Putin: Traditional values important

MOSCOW, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed "traditional values" and an education to prepare youth for adulthood in his state-of-the-union address Wednesday.

"It pains me to speak of this ... but Russian society today lacks spiritual braces -- kindness, sympathy, compassion toward one another, support and mutual assistance, a deficit of that which has always, throughout history, made us stronger," he said in his address in Moscow.

Putin asked the government to provide supplementary education for Russia's young people to focus on "vospitanie," a cultural concept referring to the preparation of young people for adulthood, RIA Novosti reported.

Putin said schools are losing their impact on young people to the Internet and electronic media, and said educators should update their curriculum and provide an array of electives and programs for children of all financial backgrounds.

Meanwhile, he said more emphasis should be placed on teaching history and Russian language to strengthen national identity.

"We must wholly support institutions that are the bearers of traditional values and have historically proven their ability to transmit them from generation to generation," Putin said.