12 December 2012 Last updated at 04:04 ET
Mr Putin is making his ninth such speech
Putin warns of foreign meddling in politics in Russia
Mr Putin is making his ninth such speech
Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested some opposition politicians are in the pay of foreign interests, saying it is unacceptable.
In an annual state-of-the-nation address in Moscow strong on patriotic themes, he talked of the need to preserve Russian national identity.
He urged more births, saying a family with three children should be the norm.
There would be greater financial support for families in regions worst hit by a demographic crisis, he said.
Appealing to patriotic feeling, Mr Putin pointed out that Russia had no worthy monument to its dead of World War I, an event largely eclipsed by the October Revolution of 1917.
It is his first such speech since being re-elected in March for a third term following a winter of political protests over ballot-rigging and state corruption.
His return to office has been accompanied by a crackdown on dissent with the arrest of opposition activists and introduction of restrictive legislation.
Opposition leaders are locked in a dispute with the city authorities in Moscow over plans for a protest march on Saturday.
Mr Putin gave no names when he made his accusation of foreign interference.
"Any external interference in our affairs is unacceptable," he said.
"A politician who receives money from beyond the borders of the Russian Federation cannot be a politician on its territory," he said to applause.
On the theme of nationality, he said: "Not only should we develop confidently but keep our national identity, and not lose ourselves as a nation." bbc
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