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Here is the text of that part of the speech:
Let me remind you again of how modern Russian history began. First of all,
it should be acknowledged, and I have spoken of this before, that the
collapse of the Soviet Union was the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of
the century. And for the Russian people, it was a real drama. Tens of
millions of our citizens and fellow-countrymen found themselves outside the
Russian Federation.
Moreover, the epidemic of disintegration spread to Russia itself. Citizens'
savings lost their value. The old ideals were destroyed. Many institutions
were disbanded or simply hastily reformed. The country's integrity was
disturbed by a terrorist intervention and the ensuing capitulation of
Khasavyurt [Chechen peace deal of mid-1990s brokered by the late Aleksandr
Lebed and the late Aslan Maskhadov].
With unrestricted control over information flows, groups of oligarchs
served exclusively their own corporate interests. Mass poverty started to
be accepted as the norm. All this evolved against a background of the most
severe economic recession, unstable finances and paralysis in the social
sphere.
It seemed to many at the time that our young democracy was not the
continuation of Russian statehood, but its final collapse, the prolonged
death throes of the Soviet system. Those who thought so were mistaken.
Indeed it was during that period that extremely significant events took
place in Russia. Not only was the energy of self-preservation in evidence
in our society, but also a will for a new, free life. During those
difficult years, the Russian people had to simultaneously defend state
sovereignty and choose a definite new direction in the development of their
1,000-year history.
The most complicated tasks had to be accomplished: preserving our own
values without the loss of definite achievements, while confirming the
capacity of Russian democracy to survive. We had to find our own path
towards building a democratic, free and just society and state.
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