Putin warns Russia to beware of foreign meddling

President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday denounced opponents who receive financial assistance from abroad and vowed that Russia would not allow democracy to be imposed from the outside. In his first annual state-of-the-nation address since he returned to the Kremlin for a third term, Putin struck a patriotic chord, telling Russians to have more babies and behave with greater morality. His iciest warning came for opposition politicians deemed to be close to the West, saying it should be illegal for anyone who receives money from abroad to be a politician in Russia. "Direct or indirect outside interference in our internal political processes is unacceptable," Putin said in his speech in the Kremlin. "People who receive money from abroad for their political activities -- most likely serving foreign national interests -- cannot be politicians in the Russian Federation." Putin also said parliament should introduce legislation to "limit the rights" of officials and politicians to have foreign bank accounts and shares. Putin’s annual speech to the Federal Assembly of both houses of parliament came one year after disputed parliamentary elections sparked the first mass street protests against his domination of Russia. In May, the Russian strongman returned to the Kremlin for a third term as president following his four-year stint as prime minister, with activists complaining he had swiftly hit back with a crackdown on civil society. This included a law rushed through parliament forcing non-government organisations which receive money from abroad to register as foreign agents, a move activists said stigmatised their work. Putin did not make specific reference to the protests but acknowledged the need for change in Russia while warning that dialogue was only possible with those acting within the law. "A civilised dialogue is only possible with those political forces who put forward, justify and formulate their demands in a civilised manner and defend them within the bounds of the law," Putin added. "Changing, modernising a political system is a natural and even necessary process," he said in the one-and-a-half hour speech. He said that Russia needed more morality and spirituality in society but also said it was important that the authorities did not behave like an "isolated caste". "Being a patriot does not just mean showing respect and love towards your history but above all serving society and the country," Putin said. Analyst and former Kremlin adviser Gleb Pavlovsky said patriotism was once again the major theme of the speech and this explained the new attack on foreign-funded opposition. “As long as Putin talks about patriotism he is obliged to show that somewhere the anti-patriots are hiding. He seeks them among mythical political structures which are supposedly financed abroad," he told AFP. "It is a phantom topic.” The Russian opposition is planning a new anti-Putin mass rally on Saturday, which will be a crucial test of whether there is still life in the protest movement one year on. Putin however said that the government should not act through "bans and restrictions" and it would be unacceptable for post-Soviet Russia to go down the path of totalitarianism. "A lot has been done for the first 12 years of the new century," said Putin, referring to his period in power. "Today our task is to create a rich and trouble-free Russia," Putin said, peppering his address with quotes from Nobel Prize-winning writer and dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn and historian and anthropologist Lev Gumilev. Putin spoke in dramatic terms about the challenges in the next decades, with global development becoming less equal and competition increasing for natural and human resources. "The next years will be decisive and maybe even critical not just for us but practically the entire world which is moving into an era of cardinal changes and maybe even shocks," Putin said. With net capital outflows in Russia at $61 billion so far this year, Putin also ordered an end to the "offshore-risation" of the Russian economy whereby top Russian firms register abroad. With an eye to popular support, he also ordered a luxury tax to be introduced on top-scale apartments and cars beloved of the Russian super rich. Putin said Russia was making progress in combatting its demographic decline after the collapse of the USSR and said it should be the "norm" for Russian families to have three children.