President Putin: Russia should have achieved herd immunity this fall

In his speech, addressed to both chambers of Parliament but really addressed to the whole nation, President Vladimir Putin focused mainly on the economy.

In front of a relatively small number of journalists and listeners, he emphasized the importance of speeding up the economic wheels again, which has been slowed down considerably by the pandemic as well as falling world market prices for oil and other important export raw materials.

Herd immunity and greenhouse gas

As for the corona pandemic, the president expects Russia to have achieved herd immunity by the autumn.

Officially, more than 104,000 corona-linked deaths have occurred in the country, but observers believe that the number of deaths is large.

The President also addressed the climate issue, where he pointed out a reduction in industry's emissions of fossil carbon dioxide as particularly important.

Putin expressed the goal of reducing emissions from the country's largest industrial centers and intensifying investments in fossil-free energy.

The burning question of what Russia wants to achieve when gathering large military forces along the border with Ukraine has, as expected, received no clarifying answer.

It is, among other things, the development of events that has greatly worsened relations with the West.

The United States has also tightened economic restrictions since 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula.

Measures that were important for the country's economic downturn.

In the speech, the president described the sanctions as "injustice" and that it has become a kind of sport in the outside world to make anti-Russian moves.

"If other countries refuse dialogue, Russia will find other ways to safeguard its interests," the president said.

Nationwide protests

Almost as important as what Putin said in the speech is what he

say.

The imprisoned opposition politician Alexei Navalny and his failing health, for example, were not mentioned by name.

The speech was held from the exhibition hall at Manegetorget not far from the Kremlin.

In the same square, supporters of Navalny plan to hold a protest rally.

Demonstrations are taking place in over a hundred cities around the country in connection with the speech.

They are described as illegal and several participants have been arrested, one of them is Ljublov Sobol, a close employee of Navalny, reports Reuters.

The article is updated.