President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Comrade officers, dear veterans,
I congratulate you on your professional holiday, Rescue Worker’s Day.
First of all, I want to thank you for doing your demanding and difficult work that is fraught with danger, for solving a large array of tasks assigned to the Russian Emergencies Ministry in a laudable, honest and scrupulous manner. All of these tasks are highly responsible, important and meaningful for our citizens, society and the state, and are directly connected with protecting people’s health and lives.
In the outgoing year, the Emergency Ministry’s units faced off flooding aftermath, saved towns and villages from fire in many Russian regions, and solved crucial issues in fighting the coronavirus epidemic.
I will specially highlight the fact that the Ministry’s specialists were actively and professionally engaged in Russia’s humanitarian missions in Afghanistan, Syria and other countries, and delivered coronavirus vaccines to Cuba, Mozambique, India and the Republic of South Africa.
I want to stress again that our rescue workers are among the best in terms of professionalism, experience, speed and precision of performing most complicated and extraordinary missions. You set standards for your colleagues around the globe to follow. Russia is rightly proud of you. Our citizens can be confident that Emergencies Ministry personnel are always ready to come to the rescue at any time of day or night and will engage all reserves and all available means, equipment and staff to quickly liquidate any threat and will be fighting for each person even at the cost of their lives.
Our comrades who sacrificed their lives for others will remain with us forever in the roll of honour of the Emergencies Ministry’s best personnel. Among them are courageous and fearless rescue workers who died at the Listvyazhnaya mine and the Emergencies Minister, Army General Yevgeny Zinichev.
I am confident that the Russian rescue workers will always honour, carefully preserve and follow the traditions of selfless dedicated service to their country and people. This is a reliable basis for enhancing the Ministry’s personnel, for comprehensive professional training and further growth of young officers who feel deep and sincere respect towards veterans of the rescue service who stood at the origins of the present-day system of the Russian Emergencies Ministry. Their personal contribution to its establishment and development deserves high praise and appreciation.
Once again I congratulate all of you on your professional holiday and the coming New Year. I wish you success in your noble and much needed service, happiness and good health to you and your families.