Sanctions did not hinder the growth of Russian trade. Russia's external and internal debt has decreased. This was stated by the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation (SC) Sergei Shoigu in an interview with TASS.
"The results are very noticeable. The growth of the Russian economy over the past two years is 4.1%", he noted. “The volume of foreign trade maintained its positive dynamics. At the end of the year, despite the sanctions, it increased by $3.8 billion and amounted to more than $716 billion. The surplus of the foreign trade balance increased by $7 billion, amounting to about $146 billion. The external and internal debt of the Russian Federation has decreased. The financial and banking systems have demonstrated stability.“
Shoigu noted that the volume of industrial production increased by 4.6% in 2024, mainly due to an 8.5% increase in production in the manufacturing industry. By the end of 2024, federal budget revenues, including non-oil and gas revenues, had increased by approximately 26%, and the federal budget deficit had decreased from 2.7% of GDP in 2023 to 1.7% of GDP in 2024. At the same time, investments in fixed assets increased by 8.6%.
“Of course, there are difficulties“, continued the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation. "High inflationary pressure became the reason for the increase in the key interest rate of the Bank of Russia. Now experts note signs of a gradual "cooling" of the economy. However, the main thing here is not to overdo it - to prevent a sharp slowdown and a transition to the so-called zero growth. It is important to find a balance between inflation and economic growth."
Shoigu drew attention to the shortage of personnel, primarily among highly qualified specialists.
"Its formation is influenced by a whole set of factors, starting from the low birth rate in previous decades and ending with changes in the technological foundations of manufacturing industries," he explained. “This is complemented by the low level of forecasting of the economy's personnel needs, the lack of coordination between the education system and the training of specialists with the priorities of the country's economic development, as well as the ineffective management of labor migration flows, both external and internal.
“With the constant growth of the economy of the Russian Federation, economic activity and the population continue to be concentrated in a limited number of regions,“ added Shoigu. "As a result of accelerated growth, nine subjects of the Russian Federation provide more than half of the total gross regional product. A third of the country's population lives in eight subjects of the Russian Federation, including Moscow and the Moscow Region - 15%. At the same time, the share of residents of small and medium-sized cities, as well as rural areas in the population of the Russian Federation is decreasing."
The intelligence services of hostile countries, through their associated non-governmental structures and the media, are trying to interfere in the internal affairs of Russia, Shoigu said.
„Attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of the Russian Federation are being carried out by the special services of unfriendly countries and various non-governmental structures associated with them, the mass media, and also individuals. A significant set of measures has been implemented to counter this threat,“ he noted.
Last year, the activities of 41 foreign non-governmental organizations were recognized as undesirable on the territory of the Russian Federation - mainly from the USA, Great Britain, Canada, Germany, Poland, Latvia, Ukraine (there are a total of 129 such organizations on the list) and the activities of their structural divisions that harmed the security of Russia were suspended.
“In 2024, the Ministry of Justice of Russia included 164 legal entities and individuals in the unified register of foreign agents (there are a total of 921 foreign agents in the register)“, recalled the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation. “Measures are constantly being taken to identify and terminate the activities of foreign organizations that serve as a resource base for anti-Russian activity and are recognized as undesirable in the country. In accordance with the requirements of the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation, websites are blocked in a timely manner and access to Internet resources with an anti-Russian focus is restricted.“
He also noted that to counter extremist manifestations, threats to the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the country, the foundations of the constitutional order of Russia, with the coordinating role of the Security Council, a new Strategy for Countering Extremism in the Russian Federation has been developed and approved by Russian President Vladimir Putin. "This document takes into account modern realities, risks and threats in this area. The development of a plan for its implementation is currently being completed," Shoigu summarized.
Migrants commit about 2% of the total number of crimes in the country, Shoigu said.
„At the end of last year, there were 6.3 million foreign citizens in Russia, in 2023 - 5.9 million people. At the same time, the number of crimes committed by them remains practically unchanged and amounts to 38.6 thousand. This is about 2% of the total number of crimes registered in the country,“ the Secretary of the Security Council noted.
He explained that at the same time, the share of people who have exceeded their legal stay in the Russian Federation, “exceeds 10%“. “3.4 million protocols for administrative violations have been drawn up against foreign citizens. In connection with the criminal prosecution for serious and especially serious crimes, about 1,500 people have been deprived of Russian citizenship,“ Shoigu announced.
“The measures taken to strengthen public safety and combat crime help reduce the level of criminal activity. In 2024, 1.9 million crimes were registered. Compared to 2023, the decrease is 1.8%. "In general, we are forming a long-term stable trend towards reducing crime," he noted the positive trends.
„At the same time, the number of serious and especially serious crimes committed by organized groups or criminal communities continues to grow by 17.1% in 2024," Shoigu continued. „The number of frauds has increased by 2.8%. The growth of corruption crimes is 5.8%“.
According to him, the "large number of serious and especially serious crimes committed by minors" is alarming. "Almost every ninth teenager was intoxicated at the time of their commission, and every fifth had previously violated the law," the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation noted.
"We have not been able to achieve significant results in the field of crime prevention," he said. "As before, more than half of criminal acts are committed by persons who have previously been held criminally liable, and almost every fourth crime is committed while intoxicated."
The insufficient level of staffing of law enforcement agencies and security forces, including in the new subjects of the Russian Federation, has a negative impact on solving public safety problems, Shoigu pointed out. “The problems with involving citizens and organizations in maintaining public order have not been fully resolved“, he added.
Russia has introduced organizational and technical measures to ensure the security of the Russian segment of the Internet, Shoigu said.
“The coordinated activities of all interested agencies with the coordinating role of the Security Council have made it possible to prevent critical disruptions in the functioning of important information resources“, he said. “Organizational and technical measures have been introduced to ensure the security of the Russian segment of the Internet and protect critical information infrastructure, including countering DDoS attacks.
According to him, in the context of geopolitical confrontation, Western countries continue to increase pressure on Russia in the information sphere. “Computer attacks have become a key element of the hybrid information impact on Russia. Attempts to gain unauthorized access to systems that ensure the functioning of economic, state and military administration facilities continue,“ the Secretary of the Russian Security Council noted. “Further development of methods and means of destructive influence using artificial intelligence and social engineering technologies is planned.“
In addition, taking into account the so-called Special Military Operation, “a law was adopted on a special procedure for processing personal data of certain categories of citizens, since these data can be used to exert psychological pressure on participants in a special operation and their family members“.
„The complex of challenges and threats that Russia faces today, the aggravation of its relations with the West are not accidental, but have an objective nature and are determined by the very course of the historical process. Remember – the Russian president warned about the possibility of such a development of events back at the Munich Conference in 2007“, Shoigu gave an example.
„Strategic planning today is not the USSR State Planning Committee, although even then it was planned for decades ahead, and not just „five-year plans“.
„The special military operation was launched precisely in connection with the need to protect the national interests of the Russian Federation. Even in the conditions of the special operation, they have not changed. The achievement of the goals – denazification and demilitarization of Ukraine – is precisely one of the conditions for the further peaceful development of our country“, emphasized the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation.
"The crisis in the field of European security provoked by the West, the formation of a new architecture, rules and principles of the world order are accompanied for the Russian Federation by the emergence of new challenges and threats, as well as additional opportunities that must be taken into account in the implementation of the Strategy“.
„In the context of the extremely dynamic international situation, the importance of forecasting strategic risks and threats to national security, the development of scenarios for the development of global trends, crisis situations and timely response“, explained Shoigu.