Vladimir Putin answered human rights activists’ questions about the special operation

Vladimir Putin began his annual meeting with his Human Rights Council (HRC) with a warning that a large block of questions would be devoted to the special operation. “It is important that you continue to expose the crimes of the Nazi regime, which has established itself in a neighboring country,” he described the activities of the HRC in 2022. Next year marks the 75th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, reminded HRC Chairman Valery Fadeev. This important document for building a new world order, signed after the Second World War, according to Fadeev, is now “often used by the West to impose its values.”

The Russian authorities have said many times that these values ​​do not suit them. “The Western concept of rights and freedoms is based on the understanding of man as an autonomous individual. But for many peoples and civilizations, for the majority, individualism is not the main value. National models should take into account religious, historical, cultural specifics,” he said. Fadeev drew attention to the fact that there are other, regional, documents on human rights, for example, the African or Cairo Charters and Declarations: they “fixed, among other things, their view of family values, and these, of course, are traditional family values.” And in Russia, on November 9, the president himself signed a decree approving the foundations of state policy for the preservation and strengthening of traditional Russian spiritual and moral values.

At a meeting between Putin and the HRC, they talked about crimes in the neighboring country. For example, speaking about the topic of perpetuating the memory of the victims of political repressions, Fadeev said that work was underway to create a museum at the Butovo firing range (in 1937–1938, the Chekists carried out executions of the repressed there). And Putin fully agreed with the importance of this work, specifying that this is an important state task.

“As for the perpetuation of the memory of the victims of political repressions, we must not forget about this work – by no means,” he said. “This is a difficult page in our history, history is what it is, nothing can be hushed up here.” Most importantly, “you can not allow the use [эту страницу истории] as a tool for fighting Russia in general, and especially today in particular”: “We, objectively assessing everything that has happened in our history, must respond accordingly.”

But at this turn of history, both Putin and the meeting participants were interested in other issues. For example, Fadeev already referred to a new member of the HRC – military commissar Alexander Kots, saying that there are people in the combat zone who, for four months, “have not received anything at all [положенных федеральных выплат мобилизованным], someone did not receive regional surcharges. Putin noted that resolving these issues is “the sacred duty of all leaders <...> and public organizations too. At the same time, commenting on the living conditions of the servicemen, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief said that there would be no additional conscription in the near future. According to him, out of 300,000, only 150,000 are now in the zone of a special military operation, of which 77,000 are directly in combat units, and the rest are performing the functions of territorial defense forces or undergoing additional training at the training centers of the Ministry of Defense.

“Under these conditions, talking about some additional mobilization measures simply does not make sense. There is no need for the state and the Ministry of Defense in this today,” Putin said. Yan Vlasov, co-chairman of the All-Russian Union of Public Associations of Patients, Yan Vlasov, reported to the president about another supply problem: he spoke about the shortage of dressing materials for field surgeons in the zone of a military special operation. Putin promised to draw the attention of the Ministry of Defense to this.

Member of the HRC, human rights ombudsman of the Sverdlovsk region Tatyana Merzlyakova informed the president about rumors about concentration camps for deserters. Putin denied their existence, but acknowledged that there were deserters, although this phenomenon is not widespread. But the president understands them in some way: “After all, a person who ends up in a war zone from civilian life, even after preparation, cannot help but experience certain feelings inherent in an absolutely normal person.” However, “the vast majority of these [пойманных] people voluntarily return for military service. According to Merzlyakova, people go to the front thanks to the “strongest information component” in working with a military special operation.

President of the Antimafia Regional Public Foundation for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption Evgeny Myslovsky spoke about war crimes committed by Ukraine and said that “people are waiting for results.” Putin responded by saying that the annexation of new territories to the country is already a significant result of the military operation for Russia. “The Sea of ​​Azov has become an inland sea of ​​the Russian Federation. Peter I was still struggling to reach the Sea of ​​Azov. And the most important thing is the people who live in these territories,” he said. Myslovsky clarified that by the result he meant the punishment of war criminals, but nevertheless asked how long the special operation would continue. “As for the long process of the results of the SVO, then, of course, this can be a long process,” Putin admitted.

Social activist Svetlana Makovetskaya admitted that she was going to ask the president, in her words, an “inconsistent” question: “Can you promise that Russia will not use nuclear weapons under any circumstances?” Putin said that the threat of nuclear war is growing. “If he does not apply the first one under any circumstances, then the second one will not apply either. Because the possibilities of use in the event of a nuclear strike on our territory are very limited,” he added. Putin hastened to reassure: “We are not crazy. We are aware of what nuclear weapons are. We have these tools, and they are in a more advanced and modern form than any other nuclear country.”