Russia developing, economy growing despite sanctions, Putin says
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Russia has been heavily sanctioned by the West since the war in Ukraine began in an effort to slow down its economy and pressure the nation into relenting.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his annual news conference in Moscow, Russia, on December 13, 2024. (AP)
Russia is prospering and its economy is expanding despite extraordinary sanctions, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday, adding that blackmail and external meddling efforts would never succeed.
"Russia is developing, the economy is growing, and all this amid the unprecedented sanctions in the full sense of this word, in the literal sense of this word, in the world history, gross interference and pressure from the ruling elites of some states," Putin said, adding that "no blackmail and external attempts to interfere with us will ever result in anything."
He expressed that the fight against Russia's enemies is not limited to the battlefield but also entails all other areas of public life, such as culture, education, and the economy.
"[The battlefield] occurs not only along the front line. Indeed, this global and decisive confrontation affects all aspects of our lives, including culture, education, worldviews, the economy, and technology," he detailed.
Russia's opponents fueling conflict in Ukraine: Medvedev
Meanwhile, according to Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday, opponents of Russia are "doing everything to stoke the fire of the Ukrainian conflict," but the Russian people have banded together to stand steadfast against the onslaught.
This year has been difficult for Russia, Medvedev stated at the 22nd Congress of the ruling United Russia party, as the West continues to support Kiev with money and weaponry while attacks on Russia continue.
This comes as the Russian Armed Forces launched a large-scale strike targeting key facilities within Ukraine's fuel and energy infrastructure, the Russian Defense Ministry announced on Friday, asserting that these facilities were critical to the operation of the country's military-industrial complex.
The attack was in response to Kiev's use of six ATACMS missiles against an airfield in Taganrog, the ministry confirmed.
"In response to the use of US long-range weapons, the Russian armed forces carried out a massive strike using high-precision long-range air and sea-based weapons, [as well as] attack unmanned aerial vehicles on critically important objects of the fuel and energy infrastructure of Ukraine, ensuring the operation of the military-industrial complex," the statement read.
The ministry affirmed that the objectives of the strike were achieved, with all intended targets successfully hit. It reiterated that the operation was specifically in retaliation for the December 11 missile attack near Taganrog.
