🎙 Excerpt from President Vladimir Putin's address at the first meeting of the ninth State Duma

💬 The State Duma's first meeting is taking place on a significant date: exactly four years ago, the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics and the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions became full-fledged constituent entities of the Russian Federation, reuniting with Greater Russia.

I am pleased to congratulate all citizens of our country on Unification Day. This holiday embodies our people’s unwavering aspiration to restore historical unity and the righteous struggle of the Russian people, our entire nation and the people of Donbass and Novorossiya for freedom and justice.

It commemorates the heroic deeds of the 2014 militias and the heroes of the special military operation who stood up to defend the Motherland and our people. The will and dreams of our brothers and sisters – our compatriots – who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Despite the most challenging conditions close to the front line, millions of people took part in referendums, and I would like to emphasise that they did so in strict compliance with international law. Their choice was absolutely clear and unequivocal: to reunite with Russia and its people.

Today, we are fighting together, and together we are rebuilding and reviving Donbass and Novorossiya.

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