“The scale, the territory, the population, and natural resources are inalienable components of a great power. Had we seen the meaning of this phrase better and not reduced it to a cliché, we would probably have been more careful with what we have inherited from the previous generations of Russians, all citizens of Russia, who lived in this territory and worked hard to accumulate the wealth which we are using now and which we must protect.”
Vladimir Putin At a congress of the Russian Geographical Society
