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FNPR Newsletter. March 14, 2024

14.03.2024

March 14, 2024

Dear colleagues,

Since our last letter in February, there have been a number of important developments that we believe will largely shape the overall business and political atmosphere throughout 2024.

In the sphere of economic life, February brought no significant changes. The results of the development of national economy for 2023 are being specified. As noted earlier, GDP growth in Russia over the past year has approached 4%, which exceeds economic performance of many countries that enthusiastically impose more and more illegal sanctions in an attempt to further damage our country.

This positive news made a strong impact on the agenda of the All-Russian conference of local union leaders held in Moscow on February 5 and attended by more than 800 delegates representing over 600 primary organisations from all regions and industries. The economic bloc discussed problems contrary to those of the European and a number of other countries: a historically low unemployment rate of 2.9%; an acute shortage of skilled workforce, when employers offer potential employees high wages and attractive social packages in an attempt to solve the problem of labour shortage in enterprises, and other pressing issues.

The most important political event was President Putin’s State of the Nation Address to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on February 29 on the current situation in the country and the main directions of the state and foreign policy. The president set out his vision of goals and priorities until 2030, and in some cases even beyond. The full text of the Address is available at http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/73585.

Independent polling agencies of Russia noted that 86% of those who followed the Address share the President’s views and approve his strategic vision of the future.

As for the international situation, today the Western countries make false allegations and unprovoked threats against Russia, they take actions that bring closer the danger of a new world war in which there will be no winners. Let’s dwell on some details that may be imperceptible to people living outside of Europe, that is, the majority of humankind - the very majority that, according to the head of European diplomacy, lives in the «jungle» outside the «beautiful garden» of the EU. (https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/european-diplomatic-academy-opening-remarks-high-representative-josep-borrell-inauguration-pilot_en ).

Despite the obvious defectiveness of the sanctions war, European politicians are already seeking agreement on the 14th package of anti-Russian sanctions which may be followed by the seriously discussed confiscation of Russian public and private assets which came to be under the foreign jurisdictions. The Russian authorities warn that they control no less foreign assets, and that illegal actions will not go unanswered, resulting in the weakening of the European currency and further uncontrollable collapse of the European economic system.

Today, it is difficult to overlook the negative consequences of irrational decisions: Germany's rejection of Russian energy resources, border closures and reckless military behaviour of neighbouring Finland and Sweden; the self-destructive severance of economic ties with Russia initiated by the Baltic states which are rapidly losing working-age populations and gradually slipping into recession along with other, larger EU economies.

The EU authorities are making paradoxical decisions, allocating huge loans to support the Ukrainian nationalist regime with little hope of repayment. At the same time, they have ignored the unprecedented protests by their countries’ own population, farmers and trade unions, dispersing potential voters with tear gas and water cannons.

We are witnessing irresponsible, provocative statements by EU officials about the need to "solve the centuries-old Russian problem" by weakening and plundering our country, the hype surrounding the speech of one of European presidents about the possibility of deploying his troops to Ukraine. It is highly likely that such nervous behaviour is caused by electoral processes in the United States, as well as complex economic and political problems in Europe, but it cannot but cause surprise when observed at close range, how we see it.

The madness that engulfs the generation of politicians who have never seen the horrors of war is perceived in Russia as proof of the correctness of the decision to hold the special military operation as a means to preserve peace not only in Europe, but also in the world. President Vladimir Putin spoke about this in detail in an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson, published on February 9, 2024 (http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/73411).

Against this background, armed hostilities continue as part of the special military operation. The Ukrainian army keeps shelling the civilian population of the new Russian territories. So, on the weekend of February 3, Ukrainian troops used U.S.-made M142 HIMARS to fire missiles at the centre of Lisichansk, a city in the Lugansk People’s Republic, hitting a bakery and killing 28 civilians, including one child.

Such attacks on the civilian population are carried out by the Ukrainian army with the support and direct participation of military advisers and so-called "volunteers", or simply put, mercenaries from Poland, Germany, France, the USA and other countries. The Russian military respond by liberating the territories of Lugansk and Donetsk People's Republics that have become part of Russia according to the will of their population. On February 16, the city of Avdeevka, an important Ukrainian stronghold, from which residential areas of Donetsk had been shelled by the nationalists, was liberated.

We will keep on informing you about current events in the Russian Federation and our trade unions, and provide further explanations, if necessary.