In an annual address to parliament Putin painted a glowing picture of his government's performance in 2010, stressing achievements ranging from economic growth to new infrastructure and social development.
Russia needs to be strong and avoid experiments with "unjustified liberalism" in order to safeguard its sovereignty and prevent outsiders from dictating the country's development, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said.
Putin set out an array of far-reaching goals that he said should see Russia emerge as one of the "top five global economies" within the next 10 years.
"In the modern world - if you are weak - there will always be someone who wants to come and advise you on what direction you must move in, what policies to pursue and the path you should choose for your own country," Putin said. "We must be independent and strong."
"The country needs a decade of stable, calm development, without going to extremes one way or the other, without ill-conceived experiments, confusion over sometimes unjustified liberalism or social demagogy," the 58-year-old prime minister said, his comments frequently applauded by the lawmakers.
Referring to a policy centerpiece of Medvedev's administration - innovation - Putin said that acquisition of modern technology and know-how from abroad was useful up to a point but stressed investment at home would be decisive in achieving Russia's development goals. "That is the source of innovation," Putin said.
Russia has emerged from the global financial crisis in far better shape than most countries and will completely offset economic crisis-related losses by the start of 2012, before moving on to new achievements, Putin said.
It is essential to secure peace inside the country and prevent any attempts to split Russian society, Putin said in the wake of protests and coups that have swept the Middle East and North Africa in the past few months.
Putin emphasized the need to strengthen Russia's defense capability, modernize and upgrade weapons, including in the Navy and the Air Force, saying missile production will double from 2013.
