President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Dear friends,
I am sincerely pleased to congratulate the workers and veterans of Russia’s coal industry on Miners’ Day and to thank our miners, engineers, technologists, and workers from Kuzbass, Donbass, the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Khakassia, Yakutia, and the coal-producing regions of the North, Siberia, and the Far East for their hard work and dedication, and for their significant contribution to ensuring our country’s energy security and strengthening its sovereignty, as well as economic, and defence capabilities.
Your profession is inextricably linked with the history of our country. Your predecessors laid the foundations of its industrial strength, providing a powerful impetus to the development of metallurgy, mechanical engineering, and transport. During the Great Patriotic War, they made an enormous contribution to keeping factories and industrial plants running without interruption and supplying the front with everything it needed, and in the post-war years, to rebuilding devastated cities and enterprises.
Coal, coke, iron ore, and other mineral resources with which nature has so generously endowed Russia remain among the foundations of the national economy today. Our country ranks second in the world in coal reserves, third in exports, and sixth in production. Despite the difficult period the coal industry is currently going through, Russia continues to hold a leading position on the global market. Domestic demand for both coking and thermal coal is also fully met.
Last year, the industry maintained production at 440 million tonnes, while continuing to improve labour productivity, which has risen by 18 percent over the past five years.
We will continue to do everything possible to support the development of the coal industry, optimise transport logistics, ensure workplace safety, improve the quality of life of miners and their families, and enhance living conditions in mining cities and towns.
Friends,
By successfully introducing digital innovations and high-performance equipment, you are once again demonstrating that modern coal mining is an industry of the future. To preserve and strengthen the proud traditions of the mining industry and ensure its continued development, we must prioritise training skilled personnel for the entire coal sector and enhance the prestige of the mining profession.
Mining itself demands exceptional courage and perseverance. It is a profession of strong-willed people with a unique intuition, an ability to “listen” to the mine and make the right decisions in an instant.
I wish you and your loved ones good health and prosperity. Happy Miners’ Day, dear friends.