Putin at the new Duma Priorities and pledges

Sep 30

Anton Vernitsky reports the ninth Duma's opening and Putin's address. Putin interprets the election as national unity, congratulates deputies from the four Ukrainian regions Russia claims to have annexed, praises military participants and civilian reconstruction workers, and says Russia cannot be intimidated. The report says the chamber is forty percent new, with twenty Heroes of Russia and nearly fifty military-operation veterans. Putin prioritizes defence and support for soldiers' families, calls for a realistic three-year budget without populism, and says Russia's finances are sound. He renews a January 1 deadline for a unified Far East–Arctic preferential regime, urges constructive debate with government and cross-party cooperation, and emphasizes deputies' responsibility to voters. Territorial legitimacy, electoral interpretations and economic assessments remain the speakers' claims; proposed implementation is not reported as completed.

In his address at the new Duma's first sitting, Putin marks four years since Russia claimed Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson as constituent regions. He depicts the choice as historical unity, praises participants in the war and welcomes deputies from these territories. The report relays claims that threats failed to intimidate voters. Putin thanks civilian rebuilding workers and parliamentary parties, noting risks to their lives. The territorial legitimacy and political judgments remain attributed Russian claims.