 surface ships, into the fleet.

Increase the production of high-precision hypersonic missile systems "Dagger" and "Zircon," and increase the supply of missiles and ammunition by 1.8 times. Continue working on other promising samples.

Increase the number of contract servicemen, taking into account the recruitment of new formations, to 745,000 by the end of the year. Ensure guaranteed and timely construction of military social infrastructure facilities, taking into account the growing needs of the Armed Forces.

Comrade Supreme Commander! In accordance with your instructions, next year we will continue the course of progressive development of the Russian Army and increase its combat capabilities.

We will discuss the results of our activities in detail during the closed part of the board meeting.

Thank you for your attention.

Vladimir Putin: Dear comrades,

We are currently finishing this part of the project. As usual, I'll say a few words before I finish. It is unlikely that this will be something completely new. And yet, given the situation in which we live, work, and fight, it would also be wrong not to mention this.

What I want to say is to return once again to the topic related to the causes of the conflict that we are experiencing. The audience here is well prepared, but I think it is important to emphasize some things once again, to say about the causes of today's conflict in Ukraine.

Let's remember that immediately after the collapse of the USSR, the West began to work very actively both in Russia and with our "fifth column", around which we always jumped, patted them on the head, persuaded them, adjusted them to some kind of patriotic mood. No matter. There are different people there, we will not smear them all with the same paint. Nevertheless, the enemy knew why he was doing this, and knew with whom he needed to work – both with this "fifth column", and with terrorist organizations, including international ones, and with the separatists, he was actively working to solve the problem of disintegrating Russia itself. At the same time, he was no less active in the post-Soviet space, pulling apart all the newly formed independent states – the former republics of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Even before the collapse of the Soviet Union, special emphasis has always been placed by the enemy on Ukraine.

First, based on a number of historical considerations, based on the fact that a lot of former Nazis moved to the American continent, in particular to Canada, to the United States, there was a good base and they worked with them, whole institutions were created there that worked only on this topic. They were preparing. And as soon as the collapse took place, they took it in full. We worked inside – and there with doubled, tripled force. Why? This is because they have always believed that Russia, having lost such potential, will never return to its former geopolitical positions and will not pose any threat as a competitor, at least as a competitor.

And Russia itself, as we know, was planned to be divided into five parts. They did not hide it, everything was discussed openly.

They worked separately on Ukraine, of course, they relied primarily on nationalists, while forgetting that these very extreme nationalists are former Nazis who collaborated with Hitler. And without much ado, they allowed the Ukrainian nationalists to turn these former Nazis into national heroes, such as Bandera and others like him. But we have done everything for decades to build normal relations with the neighboring state. It has always been said, and I continue to say it, that they are a fraternal people. But the enemy behaved differently.

Russia in political terms – of course, everyone knows this too well-focused on the south-east [of Ukraine]. Why? Because these are Russian historical regions, where Russian people actually live, no matter what they have in their passport. They have the only native language – Russian, all the culture, traditions-Russian, everything… These are our people.

We have always focused on this part of Ukraine, and this had important internal political consequences, because it did not allow extreme nationalists to seek real power by legal political means. Always those political forces and those political leaders who applied for the highest posts in the state had to take into account the opinion of the voters of the south-east of Ukraine, always. Without them, it was impossible to come to power. But as soon as they came to power, they were immediately forgotten, no one remembered their interests and instructions, and they immediately obeyed the actions of extreme nationalists, who behaved actively, offensively, aggressively. And they immediately moved on to their domestic political agenda.

We tried to fight it. By what means? First of all, economic ones, as you know: energy carriers were sold at bargain prices, loans, cooperation-everything was done, believe me, everything was done in order to build relationships with patience. No, the West, with its focus on these active, aggressive nationalist forces in Ukraine, simply did not give us any chance.

But they are also faced with the fact that it is impossible to achieve their goals completely by legal means and drag the whole of Ukraine to their side. It doesn't work out – there is this south-east, which comes to the polls and votes for those who speak about the need for good relations with Russia. Here's what happened in real life. It doesn't work out, it doesn't work out from decade to decade. What did they do in the end? Planned the coup d'etat.

Yes, of course, there were a lot of problems in Ukraine-internal, economic, social, and many injustices. But why the coup d'etat? Go to the polls, as we have been told all along: only by political means, only in this way, only within the framework of the Constitution! Where is all this? Reluctance here – the camera works – gestures are certain to show, right? But you know what gestures I want to show you right now. Here's what they showed us. They realized that it was impossible to completely "twist" Ukraine under themselves exclusively by political means, took advantage of the mistakes and miscalculations of the then leadership of Ukraine – again with an emphasis on these nationalist aggressive forces – and carried out a coup. It's not clear why, just to solve the problem once and for all, and that's it.

In this sense, of course, they have achieved their goals. We had no choice but to support the Crimea, otherwise they would have staged a massacre there.

But there was a problem of Donbass. You know, we calmly tried to reach an agreement. In general, we were ready to gradually restore the territorial integrity of Ukraine, including the Donbas, under certain conditions, as stipulated in the Minsk Agreements, so as not to endanger the people who live there, so that the necessary conditions and guarantees for their security were created there. This is the whole point of the Minsk agreements.

Although, if the Ukrainian authorities and their owners in the West went to this, to implement, to implement these agreements, everything would gradually – I think, I sincerely say-gradually everything would come together. But they did not go for it, they immediately unleashed a virtual war there right in 2014.

I say frankly, in fact, for those who participated in these events, there is no secret: we did not do anything, but gradually we were forced to get involved in order to protect people, so that they would not all be exterminated there. That's where it started happening.

In the West, especially across the ocean, they enjoyed watching it. In this sense, of course, they outplayed us, if I may say so. The use of this aggressive position forced us to take some retaliatory actions. And then they simply abandoned all the Minsk agreements, said it publicly, and then Western leaders did not hesitate to say it publicly – that it was just a "veil" in order to revive or, on the contrary, not even to revive, but to build modern armed forces of Ukraine.

For what? But this is the second part of the Marleson Ballet [lull before a sharp turn of events]-in order to drag Ukraine into NATO. And I was told all the time: what are you afraid of, we won't take them now. I say: now, and tomorrow? And when is that tomorrow? In a year or two? From the point of view of historical prospects and strategic interests of the Russian state, even in 10 or 15 years, this is unacceptable. What is "no today"? And tomorrow? The goal is clearly to draw Ukraine into NATO.

Remember, I just spoke from the rostrum, we are already constantly talking about this, in 1991 they also said: not an inch to the east. Hell, not an inch – they're already at our fence, sticking out here. And stuck out. The Baltic States were taken away, and all of Eastern Europe was taken away. Also – why? There were all sorts of different proposals that were quite acceptable to everyone. It's just that – as I've said many times before, and I'll repeat it here-a country like Russia is not needed, it's too big. It is necessary to divide it up, to subjugate it in chunks, just as they subjugate Europe in chunks. I'll tell you more about it now.

Well, we practically brought it to an end, unleashed a war in 2014, which gradually, unfortunately or not, we had no other choice, and we had to get involved. At the same time, they solved another rather important task for themselves, and defused the situation for themselves: they were very concerned about Russia's rapprochement with Europe, very much. They should be the owners there. All the time they were afraid: here, the evil Russia threatens you! I talked to many leaders, and they told me: why do they frighten us? We understand that Russia is not going to fight with Europe. And we're not going to do it now. The leaders of the United States and NATO say that if Russia wins in Ukraine now, the next ones will be the NATO countries. Why do we need these NATO countries? We've never needed them, and we don't need them now, and we won't need them in the future. And why do they say that? To get their money to pay, that's what it's for.

The United States, having solved its current tasks, "tearing off", as they believe, Ukraine, breaking off relations between Russia and Europe, in this regard, they have achieved what they wanted, unfortunately. It's just that we couldn't behave any differently – or we had to hand over everything and watch them slurp away, eating everything in a row, ours, originally Russian. We couldn't do it, and they knew we couldn't do it, but they did it on purpose. They deliberately dragged us and Europe into this conflict, achieved their goals in this sense – they "pulled" Russia and Europe apart, and now they are shifting the burden of financial responsibility and payments to Europe as well.

And the weak-willed, spineless generation of today's politicians in Europe cannot resist this, given the enormous dependence in the media, in the economy, in politics. There, you know, wherever you point your finger, in some major media outlet in Europe, the ultimate beneficiary is some American funds, in three or four years. All there, all across the ocean. And this is the impact on political life. From a young age, from the student bench, the special services still "acquire" their supporters there, we know this, and work with them, drag them to the political olympus of European countries.

But it is not so simple: European citizens are beginning to realize what is happening, and therefore a certain shift begins in Europe itself. I'm not even talking about economic problems right now – they are there, they are well known to everyone, it's all in the documents, it's not just in the demonstrations in European countries, it's in the documents. The leading industrial economies of Europe are in the red, they have gone into recession.

But changes are also taking place in the political consciousness of many European nations. They see that the United States is blatantly, mercilessly exploiting Europe for its own interests, and ultimately they don't care about Europe’s interests.

But this is their choice, this is the choice of the peoples of Europe. We have never interfered, do not interfere and do not intend to interfere in this. But what exactly we will do is we will defend our interests. Because what the United States did in Ukraine, I just told you – in fact, they did not give us a chance to build relations with this country in a normal, political way. They acted and went, as we say in the people, sorry for the bad manners, out of lawlessness just. In 2014, they made a coup d'etat, and everyone went on with this lawlessness. They just forced us to respond to this lawlessness.

But as for Europe, I repeat: there, the population becomes aware that they are being used to their advantage by other countries, and above all by the United States. Well, it comes and comes, it's their business, we're not going to interfere there.

But what I would like to say in conclusion: the only guarantor – also, I have already mentioned this somewhere, I have missed it-of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine was Russia. When Russia created the Soviet Union, it just handed over huge historical territories, Russian territories, huge potential, and invested huge resources in this entire territory.

Western lands of Ukraine? We know how Ukraine got them. Stalin gave it away after World War II. He gave away part of the Polish lands, Lviv and so on, and several large regions-10 million people live there. In order not to offend the Poles, he compensated for their losses at the expense of Germany: he gave the eastern lands of Germany, the Danzig corridor, and Danzig itself. Part of it was taken away from Romania, part from Hungary – everything was given there, to Ukraine.

And the people who live there – many of them, at least, I know for sure, 100 percent-they want to return to their historical homeland. And those countries that have lost these territories, first of all Poland, are sleeping and seeing the return.

In this sense, only Russia could be a guarantor of the territorial integrity of Ukraine. If they don't want to, don't. History will put everything in its place. We won't interfere, but we won't give up our own. This is what everyone should understand - both in Ukraine, those who are aggressive towards Russia, and in Europe, and in the United States. If they want to negotiate, let them negotiate. But only we will do it based on our interests.

Of course, Russia will not be able to do this without strong, reliable, well-armed and motivated Armed Forces. The Armed Forces will not be able to do this without a strong economy, without a clear work of industry in general and the military-industrial complex in particular. And most importantly, without relying on the people of Russia, on the multinational people – on the Russian people, on other peoples of the Russian Federation. You now have everything, and the Motherland is waiting for you to give back.

Thank you. [My Emphasis]

Yes, lots of emphasis and probably not enough for some. Putin told a somewhat cryptic tale at the end, but one that the audience understood perfectly well: What is now Ukraine will return to Russia except for those small portions that were parts of other nations, and Ukraine will be no more; it will all be Russia instead. That’s what Russia’s interest is. It might also include Moldova and Transdniestria, provided those peoples express their democratic preference for inclusion within Russia. As for the rest of Europe, let those residing there figure it out for themselves and oust the “spineless” ones. Russia will cooperate with nations whose governments behave in a friendly manner and not with those it determines to be unfriendly.

Many of the emphasized portions above relate to great accomplishments by Russia during the year, and there are so many that focusing on just a few seems unwise, but there are a few that stood out. Military medicine and troop survival rate demonstrates the vast gulf in military doctrine between Ukie/NATO and Russia. The response by Russia’s people IMO could only be matched by the Chinese and is an asset the Ukies and NATO both lack. Russia’s industrial base is indeed formidable, probably greater than NATO combined, while producing far better everything. The defensive works production was extremely impressive. Average Russian pay equals that of an E-4 in the US military, but all additional facilities and societal support are far superior: In Russia there will be no homeless, jobless veterans, thrown away by the government and shunned by society as within the Outlaw US Empire. Who wins the war between the two based on just that factor alone?

As Putin said, the Outlaw US Empire has gained its initial goals by Colonizing the EU and wedding NATO to the EU so that most nations have zero sovereignty given their spineless leadership. Yes, Europeans are waking to their position, but it will be up to them to alter their situation. Putin didn’t mention Multipolarity, but Shoigu provided concrete examples of its operating and growing nature in the military realm. It should also be noted that the nations of Russia’s Near Abroad also closely listened to this meeting to get an idea of Russia’s resolve that was made quite clearly—Russia will continue to grow stronger and lengthen its lead in the realm of military weapons technology.

And what of NATO and its master the Outlaw US Empire; how will it judge this meeting? First and most importantly, it must take this meeting very seriously and not for a moment entertain the thought that any of it was just for show. The message that it’s far behind in industrial plant and most everything else ought to be well understood. The problem there is with the MIC Corps who are run by Neoliberal Parasites who completely lack any patriotism or sense of duty to nation and just want to profit as much as they can for as long as they can. That’s where Russia’s MIC being a public utility has a massive advantage. Restructuring the Empire’s MIC to try and match Russia is probably close to impossible given the current political reality. So, if the Empire wants to try and engage Russia, China, or Iran is a direct non-proxy war, it will lose, particularly if it goes nuclear as it has no defenses and paltry, ancient land-based missile systems, many of which won’t work. Clearly, the $1Trillion spent of “defense” annually isn’t enough given the waste and fraud, ss throwing more dollars at the problem won’t do anything to solve it as it’s structural. That leaves two choices: Fix the MIC’s structural problems or change policy goals and seek Global Peace instead of Global Hegemony. But you know what will be done? The can will be kicked down the road yet again as the political will to act is completely absent.

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