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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Comrade officers,

I am delighted to welcome you to this traditional ceremony at the Kremlin and to personally congratulate you on being awarded higher military and special titles and ranks and on your appointment to senior command posts.

Each decision has been taken with due regard for your professional and business qualities. It is also a sign of recognition of the results you have achieved in the accomplishment of missions critical to the state. I have no doubt that you will shoulder the increased professional burden to the best of your ability.

The main task for people in uniform is to reliably protect Russia and our fellow citizens from external and domestic threats, to clearly anticipate potential risks and challenges, and to improve their performance gradually and consistently.

Your key priority is the development of the Russian Armed Forces. Our Army and Navy have proved their high readiness, yet we intend to build up our defence capability and to deploy hypersonic, laser and other cutting-edge weapons which no other country has.

However, this is not a reason for threatening anyone. On the contrary, we are ready to do our best to promote the disarmament process with the help of these novel weapons, which have been created exclusively to guarantee our security in the face of growing threats to our country.

It is essential to enhance the professional standards of our personnel and their intensive combat training. I would like to remind you that the number of military exercises has increased by 25 percent over the past year. We must continue to enhance the professional standards of our soldiers and officers and strengthen their discipline and morale, which is the basis of our armed forces’ combat capability.

Comrade officers,

The importance of the special services and law enforcement agencies in Russia’s integrated security is growing.

I must note that over the nine months of this year, FSB officers have prevented 39 terrorist attacks. Good results have also been achieved in other areas of their work, including in counteracting foreign intelligence services.

Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service conducts a systematic, in-depth analysis of the global situation and global and regional threats – their reports underlie strategic decisions.

The public mostly assess the effectiveness of the entire national law enforcement system by the level of training and the quality of work of the police and other Interior Ministry services. So the Ministry’s leadership needs to constantly improve its key performance indicators, as well as work on strengthening public confidence in them.

The National Guard is responsible for the maintenance of law and order at large events, for weapons control, and the protection of infrastructure. It needs to act in a precise and coordinated manner in these and other areas.

The prosecution authorities shoulder a large amount of work as well. First, they oversee the enforcement of laws in the labour, social, and environmental spheres, as well as in our joint actions to improve the business climate. The prosecutors also focus on verifying the legality of the movement of government allocations for state defence orders in the defence industry.

The successful fight against corruption and crime directly depends on the professionalism of the Investigative Committee staff. Your task is to look to the highest standards of investigation.

Russia’s Federal Guard Service is highly effective. I must praise the excellent training and discipline of the FSO staff shown during the Russia-Africa Summit.

Russian rescue teams work with great efficiency and dedication.

The reliable and stable work of state and military governance directly depends on the competence of the Main Directorate of Special Programmes employees.

The Federal Penitentiary Service is responsible for ensuring compliance with the law in penitentiaries, including the rigorous selection of staff and improving the quality of training.

Comrade officers,

The role of the senior command staff is extremely important for the achievement of these tasks. I count on your energy, responsibility, professionalism and determination.

I wish you all continued success in your service, and all the best to you and your families.

Thank you.

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Vladimir Putin: Comrade officers,

Once again, I sincerely congratulate you on this important step in your careers.

I wish you all the best.

Good luck.