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.

Putin tells the new Duma that its coming three-year federal budget must be balanced and realistic and asks deputies to exclude destructive populism. He says errors are especially unacceptable now, rejects dependence on foreign handouts and asserts Russia's finances and economy are sound. Vremya describes defence and military-family support priorities and funding for social commitments, families, housing and regions. These are his legislative instructions and economic assessment, not passage of the budget.