Social provisions for military servicemen and war veterans, military-patriotic education for young people, and development of social and sports infrastructure in the regions were among the subjects of discussion at the meeting. Following the meeting, the President gave a number of instructions to the relevant departments in the Presidential Executive Office and the Government Staff.
In March 2000, during an operation in Chechnya’s Argun Gorge, 84 soldiers from the sixth paratrooper company of the 76th Guards Chernigov Red Banner Airborne Division’s 104th paratrooper regiment died in action. Twenty-two servicemen were decorated with the Hero of Russia title for their heroism, and 69 were awarded the Order of Courage, 63 of them posthumously. In 2001, Mr Putin visited the site where the battle took place, laid flowers, and unveiled a monument to the fallen soldiers.