Russia

The 15th BRICS summit is taking place on August 22–24 in Johannesburg (South Africa). The theme of the session is “BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development and Inclusive Multilateralism.” The leaders of the Group of Five will discuss current international and regional challenges, as well as achievements and goals of the BRICS strategic partnership in the political, economic, cultural and humanitarian areas. Special attention will be paid to issues of BRICS institutional development, including expansion of the association and creation of payment infrastructure resistant to external risks.

Today, Western experts increasingly examine the pre- and post-war years of the USSR as a special fantasy period in the history of Soviet Slavic-Russian civilisation. Western strategists are interested in the main question: how in just a few years, after the crushing wars and infighting of the early and mid-20th century, the ruling party of the USSR, despite or even thanks to repression, managed to unite the multinational people who won the Great Patriotic War, and then restore the economy to an unprecedented place in the world. The answer is not surprising: everything in the world is governed by ideas; and our society had in those years the most powerful ideology, a beautiful humanistic project, which united society, sparked enthusiasm, elevated people to great deeds; lit a twinkle in the eye, mobilised the will of all.

Since we have established ourselves as a sovereign civilization, we need to change the dominant discourse. What everyone was afraid or embarrassed to say before (what the West will think about us, the world community…) must now be stated clearly and openly.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Ladies and gentlemen, friends,