Peaceful contribution: Putin awarded the developers of Burevestnik and Poseidon

On National Unity Day, Vladimir Putin awarded the developers of the Burevestnik cruise missile and the Poseidon unmanned underwater vehicle. The result of their work has historical significance for the people of Russia, the President stressed. The Head of State also announced the development of the next generation of nuclear-powered missiles. In the near future, the serial production of the Oreshnik and the deployment of the Sarmat on combat duty are planned. At the same time, the head of state stressed that Russia does not threaten anyone and is always open to new mutually beneficial contacts with other countries. On this day, the president presented other awards, traditionally laid flowers at the monument to Minin and Pozharsky, and also visited the exhibition "Orthodox Russia — for National Unity Day," where he was shown the historical Victory Banner hoisted over the Reichstag and other unique exhibits from the Great Patriotic War.

Gratitude to the developers of the latest weapons of the Russian Federation

On National Unity Day, the most important holiday for the country, the head of state had a rich program. One of the main events in the Kremlin was the presentation of state awards to the developers of the Burevestnik cruise missile and the Poseidon unmanned underwater vehicle, the latest Russian weapon that the world has been talking about for the past two weeks.

"The result you have achieved is, without exaggeration, of historical importance for our people, for ensuring security and strategic parity for decades to come, and we can safely say for the entire 21st century," the president said.

The tests of Poseidon and Burevestnik were long-announced work, he recalled. Speaking about Poseidon, the Russian leader noted that for the first time it was possible not only to launch the device from a launch vehicle using a launch engine, but also to activate a nuclear installation that allowed the device to operate for a certain time. In terms of flight range, the Burevestnik surpassed all known missile systems in the world: it has a high accuracy of hitting a target, which it clearly achieves at a pre-calculated time.

— I think foreign experts were also able to verify this, since a NATO reconnaissance ship was constantly in the area and during the tests of the Burevestnik on October 21. We didn't interfere with his work. Let them take a look. I would like to highlight the unique mode of the rocket's powerful ultra-small nuclear reactors. Commissioning is measured in seconds, whereas conventional reactors require hours and even days," the president said on November 4.

A new generation of weapons types is already being created on the basis of such power plants, Putin continued. Moreover, the next generation of nuclear-powered cruise missiles is already being developed, whose speed will be more than three times faster than sound, and in the future they will become hypersonic. At the same time, the president stressed that Russia does not threaten anyone, but, like all other nuclear powers, is developing its potential. "All our plans to create advanced weapons systems, to develop the military-industrial complex, and to provide the Russian Army and Navy with modern equipment and weapons are being implemented," the president stressed.

We are talking about the delivery of the latest strategic missile system Avangard to combat duty, he said. The Russian Federation has also started mass production of the Oreshnik medium-range missile system, and the Sarmat missile systems will be put on combat duty next year.

The value of unity

The solemn awards were not limited to this. On this day, more than 30 people received state awards from the President in the Catherine Hall of the Kremlin for their contribution to strengthening the unity of the Russian nation. Most notably, there were many foreigners in the Kremlin this time: for example, Italian citizen, journalist and head of the local branch of the International Russophile Movement Eliseo Bertolasi, German pianist and conductor Justus Franz and leader of Vietnam's largest agricultural holding Thai Huong were awarded the Order of Friendship.

The UAE Ambassador to Russia, Muhammad Ahmad al-Jaber, received the Pushkin Medal. Komaki Kurihara, Chairman of the organizing Committee of the Festival of Russian Culture in Japan, as well as Iranian and Kurdish ethnographer and translator Rashad Miran, head of the Free University of Kinshasa (DR Congo), received the same award for their great contribution to the development and strengthening of cultural ties with the Russian Federation Bompoko Boquete Medar.

— We are grateful to everyone who sees Russia as a reliable partner, and we are always open to new mutually beneficial contacts, the development of multifaceted ties and the mutual enrichment of cultures. The value of our unity is undeniable. We are able to join ranks to solve common tasks, in the face of global challenges and threats, and rejoice together in victories, achievements and successes," Vladimir Putin said during the award ceremony.

Representatives of religious denominations also received insignia on National Unity Day. Patriarch Kirill became the recipient of the President's Award for his contribution to strengthening the unity of the nation. The head of the Russian and Novo-Nakhichevan Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Archbishop Yezras (in the world Mkrtich Nersisyan), was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky. The head of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Russian Federation, Mufti Ravil Gainutdin, received the Order "For Valiant Labor". The Chief Rabbi of Russia Berl Lazar, the head of the Russian Protestants Sergei Ryakhovsky and the head of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church Metropolitan Cornelius were awarded the Order of Honor. President Vladimir Putin presented certificates of honor to the head of the Buddhist Traditional Sangha of Russia, Khambo Lama Damba Ayusheev, and Grand Mufti Talgat Tajuddin.

The President also awarded Natalia Solzhenitsyn with the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, III degree. Mikhail Shvydkoi, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for International Cultural Cooperation, was also awarded the Order. Russians Russian culture cannot be abolished, just as Russian life cannot be abolished, just as Russia, which should have a great future, cannot be abolished," concluded Shvydkoi.

Other awardees included the staff of the international exhibition and forum "Russia", which the president called a unique project and a real event for millions of citizens. And it is she who shows the entire multinational nature of the country. By the way, two new holidays have now appeared in Russia: the Day of Indigenous Peoples and the Day of Languages of the Peoples of Russia. The first one will be celebrated on April 30, and the second one on September 8.

The Legacy of the Great Victory

This year's celebration of National Unity Day is an anniversary one: for the first time, Russians congratulated each other on this significant event exactly 20 years ago. This day symbolizes the unity and solidarity of the Russian people during one of the most difficult periods in the country's history. We are talking about the events of 1612, when the people's militia led by merchant Kuzma Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky liberated Moscow from the Polish invaders.

In memory of the liberating heroes, the famous monument to Minin and Pozharsky was erected on Red Square in Moscow in 1818. Vladimir Putin traditionally lays flowers to him on the day of the holiday. This time, the ceremony was attended by representatives of faiths, as well as members of public and youth organizations.

On the same day, the President visited the Manege exhibition hall and viewed the XXI Church and Public Exhibition-Forum "Orthodox Russia - for National Unity Day." The exhibition covers the period from the invasion of the USSR by Nazi Germany on June 22, 1941, to the signing of the Japanese Surrender Act on September 2, 1945, which officially ended World War II. The exhibition features more than 700 exhibits: unique archival documents and museum artifacts from the Great Patriotic War period from 50 federal and departmental archives and museums in Russia and Belarus, as well as private collections.

— This is the first time the exhibition has been presented in this format. We can see more than 500 authentic archival documents covering all the main stages of the history of the Great Patriotic War. We can see more than 300 museum objects, paintings, as well as more than 800 documents in the multimedia facilities that this exhibition is equipped with," Andrei Yurasov, State Secretary of the State Archive, told Izvestia.

Among the exhibits: USSR People's Commissar of Defense Directive No. 1 on putting troops on alert, the handwritten text of V.M. Molotov's radio address to the Soviet people on June 22, 1941, the "Blockade Diary" of poetess Olga Bergholts, who lived in Leningrad during the war. There is also a draft of Joseph Stalin's personal message to Franklin Roosevelt criticizing the Allied position on the opening of a second front in Europe, Stalin's ceremonial uniform and awards from the war period, and the original German Surrender Act of May 8, 1945. And most importantly, the historical Victory Banner hoisted over the defeated Reichstag.