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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Comrade officers! Good afternoon, comrades.

I am delighted to see everyone at this meeting, which is part of the inauguration events.

I would have been more than happy to see at this ceremony all our comrades-in-arms, who are now carrying out missions as part of the special military operation, who do not spare their health and, if need be, are ready to give their lives for Russia. Unfortunately, this is impossible, because this refers to hundreds of thousands of people. But I would like to take this opportunity to ask you to extend my best wishes of success and victory to them.

We have ambitious goals for the country’s economic development, because the economy is what provides the foundation for our further achievements – we must all understand this – as well as social development, strengthening Russian families, improving healthcare, education and other domains. And we have all the resources, we absolutely have everything we need to ensure that all these objectives are fully accomplished, but only on one condition – if you are successful on the battlefield. This is the key today. We all understand this, the whole country understands this, and therefore, you see that the whole country supports you.

Today I asked the Defence Minister to invite the commanders of various army units, commanders of regiments, brigades, divisions and armies that have shown exceptional results most recently during the special military operation. I would like to thank you personally for your courage, for your outstanding ability to command your troops. I would like to ask you to wish the best of luck on my behalf to all your subordinates in the combat missions they are carrying out in the interests of the Fatherland.

One of our friends present here celebrates his birthday today. The cameras will complete filming now, and I will personally wish you a happy birthday – this is the first thing.

Secondly, I have asked to put up the Presidential Standards there on the table, as souvenirs. They are personalised and have numbers on them – I wanted to give them to you as a token from our meeting today.

Meetings like this are certainly always important to me because, as a rule, they include candid conversations. I very much hope to have just such a conversation with you about what is happening on the battlefield and what else needs to be done to make our combat units’ actions even more successful and minimise losses, and how, to ensure that we achieve every objective that our Fatherland demands. This is what I would like to say in the beginning.

Mr Shoigu, if you have anything to add, go ahead. After that, we will ask the camera crews to leave and talk in an informal and relaxed atmosphere.

Please, if you have anything to say, go ahead.

Oleg Vlasov: Major General Vlasov, commander of the 810^th Separate Guards Naval Infantry Brigade of the Black Sea Fleet.

Comrade Supreme Commander-in-Chief,

At the start of the special military operation, the units under my command had 2,441 officers and soldiers. We carried out as number of reorganisation measures in accordance with our tables of organisation and added 19 new combat units to the brigade.

Vladimir Putin: Your brigade currently has 11,000 service personnel, right?

Oleg Vlasov: The current strength of our units is 11,365 officers and soldiers. However, the reorganisation measures did not affect the brigade’s command and control.

To increase the level of mission success, I would like to request your attention to the issue of reorganising the command and control of our brigade, whose units are currently accomplishing combat missions with three combined army groups.

Vladimir Putin: I am aware of this; we discussed this issue yesterday with the Minister, the General Staff. The brigade has grown from 3,000-plus officers and soldiers to over 11,000. In fact, it has become a division. I believe we should proceed in this direction, as the Minister and I discussed yesterday. We need to reorganise the brigade into a division and establish the necessary command and control authority. This is our plan.

I am familiar with your brigade, as we hear about it all the time. Thank you for your service, and I wish all the best to all officers and soldiers.

Oleg Vlasov: I serve Russia!

Denis Malakhov: Guards Colonel Malakhov, commander of the 24^th Separate Guards Special Forces Brigade.

Comrade Supreme Commander-in-Chief,

Throughout its history, Russia has been involved in multiple conflicts and hostilities. It is said that active combat operations are the driving force of progress.

Our units have been actively using first person view (FPV) drones on the battlefield for over 12 months. We have achieved good results. It is true that the use of FPV drones often thwarts enemy attempts to operate actively in any sector of the front.

As I mentioned earlier, the situation continues to develop. It is necessary to consider the introduction and possibly production of aircraft-type unmanned air vehicles. These UAVs would serve as motherships carrying FPV drones.

First, this will increase their range, and second, they will act as reconnaissance systems, striking enemy targets and facilitating objective control. Essentially, each drone will have three functions. This will also increase the firepower of our units. We would like this area to be developed further.

Vladimir Putin: First, you just mentioned that Russia has been involved in many conflicts to defend its interests, which is true. The most important event for us, at least for our generations, is the Great Patriotic War. We will celebrate Victory Day in two days, and I want to congratulate you on the upcoming holiday. I also want to emphasise the following.

Different people, in different situations, talk differently about us – about contemporaries, young generations, young people. But in times of trouble – and we all know that such times have occurred here in the last few decades – the people of Russia always display their best qualities, such as courage and heroism, regardless of their age. It seems to be in our blood.

The current military operation on the battlefield is the best proof of this – I am addressing you first and foremost. You and your subordinates are worthy of our fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers who fought in the Great Patriotic War and defended our Motherland. Today, there are also recorded cases of courage and heroism, and they occur regularly rather than sporadically. This is extremely important and is a key factor for our future victory – I have no doubt about that.

Regarding the current situation, advanced means of warfare are changing rapidly. If we want to succeed, we must always be one step ahead [of our adversaries]. Are we always successful in this regard? Probably not. We know – and you know this better than anyone else – that the enemy has advanced means of warfare because the entire Western community is working against us. Their dream is to see Russia weakened or eliminated. As I have said publicly, they are determined to reach this goal: obviously they think that Russia should be weak, a weak link, in the system of confrontation that they are creating for themselves. I am certain that they have come to realise that this is not the case, and in fact, it is quite the opposite. But for us to be successful, we must, once again, be one step ahead of them in high technologies.

And, of course, the missions – we thought so quite recently and generally people the world over thought the same – that can be performed only by aircraft systems are now being carried out by small vehicles with great success. We have learned how to do this and we are currently implementing it. This includes reconnaissance, attack weapons, and many other missions. These tasks can be accomplished by drones both on the home front and on the front lines. We are working in various areas, including specialised research institutions, Defence Ministry departments, and civilian services in the first instance that I mentioned.

As we often say these days, a people’ defence industrial complex is emerging in our country. I am honestly amazed at the involvement of civilians in your war efforts. Thousands of people who have had no connection to the military are actively contributing ideas on how to enhance our battlefield operations. They are working proactively and achieving significant results. However, it is important to centralise and support these efforts through state backing. And that is exactly what we are doing.

I will not go into further detail at this time, as we can discuss it later once the media representatives have left. But rest assured, we are aware of the issue and are working towards a solution. We understand the challenges and the impact it has on our soldiers when they witness enemy drones swarming above them. This is a well-known fact, and we are actively addressing it. I am confident that we will achieve the desired effect.

Renat Khalikov: Guards Colonel Khalikov, commander of the 74^th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade.

Comrade Supreme Commander-in-Chief,

In the course of the special military operation, in the Avdeyevka area, in Berdychi, we used a ground…

Vladimir Putin: You have finally taken it. It was difficult, I know.

Renat Khalikov: Excuse me?

Vladimir Putin: I mean, you have finally taken Berdychi. I know it was difficult.

Renat Khalikov: Yes, sir, it was difficult, but we have taken it, we continue to advance.

In that populated centre, we used a Courier ground robotics system – there were two of them – with an AGS-17 automatic grenade launcher. This design has proven to be effective in this mission. The use of such equipment in assault actions has allowed us to save servicemen’s lives.

We can also equip these systems with various light weapons, specifically just for assault operations. We can use them to evacuate the wounded and deliver supplies, rations and ammunition. They can carry eight antitank mines to mine a specific area. We are also considering, in collaboration with the system developer, using them as SVBIEDs in situations where we encounter hard-to-approach and indestructible structures, such as log emplacements, for example.

Is it possible to produce such platforms and supply them to assault groups?

Vladimir Putin: Of course, it is possible.

Until recently, we adapted and developed such devices ourselves, so we have some experience. We will also consider what is available on the international market. Despite the difficulties, we still find some mobile devices, not as powerful as heavy flamethrower systems, but suitable for modern warfare. These devices can serve both military and civilian purposes. There is no doubt that they can be adapted for modern warfare.

I will say it again: we have our own good developments as well, so we will definitely finalise the system design. Especially if we also create air, water and underwater vehicles of the highest modern standards and technologies. We will do it, and we will definitely expand our range.

Let me reiterate what our colleague, the colonel in front of me, has said: we must always be slightly ahead in such developments, then success will be guaranteed without a doubt.

We have been doing it lately, as you know, with the FAB bombs. Yes, the enemy responds quickly, we can see it on the battlefield. They actively use electronic warfare concentrated in specific areas, but we manage to overcome it.

Our designers, scientists and engineers, believe me, workday and night, in every sense of the word, to stay a step ahead of the enemy. I repeat, we are generally successful in this. This is one of the main objectives for our joint success and victory.

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