Yes to SMO, no to START Treaty: experts analysed the President's address to the Federal Assembly

Yelena Ivanova, Natalia Petrovskaya

Experts shared their impressions of the President's speech and told Novye Izvestia which topics they consider the most important in the current presidential address.

Yevgeny Minchenko, President of the communication holding "Minchenko Consulting":

- The president is in good shape. The message is quite systematic. The narrative that has already been repeated, relations with the West, the reasons for the beginning of its own. But at the same time, a rather ambitious development program is presented, first of all, infrastructure.
The concept of Anti-Russia is not a new concept, it has been repeatedly voiced. The West has long been sculpting anti-Russia out of Ukraine, it's hard to argue here.

Firduz Aliyev, Managing Director for Interaction with the expert Community of the Expert Institute for Social Research on the State Fund for Assistance to the Families of military killed during the SMO:

- What we have heard from the president is a big, big task that is now set before the government, the subjects of the federation, public organizations.

This issue needs to be thoroughly worked out by the government, the subjects, and, possibly, public organizations, how it should all function and how it should all be financed. In this part, there will be a significant expert discussion, public discussion, and how to organize the work. We will be closely monitoring and discussing this in the near future. If this is a fund, then different forms of financing are possible: from large businesses, and voluntary donations, and, perhaps, some kind of participation of budgetary funds in the formation of this fund. This is all to be discussed.

- What is the best option?- I think, since this is a big public task, including finding such tools to justify the aspirations of those who have suffered, those who may have lost their loved ones, it should be a broad, comprehensive work.

The funds should be not only state, but also business or society.

Viktor Poturemsky, Director of Political Analysis at the Institute of Social Marketing (INSOMAR) on the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation:

- What concerns the defense capability and modernization of the army has become a significant part of the President's address today.

This is understandable and logical in the conditions in which the country is located, and in this sense, I would draw attention to the fact that everything related to defense capability is an absolute priority, which will be provided with resources, quality of management decisions, and the experience that the country has received during this year.

Alexander Asafov, political scientist, political commentator of the radio station "Moscow Speaks" - about the creation of social elevators for those who fought:

- The fact is that social elevators in a different presentation, different applications to prove their effectiveness are the competition "Leaders of Russia" mentioned today, and "Leaders of the Renaissance", which takes place in new territories, and, for example, what Kiriyenko spoke about not so long ago, about the necessary social mechanisms for municipal the authorities.

Of course, in this vein, of course, as the president said, these people will in any case become a support for the authorities and for all other sectors of our life. Therefore, of course, this is a very timely and important initiative.

- Will it concern each participant of its?- If he has such a desire, he can use these mechanisms.

I think they will be developed in the near future and everyone who has these ambitions and desires will be able to do it.

- Besides leadership contests, what else can there be? What are the prospects for those who will take part in the programs?

- The widest.

The president mentioned only two, but there are more of them. This is also the "School of Governors", in the format of which the "School of Mayors" was discussed. These are various contests on the line "Russia is a country of opportunities", on the platform "Countries of Opportunities". There are a lot of them, of course there are no single formats.
It seems to me that there will be broad social elevators and everyone who has talents for such activities will help.

Daria Kislitsyna, Head of the Department of Regional Programs of the Expert Institute for Social Research on New Infrastructure Projects:

- All the ambitious infrastructure projects that the president spoke about are, of course, being successfully implemented.

But it seems to me that this was far from the most significant and not the biggest block in the speech. If we talk about infrastructure, there was a greater emphasis on the restoration of new regions. This is one thesis. And the second thesis is that our infrastructure projects and logistics projects that are being opened. In particular, new economic markets will be implemented. I heard these two accents about infrastructure projects in the first place.
But for me, there were more social things in the message: the main emphasis is that the state will implement its social functions, new obligations, extremely important new initiatives, first of all, a fund to support families of those mobilized and those who return after their military service. It is important that most of the message was about the normalization of life – about healthcare, housing and communal services, ecology.

Stanislav Koryakin, political consultant, member of the Expert Council of the Union of Russian Cities and the RASO Political Technology Committee on the suspension of participation in the Strategic Offensive Arms Treaty (START):

- It will be some pause on the other side, reflecting on what to do with it.

Although, by and large, in the current situation, this is rather a symbolic message that fixes an overdue decision. Most likely, this will be due to the development of technologies in this area against the background of ideas for the structural restructuring of industry, management decision-making, improving the quality of freedom of scientific activity, which the president spoke about.
Probably, there will be some activity in the scientific and applied sphere in this direction.

- What do you mean?- Developments, maybe instructions will be given on the possible development of technologies, because we are not planning tests, but judging from what I have heard, before the relevant tests are carried out on the side of our Western partners, the Western bloc.

But, in order to carry out all this, we need a scientific base, we need certain technological solutions. But to reach them, you need to see the reaction. The reaction of Western countries will be, but when, it's hard for me to say.

Strategic offensive weapons are nuclear weapons. It is possible to develop other spheres, other types of strategic offensive weapons, but what was the head of state talking about: we do not seek to attack. It's about deterrence. The President's speech was based on the fact that our country is in the position of defending its interests. The President did not talk about the attack, initiatives related to the attack. In fact, it is now being recorded that in our country it is necessary to increase efficiency in all areas to protect the interests of our country. Strategic offensive weapons, the so-called "Nuclear Shield" is one of these elements. But he's not the only one. Fixing the fact that the START treaty has lost its relevance is just a fixation in the current situation, relations with the collective West. Therefore, this was to be expected.
The consequences of this decision may be in different spheres. There are no weapons just like that. This is facilitated by the work of research teams, the modernization of industry. This also entails a whole range of solutions. What exactly they will be – we need to wait for instructions. But the fact that the vector is indicated, the fact that we are fixing the interests of our country, we continue to defend the issue of technological sovereignty, increasing efficiency, it seems to me, this is a logical continuation of the current situation.