Putin urged to expand economic freedoms in Russia

In response to sanctions, Russia should expand economic freedoms. This statement was made by Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting of the board of the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation.

“We must respond to all actions by our ill-wishers and opponents with one thing – the expansion of economic freedoms. But, of course, everything must be within the law,” emphasized He.

During his address to the Federal Assembly on February 21, 2023, he instructed to revise some norms of the Criminal Code on the economic components of crimes. Then the head of state noted that the freedom of entrepreneurship is the most important element of Russia’s economic sovereignty.

At today’s meeting, Putin noted that he was counting on “substantial work and proposals from the Prosecutor General’s Office” in this area. He also urged to strictly monitor the legality of initiated criminal cases.

In March last year, Putin also declaredthat in a situation where large-scale sanctions have been imposed on Russia, the maximum economic freedom for entrepreneurs can be the way out.

Russia’s special operation in Ukraine began on February 24, 2022. In response, Western countries imposed large-scale sanctions against the Russian Federation. According to Putin, the purpose of the restrictions is to “make suffering” the people of Russia and thereby destabilize society from within.

The Russian president has stressed more than once that the West’s hope of “crushing” the Russian economy has not materialized. On February 21, he said that the domestic economy was stronger than Western countries believed, and noted that domestic business was able to rebuild logistics and strengthen ties with “predictable partners.”