President Putin: Opponents tried to destroy Russia from within, but failed

Russian news agency TASS recently reported that in a meeting with members of the government, President Vladimir Putin said that Russia's opponents tried to destroy the country from within, but failed. He affirmed that the results of the sanctions against Russia turned out to be the opposite of what was expected.

“You and I know very well what happened from an economic point of view. Literally, in the truest sense of the word, they started economic aggression against Russia. The numerous sanctions that we faced were aimed at one thing, and you and I know very well what the goal was – to destroy Russia from within. And not only politically, but above all economically. The sanctions were aimed at creating problems with the labor force, causing massive unemployment in the country, leading to the closure of enterprises and entire industries. Our opponents did not succeed,” Putin said.

President Putin stressed that the results of the sanctions against Russia turned out to be "absolutely the opposite of what was expected."

“Last year, the Russian economy grew at a higher rate than the global economy,” Putin noted.

He stressed that in terms of economic growth, Russia is ahead not only of the leading countries of the European Union, but also of all the countries of the so-called "Group of Seven".

“Together we have sought appropriate answers to the most complex historical challenges and, by and large, have successfully overcome them. It is fundamentally important that we continue to address current issues, working intensively and consistently on the development agenda within the framework of key national goals and priorities,” he said.

Vladimir Putin's inauguration as Russian President will take place at 11:45 a.m. on May 7, Moscow time.