The award was presented to Yevgeny Filonov, principal of the Serpeisk Secondary Comprehensive School, a deputy of the Meshchovsk Municipal District in the Kaluga Region and a veteran of the special military operation.
Established in 2023 on the President's instructions, the Service municipal award recognises outstanding achievements by municipal officials in improving the quality of life of their constituents.
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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Colleagues,
The All-Russian Municipal Forum, Small Homeland – the Strength of Russia, is an important event for our country. It brings together heads of districts and regions, representatives of public organisations, rural and urban settlements, municipal employees, and members of municipal councils.
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I also extend a warm welcome to representatives of the international municipal community attending the forum. It is encouraging to see your cooperation continue to grow and strengthen. I sincerely wish all participants productive discussions, success, and fruitful future cooperation.
Friends,
Today we celebrate Local Self-Government Day. There are many professional holidays and festive events – today included – but Local Self-Government Day holds special significance for our country. It matters not only to those working in this field, but also to everyone gathered here, and to all citizens. After all, it ensures direct engagement with people and helps address the most urgent, sometimes immediate, yet critically important issues.
A special word of appreciation goes to municipal teams working in our historical territories – the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics, the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, as well as border and other areas exposed to terrorist attacks. The courage of those who, despite risks to their health and lives, continue to work selflessly is an example for the entire country. Among the finalists are individuals who have endured these difficult challenges. Thank you.
Colleagues, your work in every constituent entity of Russia takes a great deal of strength, time and energy. People bring their concerns and needs to you. The atmosphere in all cities and villages, and the mood and sentiments of the people depend on your efforts to deal with problems promptly and on your attentive and thorough approach to their requests.
It is important to remember that we all work to strengthen the country's sovereignty and security, and to ensure its sustainable and independent development. Government officials at all levels are essentially a single team, and municipal officials form this team's foundation. For citizens, you represent the face of the entire public administration system. It is at the local level that people’s confidence in the future is shaped, and thus the foundation is laid for our continued progress and for Russia's development.
Colleagues,
Your forum, which is being held for the third time, has become a respected platform for discussing current issues. One of its highlights is the celebration of the best members of municipal authorities, the winners and laureates of the municipal award Service.
The veterans of the special military operation have moved from the battlefield to the forefront of municipal service. Their readiness to take responsible decisions can enhance the effectiveness of municipal authorities. They are working successfully in various positions, doing a great deal to support their comrades-in-arms who are on the frontline and those who have returned home wounded, as well as their families and the relatives of our heroes who have given their lives for our Motherland.
The experience of veterans of the special military operation is extremely important for socially significant projects and initiatives. You are aware of the Time of Heroes federal programme and similar regional personnel projects. I hope that thanks to these programmes local self-governments will have more new leaders, real leaders who understand and are aware of people’s needs and are doing everything in their power to resolve these problems.
I would like to remind you that we will hold State Duma elections next autumn. The residents of our four historical reincorporated regions will participate in them for the first time.
We understand that these elections will be held in complicated conditions, and that our opponents, or more precisely, our adversaries, above all external ones, will try to use every possible method to split and destabilise Russian society. I am confident that all these attempts will be foiled, and that our voters will opt for constructive political programmes and ideas, for patriots and people of action.
This year, 2026, has been declared the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia. Together, we must preserve and strengthen this unique heritage. Given the vital role of local communities in this process, the award has been expanded to include a new category: Unity of the Peoples of Russia – Strength of the Country.
There are many examples in our history of how unity has secured the Fatherland’s great victories and achievements. Today, we clearly understand that the most important thing is to stand together. Only through unity can we achieve our goals in the special military operation, and through solidarity and personal responsibility – each doing their part – we will achieve the country’s strategic priorities and ensure its long-term development.
I would also like to touch upon another issue that I know concerns municipalities. It may be a technical matter, but it is nonetheless very important. A law on regulatory and supervisory activities in relation to municipalities has recently been signed. I want to emphasise this: while we must always act in the interests of the people – those interests must unquestionably be protected – regulatory and supervisory bodies should not act in a purely formal manner or, as they say, go too far. The objective is not to generate statistics on penalties, but to resolve the real problems people face.
In this regard, I would like to draw the attention of regulatory and supervisory authorities, as well as the judicial community and bailiffs, to the importance of taking into account the full range of circumstances in which we live and work. This includes situations where there are objective obstacles to the exercise of certain powers, including financial constraints.
We all understand very well – especially you who are working on the ground – that in practice we sometimes have to rely on resources not enshrined in existing regulations, to operate under financial limitations, and to address inconsistencies in legislation. Life is complex and constantly evolving; as lawyers say, by the time a law is adopted, it is already outdated. Reality always runs ahead of formal rules.
(Applause.)
You are required to make prompt decisions that directly affect people’s lives. While it is important to comply with regulations, nothing is more important than people’s lives and health. Supervisory, oversight, and judicial authorities must take these realities into account.
Let me remind you that the Constitutional Court of Russia has supported precisely this approach. I therefore ask supervisory, law enforcement, and judicial bodies to be guided by it in their enforcement and judicial practice.
(Applause.)
Colleagues,
Local governance means people, their activism and desire to go the extra mile to improve our citizens’ lives. We must support these initiatives as much as we can. Today I am delighted to launch the new season of the national poll on projects for a comfortable urban environment.
This contest has become a true catalyst for positive changes. Last year, more than 1,600 municipal entities participated, and over 16.5 million people voted online. As you know, we allocate 25 billion rubles for the best projects from the federal budget every year.
This mechanism allows residents to influence their cities’ appearance directly, and therefore, their voices must be heard. Public polls also determine the winners of the Service award. The number of poll participants constantly grows, exceeding 1.5 million people this year. Your hard work resonates with people. Once again, we deeply appreciate it.
We can proceed with the ceremony now.
(The awards ceremony begins.)
Service award winner Yevgeny Filonov: Mr President, friends.
It is a great honour for me to be on this stage, not only as a deputy of the Meshchovsky District of the Kaluga Region but also as a person who took up arms to defend my home region – and it is what we are talking about today.
This forum is about people, about the home front that our troops are defending, and about our future.
I want to thank my fellow countrymen, Kaluga residents, my brothers-in-arms, and my students, who, I know, are watching TV now, for their support in this contest.
Mr President, thank you for supporting local initiatives and projects and inspiring us with your example to serve the Motherland. Thank you very much.
I serve the Kaluga Region and Russia. Victory will be ours!
Vladimir Putin: Once again, my heartfelt congratulations to the winners.
Soon, we will be celebrating another anniversary of the Soviet people’s Victory in the Great Patriotic War. Just now, our biggest laureate, who stood on this stage next to his comrades, spoke about the home front.
You know, it occurred to me that during the Great Patriotic War, the entire home front laboured for the front, for our soldiers and defenders. They manufactured tanks, aircraft, artillery guns and munitions, but their efforts did not stop there. During the harshest months of the Great Patriotic War, the cold winter of 1941–1942, much like today, Soviet children, grandmothers and other women knitted socks and sent small packages and gifts to the front. Why didn’t they do it in Germany? German soldiers froze to death as they reached Moscow. And no socks were coming from Germany.
This unity determines our success and victories. This unity sustains us today. Congratulations, thank you and good luck.
I will meet with some of our colleagues shortly.
Congratulations and my best wishes.