As I put this
out for your contemplation, I can’t help but wonder what you
all might think, and particularly what our veterans and their families
might think. . . ~J
http://www.sott.net/article/314728-A-very-important-speech-by-Vladimir-PutinThe Saker
Thu, 17 Mar 2016 14:16 UTC
© Artiom Korotaev/TASS
At a meeting in
the Kremlin’s St George Hall, Vladimir Putin presented state
decorations to service personnel and defence industry specialists who
distinguished themselves in the performance of special missions in the
Syrian Arab Republic. More than 700 officers and men of the Aerospace
Forces, the Ground Forces and the Navy attended the ceremony, along with
representatives of the military-industrial complex.
President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Comrade officers, friends,
I would like to welcome you – all the service personnel who took part in the operation in Syria.
All of you –
pilots, sailors, service personnel of control bodies, of special purpose
units, intelligence, communication and procurement, military advisers –
acted consistently and with precision.
Words of special
gratitude go to the female service personnel. You serve alongside men,
with persistence and dignity. Your choice in life brings you our deep
respect.
Thank you all for your dedication to our Fatherland.
Russia is proud of
you, of its soldiers and officers who protect the interests of their
homeland with a great degree professionalism and courage.
Comrade officers,
You remember what
the situation was like in September of 2015. Back then, a significant
part of the country was seized by terrorist groups, and the situation
was getting worse.
In full compliance
with international law, at the request of the legitimate government and
the country’s president, we made a decision to launch our military
operation. From the very start, we were very clear about its goals:
support of the Syrian army in its lawful struggle with terrorist groups.
Our actions were also timed for the period of active assaults against
the terrorists. We stated clearly that we did not intend to get
involved in an internal Syrian conflict. Only the Syrians themselves
should seek a final solution and decide their country’s future.
The main target of our operation was terrorism. The struggle against international terrorism is a fair and righteous cause. This
is a struggle against enemies of civilisation, against those who bring
barbarity and violence, trying to renounce the great spiritual,
humanitarian values that the world rests on.
I would like to
repeat that the main goal of our actions in Syria was to stop the global
evil and not to let terrorism spread to Russia. And our country has
demonstrated its unquestionable leadership, willpower and
responsibility.
Regarding the
results we have achieved. Your actions and intense combat effort turned
the situation around. We did not let this terrorist tumour grow,
destroyed the bandits’ hiding places and munitions depots and blocked
oil smuggling routes that brought the terrorists their main funding.
We have done a
huge amount of work to support the lawful Syrian authorities – this is
what I spoke about when addressing the United Nations on the
organisation’s 70th anniversary. We strengthened their armed forces,
which are now capable of not only holding back the terrorists, but also
of conducting assault operations against them. The Syrian army has
gained the strategic initiative and continues clearing its land of
terrorists.
The main thing is
that we have created conditions for the start of a peaceful process. We
have managed to achieve positive, constructive cooperation with the
United States of America and a number of other countries, as well as
with the responsible political forces within Syria that truly wish to
stop the war and find the only possible political solution to the
conflict. It was you, Russian soldiers who opened up the road to peace.
Comrade officers,
After the
ceasefire agreement was reached between the opposition and government
forces, the scope of work for our aviation units was significantly
reduced. The number of sorties went down threefold from 60 – 80 to 20 –
30 a day.
This made the
grouping we had created there excessive in the military sense. The
decision to withdraw a significant part of our service personnel and
equipment was coordinated with the President of Syria Bashar al-Assad,
who was notified of our plans in advance and supported them.
I would like to add that in our joint statement, Russia and the United States stressed that the struggle against terrorist organisations, recognised as such by the UN, will continue.
Meanwhile, the government troops in Syria will not conduct any action
against the armed units of the Syrian opposition that indicated their
commitment to a ceasefire.
At the same time, I would like to stress that any
group violating the ceasefire will be taken off the list provided by
the United States, with all the consequences that come with it.
In this
connection, I would like to specify the tasks our service personnel
remaining in the Syrian Republic will be working on.
I will repeat that the primary task is to monitor ceasefire and create conditions for a political internal dialogue in Syria.
Our bases in Syria are at Tartus and Khmeimim, the service personnel there are reliably protected from land, sea and air. All
the components of the deployed air defence system, including close
range Pantsir-F and long-range S-400 Triumph units will be on regular
duty.
I would like to note that we
have significantly restored the potential of the Syrian air defence
forces as well. All the parties concerned have been made aware of this.
We proceed from fundamental international norms – nobody has the right
to violate the airspace of a sovereign country, Syria in this case.
We have created together with the American side an efficient mechanism to prevent air incidents, but all
our partners have been warned that our air defence systems will be used
against any target that we deem to be threatening Russian service
personnel. I want to stress – any target.
We will of
course continue to provide assistance to the lawful Syrian government.
This assistance is comprehensive in nature and includes financial aid,
supplies of equipment and arms, assistance in training and building
Syrian armed forces, reconnaissance support and assistance to
headquarters in planning operations. And finally, direct support, I
mean, the use of our space force and strike and fighter aviation. The
Russian forces that remain in Syria are enough to ensure this.
We will continue
to assist the Syrian army and authorities in their fight against the
so-called Islamic State, Jabhat al-Nusra and other terrorist groups that
have been declared as such, as I have said, by the UN Security Council.
Our uncompromising attitude to terrorism remains unchanged.
What will the balance of forces be like after the reduction of the Russian group? A balance would be ensured.
Moreover, I am
certain that with our support and strengthening of the Syrian army, we
will shortly see the patriotic forces there achieve success in their
struggle against terrorism.
As you may know,
fierce fighting is on around Palmyra and on the approaches to the city. I
hope this treasure of the world civilisation, or whatever is left of it
after the bandits got there, would be returned to the people of Syria
and the whole world.
If necessary,
of course, Russia will be able to enhance its group in the region in a
matter of hours to a size required for a specific situation and to use
all the options available.
We would not want
to do that. Military escalation is not our choice. Therefore, we still
count on the common sense of both sides, on the adherence by both the
Syrian authorities and the opposition to a peaceful process.
In this
connection, I would like to note the position of President Bashar
al-Assad. We see his reserve, his sincere striving for peace, his
readiness for compromise and dialogue. The very fact that we withdrew
part of our military group there against the backdrop of negotiations on
the Syrian settlement that started in Geneva is an important positive
signal, and I am certain that all parties to the Syrian conflict will
duly appreciate it.
We will work and
make every effort in coordination with our partners to help establish
peace in Syria, to rid the long-suffering people of Syria of the
terrorist threat and help the Syrians restore their country.
Comrade officers,
You have proved
that our army and navy are strong, modern and well equipped and our
warriors are steadfast, well-trained and hardened, capable of resolving
the most complicated large-scale tasks.
In the course of the anti-terrorist operation, you have performed more than 9,000 operational sorties. Mass strikes using high-precision Kalibr cruise missiles with a range of 1,500 km
were dealt at terrorist facilities from our naval ships located in two
seas – the Caspian and the Mediterranean, both from subsurface ships and
a submarine. We are proud of the professional actions of our navy.
Our long-range strategic aviation has also done a good job. Thus, they used new air-based X-101 missiles with a range of about 4,500 km.
And finally, over the short period in Syria, as I have said, we
deployed a modern and efficient air defence system and developed
cooperation between all the forces and resources and organised
administrative support for the group. Our military transport aviation
and Navy support vessels have done well too.
In other words,
all the most important support issues, the organisation of our group in a
remote combat area were resolved competently and in a timely manner,
which again demonstrated the enhanced quality of Russia’s Armed Forces.
I would also like
to thank representatives of the military-industrial complex: workers,
engineers and designers. The latest Russian weaponry has passed the
tests, and not at shooting ranges but in real combat. This is the best
and the most serious test.
This experience
will make it possible to introduce necessary changes, to improve the
efficiency and reliability of the equipment, to create new generation
weaponry, and to improve the Armed Forces and enhance their combat
capability. Life itself has shown that they are a reliable guarantee of
our country’s security.
We should bear in
mind the threats that appear when we do not do things on time; we should
remember the lessons of history, including the tragic events of the
beginning of World War II and the Great Patriotic War, the price we paid
for mistakes in military construction and planning and the shortage in
new military equipment. Everything should be done on time, while
weakness, neglect and omissions are always dangerous.
The military
operation in Syria certainly required certain funds, however the main
part of the funding came from the Defence Ministry, their resources.
Some 33 billion rubles were earmarked in the Ministry’s 2015 budget for
military exercises. We simply retargeted these funds to support our
group in Syria, and there is hardly a better way of training and
perfecting combat skills than under real combat conditions. In this
sense, it is better to use motor operating time and combat stock in
combat than at a testing range. You, professionals, know this better
than anyone else.
Obviously,
additional funds will be required to restock our arsenals, equipment and
ammunition, including repairs of the equipment that was used in Syria. I
am sure these costs are reasonable and necessary, because this was a
chance to test everything in combat, find faults and rectify them. These
costs help enhance our country’s defence capability and resolve
strategic and current tasks to ensure Russia’s security. We need to do
it now, to avoid paying a much higher price later.
That price is
high, and I am not talking about money now. Here in this hall are Yelena
Peshkova, Valentina Cheremisina, Irina Pozynich and Yulia Zhuravleva –
widows of our comrade officers who died fighting terrorists. I know that
for their families and friends, the loss of Oleg, Ivan, Alexander and
Fedor is irreparable. We all take this as our own loss. That is why I
used your husbands’, fathers’ and sons’ first names. I spoke not as the
Supreme Commander-in-Chief or President, but as a grateful citizen of
Russia who grieves over this loss. We will remember their courage and
chivalry; we will remember them as real men and courageous warriors.
Comrade officers,
The large-scale
operation in Syria went on for more than 5 months in a complicated
region, far from Russia, and you have done your duty with honour by
protecting the security of your country and your people at faraway
frontiers. The tasks you were set have been generally met, troops are
returning to their regular deployment locations, returning home, to
Russia.
I would like to
note here, for this audience and for the entire country: Russia’s main
agenda today is that of peace. It has to do with developing the economy
in complicated conditions, with maintaining and improving the wellbeing
of our people. However, without ensuring our security, without creating a
battle-ready, modern and efficient Army and Navy we would not resolve a
single task. Moreover, the very existence of a sovereign and
independent Russia would not be possible without it.
It is very
symbolic that we are honouring you in the legendary St George hall that
holds the history of Russia’s military glory along with the names of its
great sons. Everything here is filled with the victorious spirit of
Russian warriors. Our officers and men have demonstrated yet again that
they are courageous, noble, strong-willed warriors, true to their
Fatherland
Thank you for your service. I thank all the participants of the military operation in Syria. Thank you.
Allow me now to
move on to the presentation of state decorations. I will not be able to
present them all today. I will present them to some of you; however, I
assure you that we know how each one of you did your duty.
Thank you.