President's Speech to the Russian Navy
Official Transcript
July 1, 2009.
Seamen,
I believe in you.
From the times of Peter the Great, the builder of the Russian Navy, the St Andrew ensign was never brought down in shame or surrender. No matter who the enemy.
Whether it was Sweden in the Battle of Gangut, Turkey in the battles of Sinop or Chesma... you h ave never let the Motherland down. Whether it was the voyage of the briganteen Mercury, again against the Turks, the cruiser Varyagî against the Japanese, or the Leader"Tashkent" of Black Sea fame, your bravery is unsurpassed.
And in every operation, from the defense of Odessa and Leningrad in World War Two, to the three heroic defenses of Sevastopol in World War Two and again in 2006... from the submarine operations of the Baltic Fleet to the convoy runners of the Northern Fleet that were carried out during the "Cold Years," you have never given in, not once.
Seamen, I sailed with you to Kuril and Crimea.
Marines, I have fought shoulder to shoulder with you in every campaign from Chechnya to the Ukraine.
I know that every one of you, from common sailor to admiral, is -- and will always be -- a proud defender of our beloved Motherland.
Today, our great union is stronger economically and militarily than it has been in decades. We have thrown off the shackles of Western commericalism, and confidently risen to assume our rightful destiny as a self-determined super power.
From this day forth, the age of Western dominance in eastern Europe is over. Beginning today, we shall no longer tolerate insurrections within our borders that are so blatantly supported by NATO. Soon, very soon, a we shall draw a line in the sand -- only the sand in this case is water. The waters of the North Atlantic. And with one bold stroke, we will show the West, and the rest of the world, just how steadfast and resolved we can be when it comes to protecting our beloved Union.
Once more your country calls upon you to perform your sacred duty; and defend it with all your strength, if needed.
Glorious voyage!
Let us show the world that we are not a second-rate people, and that the free Russian Union will never be a second-grade state.
My hopes ride with you, and the Motherland awaits you back - with glory!
Seven feet under the keel,
Alexander Voronov,
President of Russian Union