OREANDA-NEWS  Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered to extend the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia. The head of state made such a statement at a meeting of the Council on Interethnic Relations.

"I believe that the Year of Unity should not end on December 31, and I would ask all of you, dear colleagues, to think about how to extend this work and in what formats. This needs to be done all the time," Putin said.

Putin added that thousands of events have been held across the country this year, which have strengthened ties between peoples, nationalities, ethnicities, and all regions, territories, and republics of Russia. At the meeting, he called for further implementation of successful initiatives and productive projects.

Earlier, Putin said that external forces are trying to split Russian society, but this process has always been there. He pointed out that the opponents were trying to reduce the strategic potential of the country and even dismember it itself.

Prior to that, Putin said that unity is the main condition for preserving Russia's territorial integrity.

The head of the Russian Federation also spoke about the behavior of people in combat conditions, stressing that during the period of severe trials, people do not think about the differences.