"There was no other way but to fight for every person": Putin spoke about the fight against COVID-19 in Russia

In Russia, human life has been at the forefront of the pandemic since the beginning of the pandemic, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the plenary session of the 17th annual meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club.

“In Russia, from the very beginning of the epidemic, we put the main value - the life and safety of people - at the forefront.

And it was a deliberate choice, ”Putin stressed.

According to him, this was dictated by the cultural and spiritual tradition of the people, as well as in many respects by the dramatic history of the country.

The head of state urged to remember the demographic losses that Russia suffered in the 20th century.

“We had no other way but to fight, to fight for every person, for the future of every Russian family,” Putin stressed.

He noted that the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on all areas of life has yet to be comprehended.

“The coronavirus has not receded, unfortunately, and still poses a serious threat.

And it is likely that such an alarming background for many only reinforces the feeling that some completely different time is beginning, that we are not just on the verge of cardinal changes, but the era of tectonic shifts, and in all spheres of life, ”concluded the President of Russia.

Recall that to date, 1,463,306 cases of coronavirus infection have been identified in Russia.

1,107,988 people recovered, 25,242 people died from complications that developed against the background of COVID-19 and concomitant diseases.

Putin indicated that in the current situation there is no need to return to the restrictions that were introduced in Russia due to COVID-19 in the spring of 2020.

The head of state noted that Russian medicine has effectively responded to the challenge of the pandemic, reserves of bed capacity have been created, medicines and treatment protocols have appeared.

Putin pointed out that the economy is in the recovery stage, the state has managed to support citizens, small and medium-sized businesses, as well as certain industries.

At the same time, the President noted that the situation with the coronavirus demonstrated the importance of having a capable state in a crisis.

“We have always considered a strong state as a basic condition for the development of Russia.

And again we were convinced that we were right when they painstakingly engaged in the restoration and strengthening of state institutions after the decline, and sometimes even complete destruction in the 90s, "Putin said.

During the conversation, Putin also commented on the approach of the Swedish and Belarusian authorities, which did not impose restrictions due to the spread of coronavirus infection.

According to him, the economic recession in this case could not be avoided either.

“You mentioned Sweden, which did not impose any restrictions.

But they also had a downturn in the economy.

First, they made public the figure 8.3, then they corrected it - a little less than eight there ... They did not do what we did, supporting citizens and the economy ... And the result is the same, ”said the head of state.

According to Putin, in the modern world, everything is too interconnected.

“If a downturn in the economy is inevitable, then people should be taken care of first.

This logic is flawless, ”the Russian leader said.

Commenting on the refusal of Belarus to impose restrictions due to the coronavirus, Putin said that the Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko understood "the whole threat of coronavirus."

“But in Belarus there are no such gold and foreign exchange reserves, there is no such diversity of the economic landscape, and he, as he says, had to simply keep the economy functioning.

But in general, their situation is no worse than in many other countries, ”the Russian president said.

Situation in Karabakh and other issues

During his speech, Putin touched on a number of other topical issues related to the international agenda.

Thus, the president said that no one is more interested in resolving the conflict in Karabakh than Moscow.

Putin noted that we are talking about a conflict between friends of Russia. 

It should be reminded that the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh entered an acute phase on September 27.

Armed clashes broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Yerevan and Baku have blamed each other for the aggravation. 

“We see this not only in front of our eyes, it is happening in a broad sense with our people, with our friends, with our relatives,” the president said.

He also noted that the lack of results during the negotiations does not mean that one should take up arms.

“We believe that, after all, it is necessary to resolve controversial issues of this kind not with the help of force, not with the help of weapons, but in a diplomatic manner, at the negotiating table.

Yes, of course, we can say that negotiations have been going on for 30 years, but there is no sense.

Well, this, in my opinion, does not mean that you need to start shooting, ”Putin said.

The head of state also said that, according to him, 5,000 people had already died during the exacerbation.

In addition, the Russian president spoke about the situation with the alleged poisoning of Alexei Navalny.

Recall that the blogger was hospitalized on August 20 in Omsk after he became ill on board the plane.

The doctors of the hospital where Navalny was taken, based on the results of the examination, diagnosed a metabolic disorder.

Later, the hospitalized family insisted on transporting him to Germany.

The German side later stated that the blogger was allegedly poisoned with a substance from the Novichok group.

Putin said that Navalny had restrictions on leaving the country, but the president asked the Prosecutor General's Office to allow the blogger to leave Russia.

“Immediately, as soon as the wife of this citizen turned to me, I immediately instructed the prosecutor's office to check the possibility of his going abroad for treatment.

Meaning that they could not have released him, because he had restrictions related to the judicial investigation and criminal case, ”the president said.

In addition, the Russian leader noted that the accusations against the Russian Federation raise doubts.

“Well, they said they found traces of the Novichok there.

Then all this was transferred to the OPCW ... And suddenly we are told: "This is not a" Novice ", this is something else" ... So this is a "Newbie" or not a "Newbie"?

There are already doubts about what was said at the beginning, ”the President added.

Speaking about the international situation, Putin noted that China and Germany are moving towards the status of superpowers in their development.

“In terms of its economic weight and political influence, China is actively moving towards the position of a superpower.

Germany is moving in the same direction, ”the president said.

He added that the role of Great Britain and France in international affairs has significantly transformed, and the United States "can hardly claim to be exclusive."

"Anyway, does the United States need this exclusivity?"

- noted the Russian leader.

In addition, Putin expressed his attitude to attacks from a number of Western states.

He said that he was used to international attacks since 2000, when Russia was actively fighting against gangs of international terrorists in the Caucasus.

According to the President of Russia, at that time they talked about him differently, and also portrayed him in various formats - "with fangs, and this and that, from all angles."

“So it doesn't bother me,” Putin concluded.