Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev during an interview with the Rossiya Segodnya news agency and the RT TV channel. Archival photoMOSCOW, March 26Western sanctions for Russia are not fatal difficulties, they cannot be compared with the terrible trials of the country in the 20th century and even with the problems of the coronavirus, Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview with RIA Novosti.< p>"Yes, there are difficulties, they will have to be overcome, this is obvious. Unfortunately, they exist both at the state level and at the household level. But, firstly, we are no strangers to these difficulties, and, secondly, these are, you know, not fatal difficulties. This cannot be compared with the terrible trials that our country went through in the 20th century. I’ll even say more: these are not even the problems that we had in our heads when the world was faced with the pandemic of the new coronavirus",” Medvedev said.
He noted that during the pandemic, “at times it was uncomfortable.” “Because we did not understand what laws this virus, wherever it came from, develops. And whether it will mow down, as in well-known science fiction works, a significant part humanity. That's when, in this sense, the tension, in my opinion, was greater,» Medvedev added. He called the death of a huge number of people from the virus the saddest thing. jpg» />Medvedev called «stupid» attempts by the West to influence the Russian authoritiesMedvedev, in response to a question about sanctions, which mentioned Cuba, where they still drive cars of the 1960s, joked that he had sold his Zhiguli in vain. «It's a pity, I sold I once had a Zhiguli car, a seven, it would come in handy now,” he said jokingly. On February 24, Russia launched a military operation to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine. In response, Western countries announced large-scale sanctions against Moscow, primarily in the banking sector and the supply of high-tech products. Some brands have announced the termination of work in the country. The Kremlin called these measures an economic war, the likes of which have not yet been. The authorities stressed their readiness for such a development of events and assured that they would continue to fulfill social obligations. The Bank of Russia is taking measures to stabilize the situation on the foreign exchange market. The authorities also announced the transfer of payments for gas supplies to unfriendly countries into rubles. In addition, the government has prepared a plan to counter restrictive measures, which includes about a hundred initiatives. The volume of its funding will amount to about a trillion rubles. President Vladimir Putin signed a decree the day before, expanding the powers of regional authorities in the socio-economic sphere. The document also obliges them to increase social benefits, provide targeted support to citizens, ensure price stability for essential goods, control the situation on the labor market and reduce administrative barriers for private businesses. The president also announced an increase in pensions, a living wage and salaries for state employees.