Putin talks about threat to Russian sovereignty

(MENAFN) President Vladimir Putin has cautioned that Russia risks losing its sovereignty if it becomes overly dependent on oil and gas revenues while neglecting domestic manufacturing in favor of foreign imports.

In an interview aired on Sunday with journalist Pavel Zarubin, Putin emphasized the importance of technological self-sufficiency, particularly highlighting the decades-long push to localize automobile production in Russia. He recalled that during the 1990s, some officials favored abandoning car manufacturing in favor of importing foreign vehicles—a view he opposed.

“If we rely solely on oil and gas revenues to buy everything we need—and now the West is trying to limit our access to those resources—Russia will lose its competitiveness and ultimately its sovereignty,” Putin warned.

He explained that Russia initially worked with Western carmakers who built assembly plants in the country. By the early 2010s, localization rules were tightened, pushing automakers to produce more parts domestically. Putin noted that these efforts proved crucial after the 2022 Ukraine conflict escalated and Western companies exited Russia amid sanctions.

In 2024, Russia sold approximately 1.571 million new passenger cars—a 48% increase—with domestic brand Lada leading the market at 28% (436,155 units), according to Autostat. The rest of the top ten brands were Chinese. Russian manufacturer Kamaz remained the top truck producer, despite an overall sales decline.

Putin has actively promoted Russian-made vehicles, often driving Lada and Kamaz models himself. His official presidential vehicle is an Aurus limousine, and in 2024 he gifted Aurus cars to North Korea’s Kim Jong-un and Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

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