Website of the President of Russia: Photos: Meetings and Conferences

Meeting of the Council for Culture

2026-03-26T18:58:43+04:00

The President chaired a meeting of the Presidential Council for Culture via videoconference. The agenda covered a broad range of matters dealing with the film industry, literature, and ballet.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Colleagues, friends,

I am delighted to welcome the members of the Council for Culture meeting, as well as its guests.

We are once again holding this meeting on Culture Worker’s Day, your professional holiday. I would like to begin by congratulating you and all Russian musicians, artists, writers, actors, museum and library workers, as well as people working in theatres and cultural clubs, and all the specialised educational institutions.

The agenda for this meeting of the Council reflects the cultural landscape in its diversity. Among other things, we will be discussing matters dealing with cinema production and distribution.

Much has been done in recent years to generate steady development momentum for our national film industry and enhance its competitiveness. At the same time, we must ensure that people, primarily the younger generation, discover the best films of the past, considering that our country’s film industry has built a long-standing record of success and achievement.

Overall, we must educate children, teenagers and young people on a more system-wide basis about the way Russian art and our great masters influenced world culture at various stages of history. This is a very important element of the educational process.

Moreover, I believe that the younger generation must not only learn about art but also be empowered to practise it by learning to paint, dance, and master music from a very young age. We have built an effective and impressive multi-tiered system in arts education in our country, which requires our constant support.

At the previous meeting, we discussed infrastructure development in the cultural sector. In this connection, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the regions of the Russian Federation must step up their efforts in this domain.

I call for a more proactive approach to upgrading existing cultural institutions and building new ones, equipping them, and helping creatives and their associations by offering them preferential terms for leasing property and land. Those who work with young people must be the first to benefit from this kind of assistance.

It is essential that we support those who write books, plays, screenplays, and poetry for children and young people, while remembering, of course, as a famous children’s classic aptly noted, that today’s children will form the nation of tomorrow.

Overall, since 2026 has been designated the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia, we must pay more attention to literature and the book industry, especially in the regions, as well as authors and translators working in minority languages while remaining part of the single Russian literary landscape.

I suggest that we get down to work and begin discussing our agenda. I give the floor to Vladimir Medinsky.

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Meeting with Government members

2026-03-19T14:34:50+04:00

The President held a meeting with Government members via videoconference on the socioeconomic development of Crimea and Sevastopol to mark the 12^th anniversary of the peninsula’s reunification with Russia.

Participants in the meeting included Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Anton Vaino, First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Sergei Kiriyenko, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Maxim Oreshkin, deputy prime ministers Tatyana Golikova, Alexander Novak, Alexei Overchuk, Dmitry Patrushev, Vitaly Savelyev, Marat Khusnullin, Dmitry Chernyshenko, Deputy Prime Minister – Chief of the Government Staff Dmitry Grigorenko, Deputy Prime Minister – Plenipotentiary Presidential Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District Yury Trutnev, Economic Development Minister Maxim Reshetnikov, and Finance Minister Anton Siluanov. Minister of Sport Mikhail Degtyarev, Head of the Republic of Crimea Sergei Aksyonov, Governor of the Federal City of Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhayev and Director General of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives Svetlana Chupsheva were also invited to attend the meeting.

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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Colleagues, good afternoon.

First of all, I would like to congratulate you and all our people on the Day of Crimea’s Reunification with Russia.

Today, our men, our heroes who are taking part in the special military operation are fighting for this bold and, without exaggeration, historical choice made by the people of Crimea and Sevastopol in 2014, and today by the people in the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions to be with their Motherland.

That choice remains firm and unchanged. It is rooted in the destiny of our Fatherland, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that it can be viewed as one of the defining pillars in its millennial history, a symbol of the unity, will and cohesion of our multi-ethnic and diverse nation.

Much has been done over the past years to advance the development of Crimea and Sevastopol. About 1.3 trillion rubles have been allocated to addressing Crimea’s priority socioeconomic issues over a period of 12 years.

Transport and engineering infrastructure, energy supply systems, and industry, education, and healthcare facilities are being rebuilt, and new ones are being created.

New investment projects are being implemented in Crimea and Sevastopol with the participation of the state and private businesses. The newly built production facilities manufacture goods that are in strong demand. High-quality jobs are being created, and wages are rising. The region’s well-functioning free economic zone, now home to more than 1,600 registered residents, is also making a significant contribution.

I would like the Government to continue paying close attention to advancing these constituent entities of the Federation, strengthening their economic potential and industrial base, and improving the local standard of living.

Today, we are joined live by a number of newly completed and successfully operating projects in Crimea and Sevastopol.

We will begin with an indoor ice rink in Sevastopol, which will undoubtedly become a leading centre for ice hockey, figure skating, and other winter sports in this southern region, contributing to their growing popularity primarily among young athletes, children, and teenagers, who will be able to engage regularly in physical activity.

The next facility we are opening today is designed to protect the health of the younger generation. I’m referring to the Federal Children’s Rehabilitation Centre in Yevpatoria. Medical professionals working in its new buildings equipped with advanced medical equipment will provide specialised high-tech care to young patients with diseases of the nervous system, the musculoskeletal system, sensory organs, and other somatic conditions.

We will conclude the videoconference with the commissioning of upgraded water treatment facilities near the city of Sudak which will significantly reduce the discharge of untreated water and improve the environmental situation, which comes under additional strain during the summer months, when millions of tourists come to Crimean resorts.

For your information, a total of 27 sewage treatment plants will be built or renovated: 24 in Crimea and three in Sevastopol. Work has been completed on ten sites: eight in Crimea and two in Sevastopol. Construction is underway at 13 sites, and four more are being designed.

I would like to thank everyone – builders, workers, and engineers, as well as designers and utilities personnel, and many other specialists – who were involved in the wide-scale effort to rebuild our historical regions.

I would also like to take this opportunity to offer my best wishes to you on the occasion of your professional holiday -Public Services and Housing and Utilities Workers’ Day – which was marked on March 15.

The well-being and safety of everyone without exception depend on your daily work, the quality of your performance, and your responsible approach as you continue to ensure the uninterrupted supply of water, electricity, and heating to houses and flats, as well as cleanliness and proper order in the streets of Russian urban and rural areas.

Before giving the floor to Mr Khusnullin who will brief us on these facilities and the current developments in Crimea and Sevastopol, I suggest we first consider a number of current issues, as we usually do.

I would also like to invite Minister of Sport Mikhail Degtyarev to offer a few remarks about the Russian national team’s performance at the Paralympics and about future plans in high-performance sports.

Mr Degtyarev, the floor is yours.

Minister of Sport Mikhail Degtyarev: Mr President,

The Paralympic Games in Italy held special significance. For the first time in 12 years, our athletes competed under the Russian flag. The team was represented in three out of six sports: cross-country skiing, alpine skiing, and snowboarding. We have not yet been admitted to wheelchair curling, biathlon, or sledge hockey, and we are continuing to challenge this in courts.

All six of our Paralympians proved themselves true heroes. Champions and medallists of the Games included skiers Varvara Voronchikhina, Ivan Golubkov, Alexei Bugayev, and Anastasia Bagiyan, together with guide Sergei Sinyakin. They won a total of 12 medals, eight of them gold.

This outcome secured Russia a place in the top three of the overall team standings, which is a record achievement. The international press has been abuzz, and the public around the world is stunned. To put that in perspective, China fielded 70 para-athletes, followed by the United States with 68. Over 600 athletes in all took part in the Games. Thanks to these victories, the sporting world is once again becoming accustomed to the sound of the Russian national anthem.

Sending our six trailblazers was made possible by two developments. At the General Assembly of the International Paralympic Committee, which we reported to you on in October last year, the majority of the countries voted for allowing our athletes to compete with their flag and anthem. The second decision was a Swiss court ruling in a case against the International Ski and Snowboard Federation. As a result, our skiers were able to compete in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.

We engaged in a truly uphill battle to turn these two keys – diplomatic and legal. By the way, thanks to the same court ruling, our skiers Savely Korostelyov and Darya Nepryayeva were also able to take part in the Olympic Games.

The atmosphere at the Paralympics was friendly for the Russian athletes. All competitors showed respect for our national symbols. A couple of incidents merely demonstrated that troublemakers are just a big-mouth minority, and everyone is tired of them and prefers to stay away from them.

Olympic and Paralympic champions and medallists will receive the customary rewards. On your instruction, Mr President, we are working on an adjustment; the Ministry of Sport has drafted a government resolution to this end.

Just a brief remark about the high-performance sport. During the Paralympic Games, the International Olympic Committee responded to calls to suspend Israeli and American athletes in connection with the military actions unleashed by those countries against Iran. The IOC stated that, in a world shaken by conflicts, disagreements, and tragedies, it firmly believes that sport must remain a beacon of hope and a force uniting the world in peaceful competition. We take these words as signalling a new direction from the new leadership towards restoring the integrity of sport and strengthening the principles of Olympism.

As per your instructions, the Ministry of Sport and the Olympic Committee are gradually restoring our athletes’ rights. Over the past two years, we have conducted dozens of negotiations with international partners. The IOC has now decided to allow our young athletes to compete in all international competitions under their own flag and anthem. Sixteen international federations have already implemented this decision, and the rest are expected to follow. The Russian flag is now regularly raised, and the anthem played, at numerous European and world championships.

In addition, we secured a political victory at UNESCO during a five-hour vote: we joined the Project Approval Committee of the Fund for the Elimination of Doping in Sport, defeating the collective West, which had supported Estonia’s candidacy.

Finally, a few figures. More than 70 international federations now allow Russian athletes to compete. Over the past year, 4,500 athletes received clearance. In 2024, we participated in 20 championships abroad, compared to 49 last year, winning a total of 136 medals. This year, we plan to take part in more than 60 tournaments.

The main national event this year is the Spartakiad of the Peoples of Russia for the strongest athletes. Scheduled for August and September across seven regions, in accordance with the Olympic Games programme. We expect over 9,000 participants. This tournament will serve as a test run for the 2028 Los Angeles Games and mark the start of the Olympic team selection process.

Mr President, on behalf of all our Paralympians and athletes, I express our gratitude for your steadfast support and attention.

This concludes my report.

Vladimir Putin: Good.

On the idea of sport as a beacon: that is true. In Soviet times, there was a magician named Amayak Akopyan, if I recall correctly, whose tricks amazed and delighted everyone. I sincerely hope that, with the change in leadership at the International Olympic Committee, the IOC will stop playing games and using international sport as a political tool. Instead, it should embrace the vision of Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of modern Olympism: for sport to unite people, bring the world together, and help resolve conflicts rather than worsen them. Let us hope that this becomes reality in the near future.

As for our Paralympic athletes, they truly achieved something remarkable – it is simply astonishing. You mentioned 60 or 70 athletes representing their respective teams, but our team consisted of only six athletes competing in three sports. Yet, thanks to their medals – gold, silver, and bronze – they secured third place overall. It is truly incredible.

As agreed, I will have the opportunity tomorrow to personally congratulate each of them on this outstanding achievement. We will see them together tomorrow.

Thank you very much. Let us move on.

(Next, Economic Development Minister Maxim Reshetnikov spoke at the President’s request about support for small technology companies, which he described as a driver of the structural adaptation of the economy. There are over 6,500 such companies. Tentative estimates put their turnover last year at 1.5 trillion rubles. They are operating in 80 regions, predominantly in the IT sector, artificial intelligence, and the production of medical goods, electronics and equipment (including for the oil and gas sector), as well as robotics. Director General of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives Svetlana Chupsheva, who continued on the topic of small tech companies, reported on the annual competition of Russian brands.

Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin delivered a report on the main subject of the meeting. He spoke about the results of the comprehensive socioeconomic development programme of the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, which was launched in 2014. Since then, over 760 facilities and projects have been completed, including 58 in 2025. Another 224 facilities and projects will be completed by 2030. They have to do with the development of transport infrastructure, the construction of purification facilities, the renovation and construction of education, healthcare, culture and sports facilities, housing construction, the creation of a unique cultural cluster on Cape Khrustalny in Sevastopol, the development of the Artek International Children’s Centre, and the completion of the first phase of the Federal Children’s Rehabilitation Centre in Yevpatoria, a key healthcare facility on the peninsula.

The Deputy Prime Minister also noted the increasing tourist flow in Crimea. In 2025, 7.4 million people spent their holidays on the peninsula, nearly twice as many as in 2014. Since then, the number of hotel rooms has grown by 130 percent in the Republic of Crimea and by 140 percent in Sevastopol. A marina is being built in Balaklava, a memorial to the Defenders of Sevastopol and History Boulevard is under construction, and there are plans to build and renovate nearly 11 kilometres of embankments in the city.

Marat Khusnullin recalled that in 2021, the President instructed to attract at least 1 trillion rubles of extra-budgetary funds to the region’s economy within four years. Due to the systematic efforts of the regional team, support measures and socioeconomic development programmes, the amount of extra-budgetary investment exceeded 1 trillion rubles in 2025, largely thanks to the establishment of a free economic zone with 130,000 jobs. The region’s tax and non-tax budget revenues have increased fivefold since 2015. The Deputy Prime Minister emphasised that despite the current geopolitical situation, problems and the continuing enemy attempts to destabilise the situation with drone attacks, the peninsula is actively developing. According to him, the socioeconomic development programme has proved to be effective. Crimea and Sevastopol have set an example for the reunified territories of Donbass, where a similar programme is being implemented.

Reports were also delivered by Sevastopol Governor Razvozhayev and Head of the Republic of Crimea Sergei Aksyonov.)

Vladimir Putin: I would like to once again express gratitude to the head of the Republic of Crimea, Mr Aksyonov, and his large team for their achievements over the past years and for what they are doing now, and for what I am confident they will do in the future to implement all our ambitious plans for the development of Crimea and Sevastopol, which are actually a unified complex. I hope that our people are also aware of what is taking place on the Crimean Peninsula.

I would also like to congratulate you on today’s event and to wish you all the best.

Mr Khusnullin, I hope that the Government of the Russian Federation will continue to work in this sphere just as it has been doing. We will work together towards the goals we have formulated for ourselves.

I mean that our development objectives in Crimea, Sevastopol and the other historical territories are a vital part of the strategic development plans for the country as a whole.

I would like to thank everyone and to once again congratulate you on today’s event.

Thank you.

Meeting on the occasion of International Women’s Day

2026-03-05T19:43:43+04:00

Ahead of International Women’s Day, Vladimir Putin held a meeting at the Kremlin with women representing a wide range of occupations.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, friends, welcome everyone.

This meeting takes place in the run-up to a wonderful spring holiday, women’s holiday of March 8. First of all, I would like to take this occasion to wish you and all women of Russia all the best, happiness, and success – in the broadest sense of the word – in your work.

We all know that the traditions of virtually all the peoples of the Russian Federation include special attitude towards women, a very special one. Above all, it is about the warmest and most heartfelt feelings towards one’s mother, gratitude to one’s mother for giving life, for raising children, and for loving care and warmth. It is also about special feelings for girlfriends and wives.

Without a doubt, a great many responsibilities fall upon women: they must be beautiful and appealing at home combining this with a large number of household chores that traditionally fall on women’s shoulders. I mentioned children earlier, but often the other half of the family also needs the same kind of care as children.

With regard to work, our women have always – I emphasise this – always stood out as conscientious workers. You and all women in Russia are very responsible when it comes to your professional duties and thus deserve special words of gratitude for that as well.

In our time, women also assume responsibilities in the fields that – at least in our country – have traditionally been regarded as male professions. All these fields are represented at our meeting today and include military personnel of various specialisations and branches of service, not only medics and communications specialists, but also other military professions. That includes the defence industry, scientific research, and even – as I know from the briefing materials that I went through before coming here – performing artists who are directly involved in the military activity and are members of the performance troupes that appear before our servicemen on the frontlines. There are many such fields.

Of course, we will always assess the contribution made by a particular individual, regardless of whether that person is a woman or a man, by what these people, in this case our women, are doing as part of their professional duties.

To reiterate, we have different people, different women, in this room, including those who are undergoing training under the widely known Time of Heroes platform. I hope you will share with us how your training goes and what kind of future is opening up before you.

Once again, my best wishes on the occasion of March 8 International Women’s Day.

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Meeting with widows of fallen heroes from Special Operations Forces

2026-02-23T18:36:02+04:00

On Defender of the Fatherland Day, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief met at the Kremlin with the widows of Special Operations Forces servicemen who died heroically.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon.

I specifically wanted to meet with you on February 23, Defender of the Fatherland Day, because, as the families of our soldiers and officers, you will always have a special connection to this date.

Sadly, your own defenders are no longer with you. But the Motherland, the country they gave their lives to defend, will always stand by you.

I wanted to use this opportunity to hear how you are doing, what is working well and what more can and should be done to support you. Our priority is to help you get back on your feet, and to make sure your children, our children, can do the same.

As you know, I have consistently stressed the importance of this and made it clear to representatives at every level of government – municipal, regional, federal, and departmental – that this must remain a focus. I will continue to do so.

That is what I wanted to say to open our meeting. Now, I would really like to hear from each of you. Afterwards, we will discuss what has been said and make comments and draw some conclusions. I am confident this conversation will also help guide my ongoing work in this vital area of social support.

Let’s begin.

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Presentation of newly inaugurated sports facilities in Russian regions

2025-11-07T12:05:06+04:00

A presentation of new sports facilities that opened in Russian regions in 2025 was held for the President via videoconference. The event took place at the Orbita sports and recreation complex.

The projects showcased included the Krymsky Training Centre for Russian National Teams in Alushta, a Volleyball Centre in Ulan-Ude, a Martial Arts Palace in Izhevsk, a Football Development Centre in Kazan, and a Table Tennis Academy – a sports boarding school for gifted children – in Orenburg.

The sports infrastructure across Russia has seen over 2,500 facilities built and renovated over the past five years.

Meeting of the Council for Interethnic Relations

2025-11-06T12:37:50+04:00

Vladimir Putin chaired a meeting of the Presidential Council for Interethnic Relations.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Colleagues,

First, let me go back to yesterday’s events – the National Unity Day celebrations.

As you all know, this holiday celebrates a major inflection point in early 17^th century, when Russia defeated the invaders and put an end to the period we call the Time of Troubles. This was a genuine feat for our nation, with people from various social strata and ethnic groups coming together for the sake of their shared Fatherland.

At the same time, what happened in the distant past still serves as a lesson for all of us. Indeed, it will always remain relevant by serving as a rallying cry for all the subsequent generations to prevent disputes from giving rise to discord that can destroy a nation, as well as to prevent anything that undermines statehood and its very foundations. It is also a call to preserve and cherish social and national unity, as well as our values and the tenets we share. It would not be an exaggeration to say that this is the most important and fundamental pillar of our sovereignty.

Today, our heroes, soldiers and officers, exemplify a genuine sense of interethnic unity and brotherhood-in-arms as part of the special military operation. They have been waging their righteous battle together for Russia demonstrating on the battlefield that we stand as a united nation.

Colleagues,

Our meeting’s agenda focuses on the State Interethnic Policy Strategy. We will sum up performance under this strategy since 2012 and will also discuss the drafting of an updated strategy for the next ten years.

Let me note that several major organisational and administrative decisions have been taken in keeping with this strategy. In fact, we have built a cohesive and up-to-date policy framework for interethnic affairs to meet the challenges we face and the objectives we pursue today.

I would like to thank all of you for your work, including the Presidential Council, our colleagues from government agencies and NGOs, spiritual leaders representing our traditional religious denominations, as well as the academic community.

We need to continue fine-tuning the legal framework, institutions and mechanisms that have proven to be effective. This includes efforts to develop a system for monitoring and early prevention of any risks that have the potential of evolving into conflict situations in interethnic and interfaith relations.

On the whole, social studies have registered stable and positive trends in these spheres, but only on the whole. It is essential to promptly respond to every local incident, which sometimes happens because life is complex and diverse. We must prevent provocations and attempts to sow strife among people, considering that those who try to incite them usually live outside the country and are being supervised, financed and controlled by foreign security services.

Their obvious goal is to undermine our unity. Our enemies are using every opportunity and pretext for this, including household incidents and the migration factor, to stir things up, and incite and provoke conflicts relying on radical groups, which implies openly terrorist methods.

New pseudo-international organisations and pseudo-national centres that are established outside Russia are nothing other than instruments in the information war waged against us. You are aware of this, as they are increasingly talking about the “decolonisation” of Russia, which amounts to dismembering the Russian Federation and inflicting the much talked-about “strategic defeat” on Russia.

They have coined a new term, “post-Russia,” which means a territory stripped of its sovereignty and split into small fragments subordinate to the West. We have often heard about this in different versions. New ones have emerged, but their essence has not changed.

Nevertheless, although they have not succeeded in achieving their goal over the past decades and even centuries, they carry on this policy, and hence threats to us persist. We must certainly take this into account and respond firmly, consistently, systematically and appropriately to these risks and challenges. The new edition of the State Ethnic Policy Strategy must reflect all these elements.

Colleagues, I would like to draw your attention to the following.

First, as I have said, the ideology of aggressive Russophobia is spearheaded against all peoples of our country, because there is no Russia without the Russian people, the Russian ethnos and the Russian factor. That is why Russophobia is in the focus of our opponent’s attention.

The Russian identity, the traditions, culture and language of our state-forming people must be nurtured and protected. Their unifying force is the guarantee of the unity of our multinational Fatherland.

Of course, the culture, customs and language of each people living in our vast country are also important and necessary for us. This diversity and our concern about maintaining it are the bedrock of Russia’s ethnic policy.

I would like to add that there will be two new holidays in the Russian calendar: the Day of Indigenous Peoples and the Day of the Languages of the Peoples of the Russian Federation. They will be marked on April 30 and September 8, respectively.

Second, public opinion should be one of the crucial indicators of national policy effectiveness. It is important to understand what people think about interethnic relations in their region, city or community, as well as their views on the quality of officials’ work in this sensitive area.

Of course, to capture the real-life picture and dynamics, particularly when it comes to strengthening our national identity, we need precision tools.

In this context, I would like to ask you to examine sociological research on the matter, in cooperation with leading scholars and experts, and propose solutions on how we can improve these tools using advanced research.

Third, the system of effectiveness indicators under the new strategy is extremely important for the quality of management and for making balanced, timely decisions.

I agree with our colleagues: the list of these indicators in ethnic policy must be comprehensive and objective, which also means they should be applied to the performance of competent authorities across all levels. I ask the Government, the Council and the regions to work through this matter extensively.

Fourth, the strategy proposes strengthening the regional component. This is the right step for our large federation. At the same time, regional heads must have all the tools available for working locally, while the federal centre must, as usual, map out the general strategic course.

Fifth, coordinating inter-ethnic relations is currently the responsibility of an inter-agency working group. Considering the importance of this area of work, I suggest elevating its status to that of a government commission.

Now, let’s move to the meeting agenda.

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Vladimir Putin: I will continue the topic of media work – something that Igor Barinov and Tatyana Golikova spoke about. They began with fake news, media issues, misinformation, and so on.

This is a very important area of work – countering attempts to influence us and our society. We must realise that it is a weapon. It is a weapon that Russia’s opponents use against us while improving it.

I must report to you that we have obtained copies of documents drafted by Western intelligence agencies and the foreign centres funded by these agencies that directly describe the strategy of undermining Russia from within by dividing our society and provoking interethnic and interfaith conflicts. We must be aware of this, and our public must know, including people of different ethnicities.

Those who take this path essentially… Clearly, life is complicated and diverse, presenting us with many challenges that may arise, and they do arise, including in everyday matters, for any reason at all. Many conflicts are natural. But we have no right, especially today, to inflate any, even seemingly small, disagreements. We should do the opposite.

I want to thank you for making a significant contribution to resolving interethnic and interfaith disagreements and conflicts. There are no small tasks here and no minor conflicts. We must pay attention to everything and respond quickly, in a professional and thoughtful manner, with love and respect for the interests of the people involved in specific situations. If there is goodwill – which you always demonstrate – and respect for people, you can achieve any compromise.

Of course, it is important to take a very serious and responsible approach to addressing the matters you deal with as part of your professional duties year after year – at the level that our country needs.

These issues are always important for a state with a multi-ethnic population – and there are many such states. But for us, it is particularly important. Ms Golikova said that we have 190 or 194 ethnic groups, correct? In fact, that is not the exact figure. I have heard 196 and other numbers. After all, there are many multiethnic countries but not so many countries like Russia. You see, after all, our country is unique. Therefore, we must do everything to strengthen our unity, as our colleague [Valery Tishkov] said, our civil and national identity, which encompasses both state and Russian identity. On this basis, we can strengthen our state, our Russian identity and our Russian nation. This is our goal.

I want to thank you for the work done on implementing the previous strategy, which is about to expire. Please prepare the draft executive order on adopting the new ethnic policy strategy for the period of 2026 to 2036.

Thank you very much. I hope to continue our work together.

Visit to Pyotr Mandryk Central Military Clinical Hospital

2025-10-29T20:07:24+04:00

Vladimir Putin visited the Pyotr Mandryk Central Military Clinical Hospital of the Russian Federation Defence Ministry, where servicemen of the Armed Forces are undergoing treatment and rehabilitation after being wounded while carrying out combat missions during the special military operation.

Accompanied by Defence Minister Andrei Belousov and Head of the hospital Pavel Krainyukov, the President visited the hospital’s surgery unit, where he met with servicemen from the 127^th Separate Reconnaissance Brigade.

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Conversation with servicemen

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: We will go to see [Ruslan Kolyvanov] shortly and have a chat with him. They will bring some tea for him as well. God willing, we hope he recovers soon.

The doctor has just said that all of you here have been wounded. I want to emphasise – and I have said this many times, deliberately and with full conviction – that everyone who is in the special military operation zone, on the frontline, in combat, they tact heroically. You know perfectly well that an attack can come any second and hit any place.

But assault units, special forces and army reconnaissance units – people like you – this requires exceptional endurance and strength of character. These are obvious things. And I am truly pleased to note that we have such people as you. Thank you very much.

You know that your efforts are not in vain. Overall, the situation in the zone of the special military operation is developing favourably for us. Your comrades-in-arms are advancing on all fronts and conducting active operations.

As you know, and it has been publicly reported, in two locations, Kupyansk and Krasnoarmeisk, the enemy has been surrounded and blocked from moving further.

I have discussed this matter with the commanders of the respective groups. Mr Belousov, they have no objections to allowing members of the press, foreign and Ukrainian journalists, to enter the entrapment zone and see for themselves what is happening there. They should see the condition of the encircled Ukrainian troops, as this would prompt Ukraine’s political leadership to make decisions about the fate of their citizens and personnel – similar to what was done at Azovstal. They will be given this opportunity.

Our only concern is that there are no provocations from Ukraine. We are willing to cease hostilities for an agreed period of time – whether it be several hours, two, three, or six hours – to allow groups of journalists into those cities where they can observe the situation, speak to the Ukrainian troops, and then leave. We are ready to bring them to designated entry points, where the Ukrainian personnel can receive them and escort them to the other side.

The most important thing is to prevent any provocations from Ukraine. There must be no drone attacks that could harm these journalists for the purpose of blaming the incident on us. We do not need this. On the contrary, we are ready to proceed as I have described. The question is whether the Ukrainian side is ready. This is the first issue I wanted to raise.

It is obvious that you are performing your duty diligently in this sector. But I believe that understanding the broader developments at the line of contact and at the frontline is also essential for you. This is the situation unfolding there.

What you and your comrades-in-arms – our soldiers and officers – are doing today is the most important task facing the country: ensuring its security and the long-term safety of our people. Equally important is that while addressing these urgent current challenges, we are not forgetting about improving and strengthening our strategic potential.

You have probably heard that a new, state-of-the-art, unlimited-range nuclear-powered missile has recently been tested. It has undeniable advantages, and we can be proud of the achievements of our scientists, specialists, engineers, and workers who made it possible.

The main advantage lies in the small nuclear propulsion unit. It is comparable in power to a nuclear submarine reactor, but it is a thousand – thousand! – times smaller. Yet the most important feature is that while a conventional nuclear reactor requires hours or even days and weeks to start, this reactor starts up in minutes or even seconds – a tremendous achievement.

We will be able to use it not only in defence but also in the national economy, including in solving the issue of energy supply in the Arctic and the lunar exploration programme. Even now, radiation-protected electronics developed for the Burevestnik missile are being used in space programmes. Thus this breakthrough strengthens both Russia’s defence capability and the overall scientific and industrial potential for the future.

Furthermore, you should also know that yesterday another test was successfully conducted: one more test of the Poseidon underwater unmanned vehicle, also equipped with a nuclear power unit. For the first time, we successfully launched it from a submarine by activating its booster engine, and then started the nuclear reactor, which propelled the apparatus for a certain duration.

This is another major success because in addition to all the advantages I have mentioned with respect to the Burevestnik, the reactor that powers Poseidon is also extremely small. While the nuclear unit that powers Burevestnik is a thousand times smaller than that of a submarine, this one is a hundred times smaller than a submarine’s nuclear reactor. But the power of the Poseidon is significantly higher than that of our most advanced Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile. There is no analogue to Sarmat in the world. It is not on duty yet, but it will be soon.

However, the Poseidon is much more powerful than the Sarmat, and it also surpasses all existing systems in speed and operational depth and currently has no equivalent and there will be none any time soon. The are also no interception methods.

I believe all of this is important to you as well. You are fighting on the frontlines, risking your lives. Of course, you are wondering why you are doing it, to what extent will the country be prepared to take on what you are doing, risking your life and health to defend the Motherland, to what extent will it be capable to continue to move forward, strengthen its defence, and become stronger overall. These are the elements that are also associated with this work.

Thank you once again. If anyone has something to say, please, do. Otherwise, we will ask the cameras to leave us so that we can have a more informal talk.

Ivan Leksin: Comrade Supreme Commander-in-Chief,

Group commander, warrant officer Leksin requests permission to speak, Sir.

I have a question about the continuity of tradition of serving Russia running in families. I am actually named after my grandfather, Ivan Leksin, and my father was a military man too – he completed his service in Mongolia. So, I am carrying on that family tradition.

Vladimir Putin: Did he serve in the Airborne Forces?

Ivan Leksin: Yes, sir. The first year of his service was in Alytus, Lithuania, and then he was admitted to the Ryazan Airborne School. So, you see, I am following in their footsteps.

In our free time, we always try to teach the personnel about the heroic deeds of our grandfathers who defended our Motherland during the Great Patriotic War, including how they fought on Ukrainian territory.

There’s one memorable story about a reconnaissance officer from the Tambov Region. He was part of a reconnaissance group that was among the first to cross to the right bank of the Dnieper. A man named Sergei Mitrokhin was in that group. Thanks to his initiative and skill – he cleared a path to the German trench – they managed to take up the position and hold it. The battle raged for three hours until the main infantry forces arrived. For his actions, he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union at just 20 years old.

The heroic deeds of our grandfathers were captured in multiple films and books. I would really like to see the same for our modern reconnaissance officers, special forces officers, and other services – specifically in the special military operation context. Because sooner or later, the younger generation will take our place.

Vladimir Putin: You are absolutely right. And thank you for bringing this up – it reminds me of a few more things I would like to say.

First off, you had not known the details of your grandfather’s service until recently, had you? Did that information come from the archives?

Ivan Leksin: Today, thanks to the Defence Minister…

Vladimir Putin: See, that’s my point. You did not know the exact details of how your grandfather fought, yet you are fighting in the very same spirit.

Ivan Leksin: I am doing my best.

Vladimir Putin: Exactly. And what does that tell us? It’s all in the genes, you see. You had not even known… I recently found out more about my own uncle who fought in that war. When I was in Primorye, the Governor got the documents for me from the local archive. I never knew he had served in Primorye. I read about how he and the others fought there. I even saw a letter my grandfather wrote to his son who was at the front. I had not known any of that before.

You see? It is inside us. It has always been there, and it is stay with us. But you are absolutely right that we must know our own history. This heroic history of our ancestors gives us strength – that is absolutely certain – and we need to speak about it more often.

You just mentioned films and television stories. I completely agree with you. I watched the footage of a fire exchange that you had under a bridge. If everything happened the way it was described – and I believe it did – you had to crawl almost 1,700 metres, and on top of that, you had to clear mines from the path ahead. Is that right?

Ivan Leksin: Yes, sir, that is correct, on a hill.

Vladimir Putin: Can you believe it!? Frankly, that sounds like a story for a blockbuster, a good film or a good story. We know that to be the case.

The icons you gave me, the ones that stopped the bullet and saved your life that is also something that can make a good story for a film or anything else for that matter. How many stories like this one have taken place? We are sitting here sharing a table, but as you are aware, our military are fighting out there, and there are many units like that, correct?

I hope they will hear us. All of us cannot gather at one table, but we know about their combat work, we know and we remember, and the country should know about it as well. I completely agree with you: we will definitely do so, and we will direct our people engaged in creative work to make these stories widely known.

But I will tell you this. You have probably also seen those same reporters, war correspondents who are out there under fire as well and are incurring casualties. These people will, without a doubt, do what you just said, and do so with sincerity, from the heart. That is how it is going to be.

Sergei Velkin: Junior Sergeant Velkin, deputy commander of a special forces group.

Mr President, our brigade is relatively young. It was formed in the summer of 2014. Since the beginning of the special military operation, our officers and enlisted men have shown courage and dedication in carrying out the assigned combat missions. And a result, you have seen with your own eyes the footage of a part of our mission being carried out.

During the Great Patriotic War and in the postwar years, many special reconnaissance units and detachments were awarded the Guards designation. Not all of us, but most of us have served in units bearing the honorary Guards designation.

We would be very happy and proud if you would consider awarding the honorary Guards designation to our 127^th Separate Reconnaissance Brigade.

Vladimir Putin: Agreed, that’s what we’ll do.

Sergei Velkin: Thank you.

Meeting of the Council for the Implementation of State Demographic and Family Policy

2025-10-24T19:21:48+04:00

The President attended the first meeting of the Council for the Implementation of State Demographic and Family Policy.

The agenda includes regional experience, measures to support student families, the introduction of corporate demographic standards, the protection of reproductive health, and proposals on addressing housing problems of families with children.

* * *

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Colleagues,

Today, we are holding the first meeting of the Council for the Implementation of State Demographic and Family Policy. We will evaluate what has been accomplished, and outline further steps in our joint work.

I want to emphasise right away that supporting families and creating conditions that enable the birth of as many children as possible in Russia is a crucial and, effectively, a cross-cutting trend of all our national projects and strategic development plans. It permeates practically all spheres of life and encompasses everything that is needed and important for our people.

This is an absolute priority because it concerns the future of our country. In this regard, it is particularly important for the state, the business community, civil society, and leaders of our traditional religions to coordinate and consolidate their efforts. Additionally, we all need support from the media, as well as well-aligned actions at all levels and in all areas, actions based on a single line of logic.

The Council’s composition – and it includes representatives of federal and regional authorities, public and non-profit organisations, scientific and entrepreneurial communities – undoubtedly reflects the commitment to a comprehensive, system-wide approach to addressing the tasks we face. I hope that today we will discuss specific proposals aimed at making our policy on demographic development and support for families more effective and robust.

Colleagues,

Falling birth rates have become a global trend and a global challenge in the modern world. While not in all countries are affected equally, many, particularly economically developed nations, face this issue, and Russia is unfortunately no exception. Additionally, as you know, we suffer from the effects of two demographic pitfalls, as we call them: the tragic losses of WWII, the Great Patriotic War, and the crisis of the 1990s, which took place just after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Different countries respond to this demographic challenge in various ways, including the encouragement of uncontrolled, and even chaotic migration to replace the native population, often sacrificing their identity and culture, and, importantly, their internal political stability.

Our choice is unequivocal: we support the family as the fundamental basis of Russian society and aim to protect and preserve genuine family values and traditions, which have united and strengthened our country for centuries.

It is my deep conviction that we can only address the demographic challenge by developing our own demographic potential, by preserving and increasing the number of all native peoples in Russia, supporting large family traditions, and implementing programmes to bring home our compatriots, Russian and Russian-speaking people who form the core of our society.

This approach guarantees our future, preserves the ethno-cultural balance in Russian society and strengthens our sovereignty.

I have said on many occasions that families with three or more children should be seen as a standard and natural way of life in our country. In this regard, internal guidelines, people's beliefs, and their priorities hold immense, sometimes decisive, importance.

According to sociologists, an increasing number of our citizens express a desire to have large families.

In 2005, our citizens believed that a family should have 2.4 children (this is statistical data – the figure may sound strange for the media representatives present here, but statisticians consider this normal) and now this figure is over three children, and this trend is very important.

And one more thing. I believe that you will, most likely, discuss this issue today. Ms Valentina Matviyenko and I have agreed that I will speak and then will leave you to attend to my routine matters, and you will continue working in these wonderful Kremlin interiors under the supervision of Ms Matviyenko. But this is what I would like to say. Ms Tatyana Golikova is focusing on this issue all the time when communicating with her colleagues in the Government, and she persistently revisits this issue when engaging with me – how to provide financial support for families. This is absolutely correct. It is very hard to address demographic issues without this.

But, of course, inner moral values, attitudes and principles are much stronger and more important. Did Russian peasant households earn average European-style incomes? No, they did not, but each peasant family had seven to ten children. Their values and attitudes were different. This is what underlies demographic policy, and this should lie at its foundation.

It is now very important (I believe this is also one of the Council’s objectives) to promote and uphold the internal attitude that I have mentioned, that tendency of the internal attitude that I just spoke about, so that the desire to create a family, to marry and to have many children becomes prevalent in the public mentality.

Certainly, no pressure should be exerted in this sphere. A decision to have a child is, certainly, a private and personal matter of any person, any family. However, we should work jointly and make sure that people (young people, in the first place) would sincerely aspire to a happy motherhood, would aim to effectively raise their children, and that they would feel confident that the state will support them whenever necessary, lend them a helping hand, and that it will do everything possible to prevent living standards from deteriorating following the birth of children but would, rather, raise the family status.

You know, we have already created an entire range of essential tools for providing this support. I am talking about maternity capital, flat-rate benefits for low-income families and low-interest mortgages. I would also like to recall that, from 2025, regions whose birth rates fell short of average Russian levels in 2023 received additional funding for implementing birth rate expansion programmes. In 2025–2030, 41 regions will receive about 75 billion rubles. The family taxation initiative will be launched in early 2026; it will reduce income tax levels to six percent for low-income families raising two children and more.

When formulating support measures, we base them on the real needs of families. What would I like to highlight in this regard? It is clear that large families, whose expenses are always significant, find it more difficult to purchase a larger flat or house on their own. Support measure is therefore available, including a payment of 450,000 roubles from the state to help repay mortgages.

In several regions, local authorities are actively addressing the housing needs of large families. Overall, I would like to reiterate that tackling demographic challenges and supporting families is a shared responsibility, one that involves all levels of government, from federal to municipal. It is essential for regions to take a proactive approach and develop their own solutions. As an example of effective regional policy in this area, I would like to highlight the work being done in the Nizhny Novgorod Region. The governor described this to me in detail during my working visit there. The region’s initiatives include several significant support measures, foremost among them regional family capital, which provides monthly payments to families for three years following the birth of a child – whether it is the first, second, third, or subsequent child. Moreover, every family, regardless of income level, receives support upon the birth of a child.

What else do I think is important to highlight? Young people today – not only in Russia – often postpone having children, believing they should first focus on other goals. But as time passes, it can turn out that the best years for starting a family have been irretrievably lost. Our task is to help young people understand that they do not have to choose one path over another but can successfully combine parenthood with studying or building a career. Yes, it may be challenging, but it is possible, and it is important to balance these responsibilities with raising a child.

Of course, this requires significant effort and hard work, but the state stands ready to provide assistance and support. We must continue to remind people of something that may seem obvious but still needs to be said aloud: fatherhood and motherhood are a source of joy, and there is no need to postpone happiness. That is what truly matters. At the same time, it is also essential that we help young people and families navigate this important stage of their lives.

Several relevant decisions have recently been made.

Pregnancy and childbirth benefits have been increased for full-time students. In some regions, lump sum payments have been approved for pregnant students. Universities are opening baby care rooms and part-day child care groups. We should certainly encourage everything that is being done in this sphere, primarily in the system of higher education but also at secondary education establishments.

I know that the Federation Council helped organise a Festival of Student Families in July, as Ms Matviyenko has told us. I believe it was held at Bauman University.

Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko: Yes, this is true.

Vladimir Putin: I consider it important to continue to improve support measures for young families, including student families. I also hope that the Demography Council will make a practical contribution to this.

Overall, we must regularly analyse the effectiveness of the measures we are taking in the sphere of family policy, improving the system of social support to make it as transparent as possible, understandable and convenient for families with children. It should be applied proactively and ultimately help people achieve their dreams of a big and close-knit family with many children.

Of course, financial and social support measures, both federal and regional ones, are extremely important. I would like to emphasise that business, our large companies are becoming involved in this work and are implementing corporate programmes for young families.

At the same time, I would like to repeat that the solution of demographic problems begins with each family and, as I have already stated, with the people’s attitude and world outlook. We see that the revival of genuine family traditions has sparked widespread social response. It is not surprising that the Our Family contest has become so popular. It is extremely important for the values of respect for large families with many children and love for children as the nation’s future to become a unifying feature of the rising generations.

I strongly hope that the Demography Council and its professional competence will make a great contribution to the fulfilment of the tasks we face and to the further development of our family and demographic policy for the benefit of our citizens and the country as a whole, of course.

Thank you very much. I would like to wish you success in your efforts.

Valentina Matviyenko: Mr President, first of all, I would like to express my gratitude for your participation in today’s Council meeting and for your unprecedented personal commitment to demographic issues.

When the head of state, amidst numerous other pressing matters, addresses demographic and family policy so systematically and substantively, it serves as a powerful motivator for leaders at all levels of government, business executives, and other sectors.

Most importantly, it is crucial for everyone to understand that this is not a situational programme, nor a temporary or one-off project, but rather a serious, long-term effort – and it is only through this approach that we will yield results. This challenge must be addressed by society as a whole.

I would also like to underscore separately that now, when society is truly consolidated and patriotic, and when our citizens have gained a renewed appreciation for Russia’s value, for family, and for traditions, we have an excellent opportunity to embark on a qualitatively new stage of demographic policy.

Do you still have time, or must you leave?

Vladimir Putin: I must leave, but I will stay and hear you out.

Valentina Matviyenko: Mr President, I will be very brief.

You have already noted that the Council established on your initiative comprises the finest specialists and professionals across various fields. Every Council member recognises their personal responsibility.

Today, you have set new additional tasks, and we will, of course, be guided by them.

Specific working groups and an expert council have been formed within the Federation Council. We are engaging a wide range of experts, with institutions of the Russian Academy of Sciences participating. I am aware that the Academy President is present here today. On October 28, they will hold a dedicated meeting of the Russian Academy of Sciences Presidium devoted to demographic issues. So, as they say, the process is underway across society.

We have established close cooperation with the Presidential Executive Office, the relevant State Council commission, the Government, and regional authorities. Our team has analysed the full range of federal and regional support measures. We have thoroughly studied international experience because, as you rightly noted, this is a challenge for all developed nations – even China now faces this serious challenge.

We have prepared a number of proposals. We hope to formalise them as a list of your instructions, should you agree, so that we receive your instructions to implement following today’s discussion.

The key issue is well known: housing. The family mortgage programme. Of course, thanks to this initiative, millions of families have been able to acquire housing of their own. However, upon closer examination, Mr President, it turns out that family mortgages are increasingly becoming a metropolitan mortgage, as more than half of the preferential loans intended to boost the birth rate are being issued in Moscow, St Petersburg, and the Moscow and Leningrad regions. We believe it would be appropriate to refine this tool. It is necessary to create conditions that allow families with children to improve their housing conditions in the areas where they actually live, on their native land. This would, in turn, give a powerful boost for housing construction across the regions of the Federation, including smaller towns, and would promote planned territorial development.

Given the particular focus on large families, we also propose differentiating the family mortgage rate according to the number of children: the more children a family has, the lower the rate should be.

A model of preferential, affordable rental housing for families with children, as you have also mentioned, requires further development. DOM.RF has already prepared specific proposals in this regard, which Mr Mutko will present in more detail today.

You know, Mr President, dreams are inspiring. Imagine, for example, if a third or fourth child were born into a family and the state were to grant them an apartment or a home of their own. This would, of course, stimulate the development of individual and wooden housing construction. We have vast forest resources for that. It is every family’s dream, and such a measure would certainly serve as a strong incentive to have more children.

We also believe that the time has come to improve the maternity capital programme. It should now be reoriented towards supporting large families – the birth of a third and subsequent children. At present, maternity capital for a second or third child is significantly lower than for the first child. We believed a similar approach should be applied to regional maternity capital payments.

Overall, there should, in my view, be a unified philosophy: all additional support measures, both federal and regional, should be directed primarily towards encouraging the birth of third, fourth, and subsequent children.

Infrastructure. You are, of course, absolutely right to note that the state must provide the necessary infrastructure: schools, educational facilities, clubs, and so forth. Yet this family-centred approach must be applied in all areas: modern playgrounds, barrier-free environments for strollers, and mother-and-child rooms in public institutions. Among the proposals we have received from the regions and public organisations are: the creation of designated parking spaces for large families; exemption of children’s fares in taxis; and separate check-in counters for families with small children at airports, among others.

Our society has a strong, long-standing tradition of special care for expectant mothers and children. Undeniably, this deeply-held value must be translated into practical, everyday benefits for families with children, which does not necessarily require significant budget expenditures. We are ready (and are already acting) to prepare corresponding recommendations for businesses, regions, and federal agencies.

Furthermore, it is crucial that employers actively engage with demographic objectives. As this is a national priority, businesses must also demonstrate their social responsibility by contributing. Progress is already underway: we are collecting information from the regions, and a new national GOST corporate demographic standard has recently been approved. While its application is currently voluntary, we believe companies that implement high standards of demographic support should be encouraged and incentivised and, all other things being equal, be entitled to certain state preferences. This is only fair.

We must also streamline the system of state support, as there are no trivial details in this endeavour. For instance, if a new mother receives a substantial one-time payment from her employer for the birth of a child, this amount is currently counted as income. As a result, she can lose her right to receive a flat-rate child care benefit. We have submitted proposals to the Government, and a resolution is already being prepared to exclude such employer payments from the calculation of average per capita family income. In our view, it would be logical to extend this approach to other demographic support payments, regardless of their source.

Our Council has also uncovered startling situations, such as a working woman receiving no maternity benefits at all. This can occur if her company is undergoing bankruptcy when she goes on maternity leave, leaving no source for the payment. We have rectified this by submitting new legislation, which has since been adopted; in such cases, payments are now made by the Social Fund.

Here is another critical example. A woman may be de facto employed by a company but is formally registered as self-employed – an arrangement some businesses find economically efficient. The consequence is that when she becomes pregnant, she is not entitled to paid maternity leave and is essentially thrust into financial limbo, with no benefits or guarantees. While these issues might seem minor to some, they are in fact vital, critical even, and we are committed to addressing them thoroughly.

Finally, I would like to thank the Ministry of Labour and Minister Anton Kotyakov for supporting the law that increases maternity benefits for new mothers who are university students. These benefits have been raised almost tenfold, Mr President, representing truly significant support.

You mentioned the necessity of placing special emphasis on student families. Considerable efforts have also been made in this regard. A non-reducible standard of support for student families has been established. Specific measures are being implemented by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, with university rectors and Minister of Science and Higher Education Valery Falkov actively engaged in this agenda – many thanks to him for his commitment.

We are currently preparing legislative amendments that will enable priority placement in nurseries and kindergartens near universities for children from student families.

Moreover, Mr President, this is a highly significant issue – it is widely discussed. We propose considering a more proactive development of nursery networks, both in residential areas and at universities, as well as at large enterprises. Nurseries are absolutely essential for women to balance studies, work, and motherhood. Nearly all regions have fulfilled your instructions regarding kindergarten construction. The programme has been implemented, and there is virtually no shortage; however, nurseries remain inadequate. Women fear being out of work for three years, thereby losing professional skills, and if they have a second or third child, this period extends to six or nine years. Support is needed for these three years before kindergarten. I believe we should implement a nursery construction programme, including private ones, possibly by simplifying requirements for establishing such institutions, naturally without compromising child safety.

We would like to request that you instruct the Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoys to the Federal Districts to personally oversee demographic policy in the regions.

I would like to cite an example – Igor Shchegolev – today, he can truly be called the Plenipotentiary Envoy for Demography, not just a Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy.

Special thanks must be extended to the governors. They have genuinely excelled, fully embracing their responsibilities. Demographic programmes have been adopted in all regions. I am confident they will begin to yield results.

It is also crucial for the demographic agenda to receive adequate and appropriate media coverage. Several years ago, Alexei Gromov and I convened a meeting with leaders of all media communities: television, film, radio, internet, online and offline cinemas, and so on. We encountered absolute mutual understanding and agreed on many points. There are robust, substantive plans in place. Council member Oleg Dobrodeyev will elaborate on this today.

I think I should conclude here.

Accurate statistics and population surveys reflecting the realities are needed for correct managerial decisions. Our Council has already delved deeply into the topic. It concerns, among other things, measurements of demographic attitudes and reproductive plans of our citizens.

However, we have to exercise utter caution regarding various sociological studies that are unprofessional, unscientific and incorrect. Sociology is a very complicated science.

Objectives studies are currently conducted by Rosstat (Federal State Statistics Service), but regrettably, once every five years, while we need more updated information. This is obviously not enough.

I have laid out just some proposals, my colleagues will add up to them.

We keep analysing family support measures currently in effect, and identifying and scaling-up the most effective of them.

Mr President, we are about to mark the wonderful holiday –National Unity Day. I would like to remind the words of great Russian scientist Dmitry Mendeleyev, who was a great Russian patriot – the power of Russia is in its unity, in the military and the graceful family spirit that multiplies the growth of the nation. That’s what we stand for. We shall do our best for our Fatherland to be strong, independent, sovereign, and, of course, with many large families.

Thank you once again for your participation.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you, Ms Matviyenko.

Once I have stayed here, let me say just a couple of words to comment on your remarks.

You are obviously aware that the Government is trying to preserve all kinds of mortgage loan tools. What has remained of the preferential mortgage is intended to support basically families with children, both the six-percent family mortgage, the two-percent mortgage in some regions of Russia that require our special attention and support for families with children, and so on.

We will definitely keep improving everything, including private housing construction which last year and the year before ensured a good growth of housing construction. This should evidently be also supported. We indeed have a lot of forests, and you have rightly said that some people like and will gladly live in the forest but not everyone. Therefore, apart from forests, we need relevant infrastructure.

Valentina Matviyenko: Mr President, I didn’t mean that. I meant that we have a lot of timber and we can step up wooden housing construction. This clarification is to dispel possible misinterpretations of what I said.

Vladimir Putin: I see your point, but with available timber we need infrastructure. It is not just timber – it is pipelines, roads, communications, transport and other related things.

But this is a very correct idea overall. Mr Mutko will tell us the share of private housing construction in the total housing construction growth. I think it was 50 percent.

DOM.RF General Director Vitaly Mutko: Even as of today, the ratio is 60 to 40, with individual private housing making up 60 percent. It grew by 40 percent. It’s due to preferential mortgage expanded towards private houses purchasing and building.

Vladimir Putin: Indeed, this is the result of expanding preferential mortgage to private housing construction. Do you see how impressive the result is? I mean to say that you have generally expressed the right things, and the Government is attending to exactly these matters.

Now, regarding maternity capital. You know, this idea first came to me and my colleagues in the Government at that time, and it turned out to be a very successful one. Of course, we must now think on how to improve this tool. We are making every effort to support it and to ensure it is regularly adjusted for inflation.

But I would ask you to bear one thing in mind. There is a constant temptation to use maternity capital to resolve various issues. Naturally, families with children always face many of them, they are endless. Yet the most important thing is not to allow these funds to be spent on things that are secondary or insignificant.

Valentina Matviyenko: That’s right.

Vladimir Putin: People are different; they have different goals and interests. Maternity capital must not be allowed to be squandered. Whatever happens, interests of children and women are above all. Although the term “family capital” is sometimes used, I deliberately called it maternity capital – and for good reason. We must prioritise the protection of women and children. Therefore, I ask you to approach this matter with great care. Families have fundamental needs, and that is the principle we must uphold.

Now, as for material support in general – of course, it is absolutely necessary. All our actions are aimed at providing it. But I have already spoken about the ideological aspect of this issue. I think you will all agree with me that demographic challenges appeared in many Western European countries long before they emerged here, even back in Soviet times, despite the much higher standard of living enjoyed by citizens in those countries. Other problems have since arisen. I will not repeat them, but demographers understand this well. Factors such as getting education, post-university education, building a career, other ambitions, and the postponement of the birth of the first child, along with urbanisation and the broader effects of a post-industrial society, have all contributed. People’s consciousness has changed, their priorities have shifted, their values and life orientations have evolved. In general, this is not a bad thing –indeed, it is a sign of development – but it is important that the fundamental values associated with the continuation of life, with the joy of childhood, and with the happiness of motherhood and fatherhood, are preserved. These are things that no amount of money can buy.

Of course, it is essential to create the right conditions. As the saying goes, “we must not breed poverty” – and that is entirely true. But one cannot replace the other. Value-based orientations are important, and for that, joint and concerted efforts are crucial.

And, as I said at the beginning, we must support people’s natural aspirations to have more children. This is absolutely clear. We must do so through consistent, practical actions, both in the material sphere and in social policy.

Ms Matviyenko mentioned baby nurseries. I absolutely agree on this point. Some regions have failed to resolve the kindergarten issues completely but the governors are attending to these matters, and I am sure all the outstanding issues will soon be resolved. Basically, everything has been completed, the programme has been completed. However, you are right about baby nurseries to make sure that a woman does not drop out of a production process and does not lose her professional skills, which means a lot in the modern world as the situation is changing rapidly, the pace of changes is enormous, especially in production. It is crucial in this regard that a woman should have an opportunity to return to her job without losing qualification.

You are certainly absolutely right, we have to address this issue. Ms Golikova, we have repeatedly discussed this matter, and we must give it another thought, but certainly without slacking safety requirements for these child care institutions. The requirements may be changed, they must be up-to-date to embrace modern capabilities and materials, equipment and everything else. Modern technologies allow for resolving many issues of children’s facilities safety in a modern way, and that’s what we must do. Therefore, the requirements must not be slackened but changed in accordance with modern capabilities.

I would like to finish with what I began with and what I repeatedly addressed – the inner motivation, the ideological beliefs of our society and what Ms Matviyenko referred to as respect for the very notion of childhood, fatherhood and motherhood.

Regarding motherhood – I think everyone is perfectly aware of that – yet I will say it again. All peoples of Russia (we have many peoples, the Russian nation embraces over 100 ethnicities, to be more exact,192 ethnicities living here, and we have been communicating with each other for as many as a thousand years) have some beliefs common for all. I mean an attitude to mummy, to mother, which has a special sacred significance for all of us. Even our major traditional religions have the image of mother on icons as the central image. Just look at our basic religious values. What do they look like? A Madonna with the baby, she prevails. In other cultures, for example, in Europe, the main image is that of the Saviour. In our country, you know what is depicted on the icons. Do you get it? This is the first point.

Second, regarding patriotic education – one word is being passed over from generation to generation, which is natural for us – Motherland. In fact, mother and homeland are blended in our consciousness as one general image.

We must definitely support these fundamental value-based attitudes in a talented, vivid and masterful way, including and above all with the active engagement of cultural figures and mass media representatives.

I want to wish you all the best in your today’s work.

Thank you very much.

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Russia-Syria talks

2026-01-28T17:09:25+04:00

Vladimir Putin held talks in the Kremlin with President of Syria Ahmed al-Sharaa, who is in Russia on a working visit.

The agenda covers the current state and future of Russia-Syria political, trade, economic and humanitarian ties, as well as the situation in the Middle East.

At the meeting, Russia was also represented by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Maxim Oreshkin, Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov, Defence Minister Andrei Belousov, and Head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Federation Armed Forces – Deputy Chief of the General Staff Igor Kostyukov.

The talks continued later at a working breakfast.

* * *

Beginning of Russia-Syria talks

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr President,

Colleagues,

We are delighted to welcome you to Moscow.

Over the past decades, our countries have built a special relationship. We have maintained diplomatic ties for more than 80 years, first established during a very difficult period for Russia and the Soviet Union, in 1944.

Throughout this time, Syria and Russia have always maintained a very friendly relationship. In Russia’s relations with Syria, we have never been guided by any momentary political considerations or vested interests. At all times, and throughout these decades, the interests of the Syrian people have remained our sole guiding principle.

In fact, we have forged deep-running ties with the Syrian people. Suffice it to say that hundreds, if not thousands, of people have married or become friends. Today, over 4,000 young people from Syria are enrolled in Russia’s higher education institutions. I hope that they will go on to make a meaningful and substantial contribution to promoting and reinforcing Syrian statehood.

I know that only recently – on October 5, I believe – there was a parliamentary election. It is my belief that it was a great success since it can help consolidate society. These may be challenging times for Syria, however, holding an election could help all political forces in Syria work together more effectively and strengthen their ties.

Mr President, the Intergovernmental Commission has been working since 1993, I think, and it is about to resume its work.

Thank you for receiving our inter-agency delegation, headed by Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Novak. There are quite a few interesting and useful undertakings on its agenda. As for us, we stand ready to do everything to fulfil them, along with our agreements to maintain regular contacts and consultations through the Foreign Ministry.

We are delighted to see you. Welcome to Russia.

President of Syria Ahmed al-Sharaa (retranslated): Thank you very much, Mr President. Thank you for your hospitality. We have managed to come here without undue fatigue, so we can say it was a productive journey.

Mr President, we are indeed bound by long-standing historical ties between Russia and Syria. Today, we are living in a new era for a new Syria. We are presenting this new Syria to the world, and the world is coming to know a new Syria.

We are striving to advance our political objectives, and we understand that, as I have already noted, we are bound by historical ties. Russia will play a major role in this process. We also build upon the many achievements that Russia has enabled us to realise; it has assisted us in various areas. We are connected by robust bridges of cooperation, including practical and material cooperation.

We will continue in this manner in the future. We will seek to revitalise the entire spectrum of our relations and to introduce you to the new Syria. The most important priority now, of course, is stability – both within our country and in the region as a whole.

I would like to thank you once again for the warm welcome and for the invitation to visit Russia. Thank you, Mr President.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

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Meeting with leaders of parliamentary groups

2025-09-20T10:58:55+04:00

Vladimir Putin held a meeting with leaders of State Duma parliamentary groups.

Taking part in the meeting were United Russia faction leader Vladimir Vasilyev, Communist Party faction leader Gennady Zyuganov, A Just Russia faction leader Sergei Mironov, New People faction leader Alexei Nechayev, Liberal Democratic Party faction leader Leonid Slutsky, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, and First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Sergei Kiriyenko.

* * *

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, colleagues,

The State Duma opened its autumn session and held its first meeting on Tuesday.

Congratulations to you and all State Duma deputies. Also, congratulations on the recent election. All the parliamentary parties have reaffirmed their high status and demonstrated that they have the trust of their voters. This is crucial, as it ensures our political stability, which is of paramount importance in today’s world.

Therefore, and I should have opened with this, thank you to all Russian voters who came to polling stations even in the regions where it was challenging and dangerous. People showed up and reaffirmed that the Russian political system is stable.

We know of too many cases where a country living in conditions similar to ours fails to uphold its constitutional order and political stability. We have managed to maintain that, and it is very important.

There will be many discussion points during the upcoming session, and I would like to cover them with you today. There are many priorities to address. One priority that we constantly return to is, of course, macroeconomic stability. It is a factor determining the other matters to which you continuously attach prime significance: fulfilling the state’s commitments to our citizens, our social commitments. This includes large families, seniors and pensioners, as well as matters concerning enhancing and reinforcing Russia’s defence capability and supporting our military personnel and their family members.

I know that war veterans, in particular, are joining your ranks. I am confident that they will make a positive contribution to the political parties both locally and centrally, in the State Duma and the federal government bodies. I have repeatedly said and I know that you support this approach, that we must seek out and promote people who have no fear when it comes to serving the Motherland and who are willing to risk their health and lives. Such people must be promoted to leading posts. They will be our successors. We should think about that. Thank you for nominating these people.

This is what I would like to say in the beginning. I think we can cover everything in an open discussion, especially since I will meet with each of you individually later, as we agreed with Mr Volodin.

Mr Volodin, please.

Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin: Mr President,

First, on behalf of my colleagues and State Duma deputies, I would like to express gratitude for your attention to the parliament, to our democracy, and the evolution of the political system. The challenges are indeed daunting, but despite them, the system demonstrates its effectiveness.

The political system not only reflects all threats and challenges but is also evolving on the basis of the multiparty system and the opportunities provided to us by the Constitution after it has been amended, when the State Duma obtained additional powers. It must be said that this largely defines today’s responsible attitude towards carrying out our duties. If, in the past, there was more talk, now, together with the Government, we are participating in shaping decisions.

Speaking about the autumn session, you rightly emphasised that the key issue was the economic system and its macroeconomic parameters. And the key issue of the autumn session is the adoption of the federal budget, the main financial law. We have been working on it together with the Government since July. Deputies are engaged in the dialogue, and on our part it is, of course, extremely important to do everything – in line with your approach – to ensure the preservation of social commitments and guarantees for our citizens.

Despite differences of opinion (I think my colleagues will touch on this, too), we all consider it important that standards – which are already high, despite 30,000 sanctions and obstacles to development – continue to be raised by you: benefits are growing, new decisions are being made in this sphere to support large families, to help children, and, of course, without question, the participants in the special military operation. All these issues must be resolved in the process of reviewing and adopting the budget.

As of today, the State Duma’s legislative portfolio includes 1,153 laws. Just in the past two days we adopted the first seven laws and reviewed 21 draft laws in the first and second readings. There is a great deal of work to be done, but this is an integral part of the authority and duty of the deputy corps. During the summer, we held meeting with voters. The parliamentary parties took part in election campaigns. Now, the deputies have gathered together in order to address these issues.

Among them, the key issue is the support for participants in the special military operation and their families, to ensure they lack nothing. A system has been created – just as you said: we are trying to carry this out meticulously and to do everything to make sure the participants in the special military operation have all their needs met. To date, 140 laws have been adopted, and the system has been formed.

Given the challenges we face and the changing situation, we have to amend existing laws and adopt new ones. At present, 26 draft laws are under consideration, and just yesterday one of them was passed. Advancing this work is among our key priorities for the autumn session.

The State Duma’s agenda is shaped by our voters, and we discuss it collectively following our meetings. Within our specialised committees, we have placed particular emphasis on such issues as the protection of children’s health, which we intend to prioritise for consideration and adoption. Another priority is the protection of citizens against fraud: as technology develops, we must strengthen measures to protect people from various forms of illegal activity, especially schemes that target the elderly through modern technologies. We are also addressing matters related to rural development, which we believe should be a priority, too, as well as demographic issues. All these are central topics on our agenda.

And the issue that passes from one session to another – illegal migration control: we monitor it and on our part work to amend legislation. All of this will form the foundation of the State Duma’s work during the autumn session.

We also consider it important to pay more attention to improving the efficiency of the budget funds and raising labour productivity. This will have a positive effect on both the national budget and the economy. We intend to carry out this work together with our colleagues in the Government until the end of the autumn session.

I would like to once again express my gratitude for the opportunity to promptly discuss these issues. This does not only help us in our work but also enables us to achieve the results needed to meet the goals you set out in your Address to the Federal Assembly. The State Duma has fully implemented the legislative measures outlined in your Address, and we have adopted all the necessary laws.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

Mr Volodin initiated today’s meeting. Was it the day before yesterday that you raised the matter of holding it?

Vyacheslav Volodin: We discussed it on Monday and Tuesday. On Monday, when we spoke, you asked to convey your congratulations and a message to the deputies for the work during the autumn session. After that, my colleagues and I exchanged messages, and they requested such a meeting. Practically the very next day, on Tuesday, you took the decision to hold it.

Vladimir Putin: I tried not to delay the matter and adjusted the schedule as much as possible. I believe you were right: we need to compare our positions at the very start of the autumn session.

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Excerpts from the transcript of a meeting with the leaders of the State Duma parliamentary parties

Vladimir Putin (commenting on the speech by the leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, Gennady Zyuganov): Let me briefly respond to a few points that you made.

Regarding our younger generation, you said “Their minds have been corrupted by Soros’ textbooks.” Indeed, there was such a problem. I think things are straightening out. Despite everything, despite these textbooks – I agree that their negative impact is obvious – we still have a high level of family, society, and state defences, and our youth demonstrate patriotism and willingness to defend our Motherland, and, if needed, to stand up for our traditional values. I think we can be happy with that.

But, of course, this needs constant attention from society, media, and, of course, the political parties. You are doing a lot in this regard. I am aware that the CPRF is doing a great deal of work with the young people.

One can have all sorts of ideas about ideology, but I absolutely want to thank you for instilling patriotism [in the young people]. That is obvious. As for the nuances of ideology…

With regard to the decline from over four percent of GDP growth, this is not a decline, but a planned move. This is about slowing down growth in exchange for suppressing inflation and maintaining macroeconomic stability. But you have rightly pointed out that we need to know the cut-off line beyond which we will hit a cooling point, possibly even a recession.

I think we are still a long way from a recession, and the labour market is clearly telling us so. We are still at historically low unemployment levels – just over two percent – and unemployment is a key indicator of the state of the economy and an indicator showing whether we are in a recession, or not. The labour market is telling us otherwise.

Nevertheless, these are very serious issues.

I am convinced that during the discussion at the State Duma, when deciding on the country’s main financial document, the Budget Law, representatives of all parliamentary parties will discuss this at length.

You are absolutely correct, and with regard to aviation, it is evident that no one will simply hand us anything. We have traditionally maintained a robust, high-level development of combat aircraft, and this continues to be the case. We have preserved, restored, and made significant advancements. Presently, despite the fact that we ourselves require combat aircraft amidst the special military operation, I do not believe our aviation industry enterprises are overstretched. We not only fully meet the needs of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation today but also supply the necessary equipment for export. This equipment is in tremendous demand. Furthermore, it represents the most advanced, effective equipment, having been battle-tested during the special military operation.

I would like to highlight – and I have mentioned this previously – that we have not witnessed such success in aircraft engine manufacturing for quite some time. We developed the PD-14. Nothing had been achieved since Soviet times, and I cannot even recall the year of the last engine – I believe it was the late 1980s. We have created a new engine, an excellent one, not merely meeting global standards but surpassing them.

We must now continue progressing in this direction. Only four countries manufacture such engines – four countries, including Russia. This is undoubtedly one of our competitive advantages in the real sector of the economy. However, we need an engine for wide-body, long-haul aircraft – the PD-35. An interim variant will be the PD-26. Work is proceeding most vigorously.

Naturally, we should have resolved all issues concerning local and regional aviation long ago. For a country like ours, with vast territories, it is utterly unacceptable to fly from one region to a neighbouring region via Moscow – and unfortunately, this still happens. However, I hope, as the relevant specialists assure us – indeed, I am confident – that within about a year and a half, everything will enter series production, and we will fly on our own aircraft.

As for restoring Volgograd’s name as Stalingrad – this requires consideration. The local residents must decide, but generally, everything connected with the Great Patriotic War and Stalin’s role in the Victory must be taken into account, and efforts made to depoliticise it. There were many problems associated with repressions – this is obvious, and it must not be whitewashed; the country must not forget this. However, it would be equally unjust to forget the role this individual played in the Soviet people’s Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

How to achieve this is another matter. However, restoring the name Stalingrad to the city of Volgograd today is, first and foremost, an issue that should be decided at the regional level.

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Vladimir Putin (commenting on the speech of LDPR faction leader Leonid Slutsky): You have raised a number of very important and undoubtedly relevant issues.

As for human resources in healthcare, how should this problem be resolved? Should mandatory work placements be introduced after university graduation, or not? And what should our general approach to placements be? There is a great deal of debate here, but overall, this is certainly one possible solution.

As for ensuring equal opportunities for all citizens, regardless of where they live, this is a goal we should all pursue. Perhaps the first priority here is a wage reform in the social sector. This, however, is a highly complex matter, and the key is not to make mistakes – neither to be late, nor to act prematurely. I very much hope that the State Duma deputies will approach this in a very professional manner.

Turning to migration – indeed, many decisions have already been made, and we must ensure their proper implementation. This is a very sensitive area for citizens, and the authorities, both at federal and regional level, must not pretend the problem does not exist. These issues are real and must be addressed. Yet they cannot be resolved unless we keep them under constant control. Further adjustment of the decisions already made is essential, and I would welcome any constructive proposals you may have.

Housing and utilities are, without question, another crucial area. The social wellbeing of all Russian families, all people, depends on it. We should think whether separate agencies should be created. At present, the Ministry of Construction is conducting this work. If you believe that a specialised body is required, we can look at that. But, of course, we must avoid creating unnecessary red tape: another ministry, another set of vehicles, secretaries, assistants. We need to think this through. But overall, this area is indeed of critical importance.

(The President also supported Leonid Slutsky’s proposal to establish Combat Veteran Day.)

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Vladimir Putin (commenting on the remarks by Sergei Mironov, leader of the A Just Russia – For Truth faction): Allow me to highlight certain points I wish to emphasise. Everyone knows my attitude towards those fighting on the frontline, risking their lives – and unfortunately, at times sacrificing them – as well as their families and those returning from the combat zone. Naturally, we must support them. From their ranks, we should form a personnel reserve. That is clear.

But what specifically draws my attention now? You suggested establishing some form of quota for participants of the special military operation entering positions of authority. An appealing notion. It would be akin to gender quotas in some countries – stipulating that parliament must include a certain number of women, or quotas for other groups, including persons with disabilities. It appears noble, with sound motivation. My sole concern is that this must not devolve into mere formalism. We must recruit individuals into government based not on gender, profession, or any other such criterion, but on personal and professional merits. Naturally, one fundamental aspect – devotion to the Motherland, readiness to lay down one’s life for it – is already present.

When I meet participants of our Time of Heroes platform, or other combat veterans, we speak candidly, and they are equally frank. I have asked some directly: “Would you consider entering government?” Their responses vary: “You know, it’s not for me – I see myself pursuing creative work,” or one even said, “I want to apply to theatre school.” These are talented, remarkably talented individuals. Others wish to dedicate themselves to technical innovation. “I don’t see myself in government,” they say.

With over 700,000 personnel deployed along the line of contact, we should select from among those individuals. Our task is to identify those genuinely inclined towards such work. I am not dismissing quotas outright, but this requires careful deliberation – there are questions to ponder.

Regarding land allocations for special military operation participants: yes, I agree. In fact, such measures are already being implemented in some of our new historical territories. But broadly speaking, you are absolutely right – I would support and expand this practice.

Now, on quarterly adjustments of social benefits. Ideally, this would be desirable, but it warrants consideration. There is an alternative approach. You raised this amid concerns over high inflation. Yet another solution exists – suppressing inflation to eliminate the problem altogether.

In this context, I draw your attention to your immediate legislative priorities, particularly the budget law. This is critically important. Temptations abound: print money, distribute it. But the outcome? Inflation. While striving to assist vulnerable groups – who unquestionably merit our attention and support – we must adopt measures that address systemic issues fundamentally. Targeted subsidies and support remain necessary, of course. Through discussions with the Government, you will doubtless determine the optimal path.

Without a doubt, housing is a matter of key importance. Deputy Prime Minister Khusnullin, with whom I am in constant contact, recently reported on it again. Overall, we will have a good result this year of over 100 million square metres, which is a very good result. This is largely thanks to groundwork laid in previous years, but nonetheless, we are trying to create the right conditions for developers and investors so that construction continues at a steady pace in the years ahead.

What is the main issue here? Yes, of course, the key interest rate and the level of mortgage lending. The mortgage rate is high, but we are keeping the benefits unchanged. So, the issue is about keeping these subsidised programmes for certain regions, the Far East and the Arctic, where the family mortgage programme remains in place. This is also a matter of inflation, nothing more. Ideally, we would like to keep the subsidised rates available as widely as possible. That would simply mean allocating much more money from the budget than now, that is all. We need to strive to curb the inflation and to bring all banking system rates, including those of the commercial banks and mortgages, into proper alignment.

Nevertheless, for certain categories of citizens and in certain regions, subsidised mortgage rates must remain unchanged, that is absolutely clear. Please pay attention to this during budget debates.

Rental housing. You are absolutely right. This is already being done, but we need to expand it. I fully share your understanding and you have my support in this regard.

With regard to the manufacturing industry, you pointed out that, sometimes, decisions amount to subsidising foreign manufacturers. We must, of course, do everything possible to cut this down, but do so carefully. We should not be subsidising them, that is clear, but we cannot shut down the market to products that are critically important for our industry. This issue must be handled with great care. Subsidising foreign manufacturers is certainly out of question, especially so since Western countries are heavily subsidising their own producers.

With regard to other fiscal matters, such as taxation of dividends, luxury tax, and so on, things look quite reasonable. In some other countries, as I have mentioned this earlier, in the United States during the Vietnam War or the Korean War – I am speaking out of politics now – they did exactly the same thing. They raised taxes specifically for high-income groups of taxpayers. In fact, we are doing the same. The important thing is not to overdo it and to proceed with caution.

But overall, when people see that their funds are earmarked towards a specific noble cause, they have no objections. Our people are very patriotic and are not greedy. It is important for them to see that the money is used towards a specific noble goal, like I said. That is worth considering.

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Vladimir Putin (commenting on the remarks by the New People faction leader Alexei Nechayev): I am thankful to you for the appraisal of the electronic voting significance and quality. Mr Kiriyenko knows how many debates we had: possible, impossible, better, worse. In general, this electronic voting proved itself, it is unbiased to the utmost and gives people the opportunity to speak up. There were some apprehensions, let's say, within the ruling party mentioned here about whether electronic voting – impersonal and free – would be a good thing for it. Yet, it actually turned out to be good for all.

We have already discussed the involvement of the special military operation veterans in the political work. Why not, of course, if the veterans work in the Interior Ministry system, including in the migration policy domain. I will certainly speak to the Minister.

As for bypassing the increased duties on goods from the so called unfriendly states – we need to do it. I will not repeat your proposal now but it should be done exactly that way, we have to sort it out. I fully agree, we will work on this. Thank you.

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Vladimir Putin: I would like to thank you and all the United Russia party deputies. In fact, I would like to thank everyone, all the deputies working in the State Duma. They are a true support for the Government, the pillar of the current system; it is clear that they form the foundation upon which the Government adopts key decisions.

We have not talked about this today, but I would nevertheless like to note that we are fulfilling all our obligations, despite the special military operation and increasing expenditures – that is also a clear fact. Defence spending is not simply an expense or a waste; rather, our defence industry and our Armed Forces have undergone a qualitative transformation. Of course, this requires significant resources. These are undoubtedly not wasted funds, but the costs are real, and they have grown.

Nevertheless, we are honouring all our social obligations. Naturally, all parliamentary factions support this; indeed, everyone stands behind these commitments. Thanks to the decisions made by the deputies, we are able to make balanced choices that allow us to move forward, ensuring that social commitments are fulfilled, even as defence spending rises. This is of great importance.

In this regard, I would like to remind you that we have not discussed national projects or national development goals. These are universally acknowledged as priorities, as objectives we must strive for and achieve. Of course, in determining next year’s budget, I would ask you to keep this firmly in mind. We are meeting national development goals, implementing national projects, ensuring social spending, promoting infrastructure development, strengthening defence capabilities, and supporting the real sectors of the economy linked to the defence industry.

However, let me conclude this open section with an appeal to everyone. Whatever decisions the State Duma makes, and whatever the sphere in which laws are passed, I ask you always to consider how they will affect families with children. These are entirely different areas of activity, but they all are interlinked in one way or another, and ultimately influence people’s lives. Whatever the issue, whatever the decision, please keep in mind its impact on families with children and the consequences for them. Because resolving this key challenge, beyond achieving victory in the special military operation, is crucial. That challenge is demographics. This is the point on which I wish to close this session.

Once again, I thank you and your factions for supporting all these decisions and for working together in preparing them in the current situation.

Thank you very much.

SCO Heads of State Council Meeting

2025-09-04T12:06:47+04:00

Vladimir Putin took part in the SCO Heads of State Council Meeting.

Following the meeting, several documents were signed and adopted, including the Tianjin Declaration and the Statement on the 80th Anniversary of the End of World War II and the Establishment of the United Nations.

On the sidelines of the summit, Vladimir Putin had talks with Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, President of Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and President of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian. The President of Russia also held bilateral meetings with Prime Minister of Vietnam Pham Minh Chinh, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, and Prime Minister of Nepal Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli.

Vladimir Putin also briefly spoke with Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif and President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

* * *

Address by the President of Russia at the SCO Heads of State Council Meeting

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: President Xi Jinping, friends,

First of all, I would like to join my colleagues in commending the excellent work carried out by China during its chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

This year holds special significance for all our nations. On May 9, Moscow hosted celebrations marking the anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War and the defeat of Nazi Germany. The day after tomorrow, large-scale events will take place in Beijing to commemorate the victory over Japanese militarism and the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. The defeat of Nazism and militarism was made possible through the unity of peoples across many countries. Out of the outcome of World War II came the United Nations, which is also celebrating its 80th anniversary this year.

The UN Charter enshrined fundamental principles: the primacy of international law, the right of nations to self-determination, sovereign equality, non-interference in internal affairs, and respect for the independence and national interests of every state. These principles remain valid and unshakable to this day.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is also built on these very principles. It brings together like-minded partners committed to shaping a just, multipolar world order. For this meeting of the Council of Heads of State, a substantial package of documents has been prepared. Chief among them, the Tianjin Declaration reflects the agreed approaches of member states to pressing issues on the global and regional agenda.

I would also highlight the SCO Development Strategy through 2035, which we are adopting today. It defines the main directions of the Organisation’s work in politics, the economy, security and humanitarian issues.

The pace of cooperation within the SCO is truly impressive. For example, last year the average GDP growth of member states exceeded 5 percent, while industrial output rose by 4.6 percent. Mutual trade continues to grow steadily. All these indicators are above the global average. National currencies are being used more and more widely in mutual settlements.

We advocate the issuance of joint bonds by the SCO member states, the establishment of our own payment, settlement and depository infrastructure, and the creation of a bank for joint investment projects. These measures will increase the efficiency of our economic exchanges and protect them from external market fluctuations.

Within the SCO, an extensive and competitive transport infrastructure is steadily taking shape. Road, rail and multimodal cargo traffic is growing. Close customs cooperation has been established, and electronic document flow is being actively introduced.

The energy cooperation strategy until 2030, which we approved last year, is now being implemented in full. The sectoral roadmap we are adopting today builds on that strategy and is aimed at pursuing a coordinated and balanced energy policy across the entire SCO space.

As many colleagues have already noted, links among member states are expanding in science and education, healthcare and environmental protection, as well as in sports and youth exchanges.

The SCO University, which brings together 77 universities from our countries, is operating successfully. Rector forums are held regularly, and dialogue among students, postgraduates and faculty is becoming more active.

Colleagues,

Our Organisation is steadily increasing its influence in addressing pressing international issues. It serves as a powerful driver of global development processes and the establishment of genuine multilateralism.

There is no doubt that the SCO makes a tangible contribution to strengthening an atmosphere of cooperation and mutual trust across the entire Eurasian continent. In doing so, it helps lay the political and socioeconomic foundations for a new system of stability, security and peaceful development in Eurasia – a system that would replace outdated Eurocentric and Euro-Atlantic models, take into account the interests of the widest possible range of countries, and be genuinely balanced, thus preventing attempts by some states to ensure their own security at the expense of others.

As many colleagues have already noted, links among member states are expanding in science and education, healthcare and environmental protection, as well as in sports and youth exchanges.

Colleagues,

Taking this opportunity, I would like to say that Russia adheres to the same approaches with regard to the crisis around Ukraine. Let me remind you that this crisis did not arise from Russia attacking Ukraine, but from a coup d’etat in Ukraine, supported and provoked by the West, followed by attempts to use military force to suppress the regions and people of Ukraine who rejected and did not accept that coup.

The second reason for the crisis lies in the West’s constant efforts to draw Ukraine into NATO, which, as we have repeatedly and consistently stressed over many years, represents a direct threat to Russia’s security.

It is worth recalling that as a result of the 2014 coup in Ukraine, the country’s political leadership that opposed NATO membership was removed from power.

In this context, we highly value the efforts and proposals of China, India and other strategic partners aimed at facilitating a settlement of the Ukrainian crisis.

I would note that the understandings reached at the recent Russian-US summit in Alaska, I hope, are also moving in this direction, paving the way towards peace in Ukraine.

During the bilateral meetings scheduled for today and tomorrow, I will, of course, provide colleagues with more detailed information on the results of the talks in Alaska.

In fact, yesterday at the luncheon, our hosts kindly arranged for participants in the SCO meetings, President Xi Jinping and I already discussed this issue. I briefed him in detail on the agreements reached during my talks with the President of the United States.

Naturally, for a Ukrainian settlement to be sustainable and lasting, the root causes of the crisis that I have just mentioned, and have spoken about many times before, must be addressed, and a fair balance in the sphere of security must be restored.

Of course, one of the SCO’s priority tasks is to maintain stability both within member states and along their external borders.

Russia supports the draft programme for countering extremism until 2030 prepared for our meeting, and is ready to contribute to its implementation.

We also attach great importance to the agreements being signed today on establishing a universal SCO centre in Tashkent to respond to the entire range of contemporary challenges and threats, and on opening a dedicated anti-drug centre in Dushanbe. We expect these centres to begin their work in the very near future.

In conclusion, I would like to thank our Chinese friends for hosting such a productive meeting of the SCO heads of state. I am confident that the implementation of the agreements reached here in Tianjin will be thoroughly considered at the SCO Heads of Government Council Meeting, which, as agreed, will take place in November in Moscow. Dear friends, we will be delighted to welcome delegations from all your countries.

Naturally, I wish every success to President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov and our Kyrgyz colleagues, who will take over the chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation following this summit.

Thank you for your attention.

Meeting with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar

2025-08-21T17:56:42+04:00

Vladimir Putin met in the Kremlin with Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India, co-chair of the Intergovernmental Russian-Indian Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

The meeting was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, First Deputy Prime Minister, Russian co-chair of the Intergovernmental Russian-Indian Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation Denis Manturov, and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of India to Russia Vinay Kumar.

Meeting with graduates of higher military schools

2025-06-23T18:55:08+04:00

Vladimir Putin met with top graduates of higher military schools of the Defence Ministry, the Emergencies Ministry, the Federal Security Service, the Federal Guard Service, the National Guard, the Interior Ministry, the Investigative Committee and the Federal Penitentiary Service in the St George Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Comrades officers, friends,

I am delighted to welcome you and to congratulate you on a milestone – a truly momentous event in your lives.

You have successfully completed your studies at military academies, as well as at institutions of the Defence Ministry, the Emergencies Ministry, law enforcement agencies, and security services. You earned top marks at your final exams, demonstrated excellent knowledge in specialised training, and showed strong proficiency with the most advanced equipment. I am confident that this solid professional foundation will enable you to take on the most complex and demanding tasks, and to serve Russia and our people with honour.

Today, we have gathered in the St George Hall of the Moscow Kremlin, a solemn pantheon celebrating the glory of Russian arms. It reminds us of the legendary battles and heroes of the War of 1812 and stands as an inspiring symbol of the strength and unyielding spirit of generations of the Fatherland’s defenders.

This new chapter in your service begins in the year of the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory. Today, too, we are fighting for our future, and the participants of the special military operation, all our soldiers, are the direct heirs of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War and of all those who have defended our thousand-year-old Russia across generations.

Always remember that you are continuing the great work of your great-grandfathers, grandfathers, and fathers. Their example, their loyalty to the Fatherland, truth, and justice will serve you as a reliable moral compass, and by following it, you will surely write new glorious pages in the history of our Armed Forces, law enforcement agencies, and security services.

Friends,

The current international landscape is evolving rapidly, and we are witnessing a sharp escalation of tensions in the Middle East. External powers from outside the region are being drawn into the conflict, pushing the world closer to a highly dangerous situation.

We are deeply concerned that some Western political leaders persist in pursuing strategies aimed at delivering a “strategic defeat” to Russia. It appears that history has taught them little. They continue to supply the current Kiev regime with weapons, financial resources, military-technical assistance, and intelligence support – effectively making themselves direct participants in the conflict.

We know that NATO is expected to unveil an expanded capability enhancement programme at its upcoming summit, which will require increased defence spending from the member states. Currently, NATO countries allocate more resources to military expenditures than the rest of the world’s nations combined. This highlights the drivers of the global military escalation and the arms race.

In justifying their plans, the alliance’s leadership once again invokes a supposed threat from Russia, suggesting a potential invasion of Europe. They have fabricated this alarming narrative and repeat it year after year to mislead their own populations and secure funding. Yet, once again, we confront the same blatant and shameless falsehoods.

Amid escalating geopolitical tensions, we remain committed to taking appropriate measures to bolster the security of Russia and our allies while advancing the development of our Armed Forces as a safeguard for Russia’s sovereign and independent development.

A pressing priority continues to be the enhancement of combat capabilities across all branches and types of our Armed Forces. In particular, recognising the growing significance of unmanned aerial vehicles in modern warfare, we are establishing a new branch dedicated to unmanned systems troops.

This year, we will complete the full range of organisational measures to establish units and formations within the Moscow and Leningrad military districts. Additionally, the marine brigades will be expanded into divisions, significantly enhancing their striking power and combat capabilities.

As always, a key priority remains the technical modernisation of the Army and Navy, primarily through the new, large-scale, and long-term State Armament Programme.

We will focus in particular on the nuclear triad. The Strategic Missile Forces will be equipped with the latest Yars systems, and the aviation component of the strategic nuclear forces will be reinforced with upgraded Tu-160M missile carriers this year.

In addition, serial production of the state-of-the-art medium-range missile system Oreshnik is underway. It has demonstrated outstanding performance in combat situations. New ships and submarines equipped with next-generation high-precision weapons will be deployed with the Navy.

We will continue to consistently enhance the authority and the social status of the officer corps. You – yes, you – are the mainstay of our Armed Forces and are called upon to serve as an example of professionalism and military honour, discipline, and respectful and caring treatment of personnel and fellow servicemen.

Comrades,

I welcome the officers present in this audience who will soon join the ranks of the FSB and the Interior Ministry, the National Guard, and the Emergencies Ministry, the Federal Guard Service, the Investigative Committee, the military prosecutor’s office, and the Federal Penitentiary Service.

We are all well aware of the fact that reliable protection of the country against internal and external threats requires close coordination among law enforcement agencies and special services, and other security entities, as well as your utmost concentration when addressing key objectives.

These objectives include combatting the attempts to destabilise the sociopolitical situation, terrorism, fighting crime and corruption, strengthening public order, and responding swiftly to natural disasters. Without a doubt, the support you provide to the military personnel involved in the special military operation is indispensable.

I am convinced that you are well aware of the magnitude and the nature of the tasks at hand and will do everything necessary to accomplish them.

Friends,

Together, we will continue to improve the Armed Forces and to increase the effectiveness of all entities in charge of the country’s security. I am confident that you will fulfill your duties with much responsibility and dedication, and faithfully and loyally serve Russia and our people.

I wish you and everyone graduating in 2025 success, good health, and well-being to your mentors, families, and loved ones.

Best of luck.

Defence Minister Andrei Belousov: Comrade Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Comrade officers,

On behalf of the Defence Ministry and myself, I would like to congratulate all graduates on successfully finishing higher military schools.

This year, over 13,000 officers who have been trained at 39 higher military schools will join the ranks of the Russian Armed Forces. This is the result of long-term work and efforts by instructors and commanders. Thanks to them, our army is receiving new professionals, trained in the best traditions of the Russian military school. In this connection, I would like to note some key distinguishing features of officers’ service in current conditions.

First, constant professional improvement. High-precision weapons and new methods of warfare require top qualification and skills, as well as permanent professional improvement. The officer corps should constantly improve their knowledge and skills. They should acquire new competences, especially in those fields of warfare that did not exist in the past. The Defence Ministry creates and will continue to create favourable conditions for self-education and for mastering state-of-the-art technologies and approaches.

Second, the experience of the special military operation are becoming a key advantage of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. It is important to retain this unique resource, to pass it on to future generations of service personnel and to integrate it into the combat training process.

Third, much more stringent requirements are currently in place for service personnel. Today, apart from being top-grade professionals, officers should act as mentors and tutors for their subordinates. The officer corps should pass on knowledge and skills to young soldiers and serve as an example for them.

Dear graduates,

We have to accomplish responsible objectives, while upholding the country’s sovereignty, defending its national interests and promoting long-term development of the Armed Forces. These objectives will, certainly, be accomplished.

I would like to congratulate you once again on completing your education. I wish you every success in your service, and may you achieve your goals. I wish you good health, happiness and prosperity to you and your families.

Sergei Trunin: Comrade Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

In the landmark year of the 80^th anniversary of the Great Victory, we, graduates of higher military schools, are feeling particularly excited and proud, while accepting the high honour of serving Russia.

The Year of the Defender of the Fatherland pays tribute and deep respect to the immortal feat of the generation of victors and to all those who are now accomplishing objectives of the special military operation. Their bravery, courage and heroism serve as a high standard of military duty for us, as well as loyalty to our oath of allegiance and Russia.

The Great Victory is our history and a reference point in life for us, officers, for all times. The years of studies, service and combat experience have hardened our resolve and taught us the main thing – to be ready to stand up and defend our Motherland.

Throughout its entire history, Russia has had and continues to maintain a powerful army capable of routing the enemy. The heroic pages of its history are forever emblazoned on the walls of the St George Hall of the Moscow Kremlin that symbolises the valour of the Russian soldier. Our objective is to preserve and expand the might of the Russian Army.

Comrade Supreme Commander-in-Chief, we would like to express profound gratitude to you, the leadership of the Defence Ministry, our instructors, commanders, and mentors for serving as an example of service to the Fatherland and for the knowledge we acquired. We would like to assure you that we will remain loyal to the behests of Suvorov and Zhukov, Ushakov and Nakhimov, to the traditions of the Russian military school. Each of us is ready to defend Russia’s national interests, to honourably fulfil our military duty and to strengthen the defence capability of our state.

Vladimir Putin: Dear friends, I congratulate you on completing your education once again. God bless you and good luck!

Meeting of the Council for State Policy on Promoting the Russian Language and Languages of the Peoples of the Russian Federation

2025-06-25T19:25:18+04:00

Vladimir Putin held a videoconference meeting of the Council for State Policy on Promoting the Russian Language and Languages of the Peoples of the Russian Federation.

The keynote report was delivered by Presidential Adviser, Chair of the Council Yelena Yampolskaya. Other speakers included General Director of the Russian Znaniye Society Maxim Dreval, Rector of the Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute Yevgeny Knyazev, Head of the Department of Russian as a Foreign Language at Far Eastern Federal University (Primorye Territory) Liliana Voronova, Rector of the Crimean Republican Institute of Postgraduate Pedagogical Education (Republic of Crimea) Alexander Rudyakov, Director of the Russian State Children’s Library Maria Vedenyapina, Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova, President of the Russian Book Union Sergei Stepashin, and Minister of Education Sergei Kravtsov.

The participants discussed the Native Toy national competition, the School Librarians professional skills competition, the contest for the most well-read school, the launch of a pilot version of the Say It in Russian game, the creation of reading clubs at schools and colleges as spaces that foster reading awareness and interest in literature, ways to promote, support and popularise the Russian language in the modern world, professional development programmes for teachers of Russian language and literature in the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics and in the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, the condition of children’s libraries and school libraries in Russian regions, and plans for holding a nationwide song poetry contest.

In particular, Rector of the Pushkin State Russian Language Institute Nikita Gusev proposed setting up a national interdepartmental centre for research and methodology at one of Russian universities, aimed at promoting the Russian language globally. Vladimir Putin supported this proposal and said that he would ask his colleagues from the Presidential Executive Office and the Government to elaborate it.

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Excerpts from the transcript of a meeting of the Council for State Policy on Promoting the Russian Language and Languages of the Peoples of the Russian Federation

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Colleagues, good afternoon.

Tomorrow marks Russian Language Day, or Pushkin Day, in Russia. I extend my congratulations to you on the upcoming holiday, as well as to all our philologists, Russian language specialists, Slavic studies experts, teachers of Russian language and literature, and everyone who cherishes, values, and safeguards our native tongue – those who take pride in thinking and speaking one of the world’s most vivid, rich, and expressive languages, a language that unites the multinational people of Russia, reflecting our spiritual and moral traditions, culture, and unique identity.

At the Council’s meeting last November, we resolved to develop the Basic Principles of State Language Policy. This document is intended to ensure the development and protection of the Russian language as the official language of Russia and as a key pillar, a dominant element of Russia’s national civic identity. It will also create additional conditions for preserving and supporting the languages of all Russia’s peoples and their linguistic diversity, which constitute our national treasure and historical and cultural heritage.

Naturally, we must work diligently to strengthen the position of the Russian language and to enhance Russia’s significance in the global cultural space.

I am aware that the draft Basic Principles have already been prepared. Today, Ms Yampolskaya will elaborate on this in detail.

I would like to emphasise that among the key tasks of state language policy are improving the quality of Russian language instruction at all levels of general and professional education, as well as implementing a unified, balanced methodology for teaching Russian language and literature in schools – and, on this basis, creating a unified series of school textbooks and educational materials.

It is fundamentally important to systematically eliminate vulgar and mechanical foreign borrowings that do not enrich, but rather pollute and distort our language, especially when equivalent Russian terms have long existed. The same applies to the public space, where our historic alphabet, Cyrillic, should be used rather than a chaotic mix of Latin letters and other symbols. Our great writers of the 19th century already satirised such mimicry.

Naturally, implementing the Basic Principles should help improve command of the Russian language and encourage greater interest in reading. Books are an essential part of both education and family tradition. Children’s books, which serve as a gateway to the world of classical literature and its high moral values, must be accessible to every family.

In this context, and by analogy with the Pushkin Card, which allows schoolchildren to visit museums, theatres, cinemas and exhibitions, I propose launching a children’s book card programme from 2026. These cards, with a value of 3,000 rubles, would be given to families with preschoolers aged between three and six. Let me stress: each child will receive their own card upon turning three. This is particularly important for families with multiple children.

Let’s take some time today to think together about what this card could be called.

I would also add that the books eligible for purchase with the children’s book card should be selected by recognised experts, including respected authors, child psychologists, and early-years education and development specialists. Publishers taking part in the programme will need to offer reasonable pricing, so that one card can cover the cost of at least ten books.

Colleagues,

At our previous meeting, we discussed the legal framework for language policy. An instruction was issued to draft a new law on the languages of the peoples of the Russian Federation, which would include an official state register of these languages.

I urge you not to delay this work. It concerns the preservation and further development of Russia’s languages, their systematic support by the state, and the safeguarding of our country’s shared linguistic space.

In addition, I propose establishing a Day of the Languages of the Peoples of Russia, to be celebrated annually on September 8, the birthday of Rasul Gamzatov. The author of the iconic Cranes, he considered two languages to be his own: Avar, in which he wrote, and Russian, which brought his work global recognition.

Colleagues,

One of the most effective ways to promote the Russian language and literature, both within our country and abroad, is through meaningful and wide-ranging celebrations of significant anniversaries linked to great Russian writers.

The year 2024 was dedicated to Pushkin. This year, 2025, honours Sergei Yesenin – in October we will mark the 130th anniversary of his birth. Preparations are also underway for the 200th anniversary of Leo Tolstoy, which we will celebrate in three years’ time.

In addition, 2028 will mark 225 years since the birth of Fyodor Tyutchev. His famous words are often quoted: “Russia cannot be understood with the mind alone, No ordinary yardstick can span her greatness…” But his legacy extends far beyond poetry. A publicist, statesman, political thinker and diplomat, Tyutchev was a true patriot – an educated, broad-minded and wise individual. In one of his essays, addressing Europeans – it was specifically about Russian-German relations, though in essence it was a message to all of Europe – he wrote:“Russia is ready to respect your historical legitimacy. But you, in turn, must learn to respect us – in our unity and strength.”

Given Tyutchev’s immense contribution to our culture, literature, history and philosophy, it is only fitting that his anniversary be properly commemorated. I ask our colleagues from the Presidential Executive Office and the Government to prepare a draft executive order to this effect.

Colleagues,

I hope that today we will hear additional proposals on how best to promote and popularise the Russian language, including in our historic territories of Donbass and Novorossiya.

In addition, I believe it is essential that we continue discussing the renewal of collections in school and children’s libraries. As previously noted, we will also review progress on the creation With that, I give the floor to Ms Yampolskaya.

Adviser to the President Yelena Yampolskaya: Thank you very much.

Mr President,

In your speech at the Parade marking the 80^th anniversary of the Great Victory, you said, “Our fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers saved the Fatherland. And they bequeathed us to defend the Motherland, to stay united and firmly defend our national interests, our thousand-year history, culture and traditional values – everything that is dear to us, that is sacred to us.”

The Russian language is one of these values and is a sacred matter for every citizen of Russia. Mr President, we tried to take this into account when we were working on the draft Fundamentals of State Language Policy.

Together with our colleagues from the Government and the Office of the Security Council, we have put together a draft document which has been coordinated with all the relevant agencies. I hope that this document meets the high standards you have just mentioned. Mr President, allow me, in the near future, to pass the draft of the Fundamentals of State Language Policy to you for consideration.

Thank you very much for the proposal to establish a Day of the Languages of the Peoples of Russia. It is wonderful that we are talking about this on the eve of Russian Language Day. There is no doubt that the emergence of such a holiday in the state calendar will, of course, give a new impetus to the development of literature in the languages of our peoples, our excellent school of translation, and will promote even greater mutual enrichment of the distinctive ethnic cultures which Russia is so rich with.

And of course, there are no words that can express my deep gratitude to you, Mr President, for the decision to launch the children's book card social programme. This is truly a big event. I myself read to my daughter every night and I know how it unites, how beneficial it is for the development of a child, their speech, imagination, and creative abilities. I would very much like the warm Russian tradition of family reading to return to every home.

<…>

Mr President, let me briefly report on the implementation of some of your instructions issued following the previous meeting of the Council.

The instructions have become an excellent navigation guide for us, and we are trying to move quickly and efficiently.

Work is in full swing on a unified state line of Russian language and literature textbooks. We have set ourselves two main questions. First: who are we making textbooks for? Who are they, today’s schoolchildren? What are they like? How can we win their trust? Of course, textbooks should inherit the best national traditions, but at the same time be up-to-date in the best sense of the word.

Mr President, we reached out to modern Russian authors who write for children. Let them try their hand at writing texts for Russian language textbooks so that everything that is offered to pupils as examples, homework, or exercises carries meanings and values that go beyond theory.

And the second main question. What are we making textbooks for? What kind of person, or citizen do we hope to create with the help of the native word? The ability to distinguish metaphor from hyperbole or iambic from choric is, indeed, important. But first of all, it seems to us, it is necessary to teach a young person to distinguish between good and evil.

You remember that you and I were once taught a class-based approach to literature, and we still remember quotes like “awakened the Decembrists,” “mirror of the revolution,” “Pushkin misunderstood,” or “Nekrasov fought against the ugly manifestations of serfdom.” No argument, serfdom is certainly ugly. But, perhaps, to give a fuller picture, we should, perhaps, share how free laborers in England lived at the same time? Tyutchev quoted an unbiased opinion that there were at least a million people in the United Kingdom who would benefit from being exiled to Siberia.

Mr President, the approach of my colleagues and me can be called patriotic.

We proceed from the fact that Russian literature is one of the greatest in the world. This is a humble statement, because, perhaps, it is, indeed, the greatest. We do not oppose Russian literature and Russian history. We study foreign authors, and we talk about the outstanding school of Russian literary translation. In other words, the focus is always on Russia, it never shifts.

Of course, there are meta-subject links between literature and history courses. Mr Medinsky personally undertook to support us in this endeavour and to supervise this part of the work.

I would like to emphasise that according to our plan the literature of the peoples of Russia should be presented in every class. Tukay, Karim, Kugultinov, Kuliev, Jalil, Rytkheu, Gamzatov – this is by no means a full list of names, and there has never been such a system-based approach to this issue so far.

We believe that textbooks should spark a child’s interest and love for his native language and literature. And they will spend their whole lives trying to find answers to questions posed by the literature. Textbooks alone are not enough.

To ensure our work remains connected to real school practice, we have decided to establish an expert body within the Council, inviting teachers of Russian language and literature from all regions of our country to assist us in this work. In fact, they are already providing advice.

I would particularly like to thank our Ministry of Education, and personally Minister Sergei Kravtsov, for understanding these approaches and supporting our efforts. With special responsibility, Mr President, and with particular reverence, we have approached the preparation of a new Primer. In fact, we propose returning to the traditional title – Bukvar (Primer) – for this first textbook, as it is currently called Azbuka (Alphabet).

Allow me to request, Mr President, that you address a message to every first-grader on the first page of the future primer – the primer from the unified state textbook series. On September 1, most of them will hear your words read aloud by their teachers, parents, or grandparents. But a little later, children will read your words themselves. I am certain that pride – the feeling that the President of their country has addressed them personally – will undoubtedly remain, making the start of their school life even more momentous.

If you consider it possible, we would be most grateful for this.

Now, I must honestly admit that we have not managed to fulfil all your instructions on time.

You rightly noted that progress on the new law on the languages of the peoples of the Russian Federation has been slow. However, just recently, we held intensive discussions with Mr Valery Falkov on this matter. We agreed to accelerate the work. The Council has already proposed two drafts of the bill, but the lead executor here is the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, with the Government being ultimately responsible. We have certainly found common ground, so I believe we will intensify our efforts in the near future and successfully complete this work.

We face a similar challenge with the adoption of legislative initiatives to limit the excessive use of Latin script and Anglicisms. The bill has so far only passed its first reading in the State Duma.

I will not conceal that attempts are being made from various quarters to exempt certain spheres from this law – for example, advertising or commercial branding – essentially seeking to preserve Latin script in our surroundings as much as possible.

We consider this position misguided, and we continue to explain and defend our approach. We maintain dialogue with our colleagues and very much hope this matter will be brought to a proper conclusion.

On the other hand, Mr President, we have completed ahead of schedule your instruction to develop the mobile game Say It in Russian, which is designed to help young people appreciate the unique advantages of their native language in practice. Because English is obviously concise. English is concise and convenient – I often compare it to instant noodles: pour boiling water, and in one word, you get a multitude of meanings. But Russian words are like natural ingredients, from which you prepare a hearty, delicious, and wholesome dish – and fragrant, I might add, truly aromatic. English is for those in a hurry, while Russian is for those who have eternity behind them.

Thanks to the Russian Znaniye Society, the VKontakte social network, and the Pushkin Russian Language Institute, the game Say It in Russian has been launched in test mode. The nationwide Native Toy competition, which we are conducting on your instruction, is also underway. Among the finalist projects are those related to both the Russian language and the languages of Russia’s peoples.

The tradition of recitation programmes for schoolchildren has also begun to revive in a very lively and informal way, in response to your instructions.

I will briefly mention several new proposals. If you approve, we will use them in our further work as well.

First, Russia is placing an emphasis on educating the younger generation today. On May 19, you signed an Executive Order establishing the Interdepartmental Working Group on Education of Children and Youth. I believe that respect for their language and interest in good and useful books should be instilled as early as possible, from kindergarten and even earlier.

In general, I believe that the preschool education system should above all focus on teaching the right values. This component of education should be made its cornerstone. There was a reason [renowned educator Vasily] Sukhomlinsky said that childhood is the time for educating the heart.

If you agree, we will prepare relevant proposals as part of the interdepartmental working group.

Second, we propose including spaces dedicated to the Russian language in the Russia National Centre, the expo created following your Executive Order, and in any future branches of that centre as well.

Mr President, according to our estimates, there are less than ten museums of the Russian language and Cyrillic script in the whole country. With the exception of the Museum of Slavic Writing at VDNKh in Moscow, all the others are small, modest, private establishments or local school departments. One of them is the Russian Alphabet Museum, created by enthusiasts, in Belokurikha, Altai Territory, a village 100 kilometres from [writer Vasily] Shukshin’s birthplace.

We at the Council will certainly try to help such enthusiasts, but I am sure that the Russia National Centre team will be able to create a truly fascinating, creative, interactive Russian language space, of interest to both Russians and foreign visitors.

In conclusion, Mr President, I would like to propose holding a song poetry contest in our country.

It is wonderful that we have so many good songs that are well-loved and passed down from generation to generation. However, the past is not our only source of pride; we are also proud of the time we live in.

I would suggest naming the contest after the unforgettable poet Nikolai Dobronravov and inviting composer Alexandra Pakhmutova to be the honorary chair of the jury. I must confess that I have already discussed this possibility with her, and Ms Pakhmutova warmly agreed.

The winners could be rewarded with songs that our composers, both famous and new, will write with their lyrics. And I have reason to believe that many of our soldiers, special military operation participants, will be among the finalists, because defending their Motherland is probably the highest form of poetry available to a person.

Thank you very much for your attention.

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Vladimir Putin: I would like to ask all our colleagues attending this meeting and working with us to send us any ideas or proposals you might have. Please send them to Ms Yampolskaya, and we will analyse them together with the Government. If you notice any gaps or deficiencies, or that something is missing, please feel free to point this out to us. This is precisely what the Council is for. Its mission is to respond promptly to everything that takes place in the sphere of our concern and to quickly make the relevant amendments.

I would like to thank you for taking part in our joint work and for your proposals and ideas. We will certainly analyse and sum them up and apply them in our everyday work in the spheres the departments represented here today are responsible for.

Ms Yampolskaya, would you like to say something in conclusion?

Yelena Yampolskaya: Mr President, I have nothing to add other than words of gratitude.

Happy Russian Language Day.

Vladimir Putin: I would like to thank everyone once again.

As I said, we will certainly sum up and take your ideas into account in our joint work.

I would like to ask you once again to forward your proposals to the Presidential Executive Office without waiting for our next meeting in this format.

All the best.

Thank you very much.

Happy Russian Language Day.

Meeting of the Council for the Development of Physical Culture and Sport

2025-05-29T12:41:40+04:00

Vladimir Putin held a meeting, via videoconference, of the Presidential Council for the Development of Physical Culture and Sport to discuss the development of adaptive physical culture and adaptive sport.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, colleagues,

Today, we will discuss an issue of particular social significance: the development of adaptive sport – a system designed to assist people with health restraints, offering them more options for living an active lifestyle, engaging in regular physical exercise, and participating in tournaments and competitions at various levels.

It is well known that sport has always been and remains an important resource for physical, psychological, and social support, as well as personal fulfilment. This resource must function effectively for the benefit of those who require special care and greater attention from the state.

Approximately 11 millions of our citizens have health restraints or disabilities, and more than seven million of them have no medical contraindications for engaging in sports. On the contrary, for many, it is even recommended for recovery and health promotion, enabling them to lead a full life despite their condition.

Authorities at all levels constantly supervise the entirety of challenges faced by people with disabilities. In recent years, much has been accomplished to improve the quality of life for these individuals – our citizens – so that they and their families do not have to confront their difficulties alone.

Social protection measures for people with disabilities are being refined. In line with modern accessibility standards, infrastructure in cities, towns, social, educational, and sports facilities is being transformed, while the quality and range of specialised equipment and services are expanding.

We are also actively developing systems for rehabilitation, health recovery, and habilitation – that is, training and acquiring new professional skills and competencies. Moreover, in accordance with new legal provisions, rehabilitation and habilitation systems must be developed comprehensively, complementing each other’s capabilities and combining medical technologies, psychological and pedagogical support, and assistance in social adaptation – helping individuals find fulfilment in their professions, creative pursuits, and, of course, in sports, the development of which we must discuss today.

I instruct the Government to develop and approve as soon as possible an action plan for implementing, at all levels of authority, legislation on the comprehensive rehabilitation and habilitation of people with disabilities – ensuring this is done with full consideration of the opportunities presented by adaptive sport.

Special attention goes to sports facilities. There are over 370,000 sports facilities in Russia, but less than ten percent of them currently have the specialised equipment and installations that are necessary for people with health restraints to engage in sports. I just mentioned that much is being done and much has been accomplished. But the fact that less than ten percent of these facilities are outfitted with specialised equipment shows that there is still a tremendous amount of work ahead. In reality, we are facing countless challenges.

A detailed inventory of all sports facilities must be completed before the year is out. Based on the results, a plan for their modernisation, major repairs, and proper equipment should be drafted. By 2030, the need for specialised equipment and gear must be fully met.

Additionally, please identify sites that can be used to create additional adaptive sports classes and adaptive physical fitness groups.

The quality of prosthetic and orthopaedic care is a crucial prerequisite for promoting active lifestyle and engaging in physical activity and sports. I believe the right thing to do would be to create a unified registry of organisations providing such care and to legally establish clear requirements governing their operations, first and foremost, the qualifications of their specialists, including medical personnel. This approach will help protect citizens from substandard services.

We must also step up efforts to support Russian manufacturers of prosthetic and orthopaedic products.

Naturally, public awareness and educational efforts play a key role in promoting adaptive sports. It is important to not only increase the number of television broadcasts, but also to provide more information to people in every region and every city as to where they can engage in sports, which classes or groups they can enrol in, and how to do it. For those who wish to train independently or find it difficult to visit a gym, methodological support and video lessons should be made available. All of this information should be available in a clear and accessible format, including on the Gosuslugi (public services) portal. Yesterday, my colleagues and I also discussed this on the well-known platform Russia – Land of Opportunity. The number of services available through this portal continues to grow. If it does not yet include what I just mentioned, the missing part should be added.

Importantly, additional support and promotion of adaptive sports projects must also be funded through extrabudgetary sources, including through the newly created Russian Sports Foundation. I expect it to become operational in July.

Let me reiterate that our goal is to makes sports classes and groups available and accessible for all people with health restraints, regardless of where they live, their income level, age, or physical condition. But this requires more than just infrastructure. We must also engage people in competitive activities. This not only lets individuals test themselves, but also opens up new opportunities for social interaction, making friends, establishing professional connections, and visiting other cities and regions. That is precisely the kind of active and eventful life which we will discuss today.

Therefore, I request that serious consideration be given to significantly expanding the competition calendar in adaptive sports – ranging from amateur and regional events to major open international tournaments – while also increasing the number of mass participation events, developing existing formats and creating new ones.

A separate and important task is to ensure the broadest possible opportunities for veterans of the special military operation returning to civilian life – often after serious combat injuries – to access sporting activities. I know many of them not only engage in sports regularly but have also joined national teams, competing at various levels, inspiring others with their courage and setting an example.

I have already issued instructions to include the Defenders of the Fatherland Cup tournaments in the schedules of nationwide and regional sporting events. It would be appropriate for these to involve both veterans of the special military operation and all those with combat veteran or military service veteran status.

Furthermore, the prestige of the Cup finals is being elevated, as they will now be held for the prize of the President of the Russian Federation. I request the Government to promptly resolve all related matters.

Another pressing task is ensuring proper remuneration for those working directly with people with health restraints: adaptive sports coaches, instructors, and medical professionals. We have repeatedly addressed this matter regarding professional athletes. Instructions to strengthen personnel capacity in this sector and support young specialists were previously formulated – I request an update on progress in this area.

Additionally, I believe we should increase prize money for our Paralympians, Deaflympians, and their coaches for victories in international competitions.

Colleagues,

The long-term development of adaptive sports should be aligned with achieving national goals and objectives, contributing to improving the lives of millions of our citizens, society, and the state. Work in this sphere must be systematic and well-coordinated.

I request the development of a Concept for the Development of Adaptive Sports and Adaptive Physical Culture for the period until 2030 with an outlook to 2036, along with an accompanying action plan.

Developing, approving, and implementing this concept represents a complex task requiring joint efforts. I count on the engaged, active participation of both the Government and the Presidential Executive Office, the State Council, relevant agencies, public organisations, governmental and interdepartmental commissions. Proposals made during today’s discussion must certainly be incorporated.

And crucially – while the concept is important – we must organise our work to ensure everything we agree today is implemented.

<…>

Vladimir Putin: Of course, there is a special sense of urgency today regarding adaptive sports and enabling people with health restraints to exercise in general, since all these matters are relevant for our men who become disabled or suffer serious wounds during the special military operation.

The situation may change, but the way we approach this topic must remain the same. I would like to draw the attention to this matter of all our colleagues who are taking part in today’s meeting. Why? Because, as we have mentioned, in Russia, we have 11 million people with health restraints – these are 11 millions of our fellow Russians. We must take care of them irrespective of what happens, even if our country goes through very important events or finds itself at major historical junctures. We must pay special attention to this matter at all times. This includes our men who get severely wounded, as I have already said, and need this kind of support in terms of developing adaptive sports and adaptive physical fitness.

They will also need these opportunities later in their lives too. Therefore, the discussion we had today must go beyond addressing immediate objectives. We must aim for the long term by primarily focusing on the kind of people I have just mentioned.

Overall, you can see whether any given society is mature by looking at how it treats people who need the state to assist them. This is probably a primary factor in this regard. We must plan years ahead in order to make the necessary arrangements and allocate funding.

This is why the programmes as described by the deputy prime minister, and all the speakers today, must be realistic. They must address both the immediate needs and, as I have already said, be forward-looking by addressing the goals we have set for ourselves. We want 70 percent of our people to actively exercise and engage in sports activities on a regular basis. This also includes people with health restraints.

I would like to thank everyone who took part in today’s meeting, especially those who work as part of the Presidential Council for the Development of Physical Culture and Sport.

Colleagues, you all know this topic well and understand what we discussed today. I ask you to submit your proposals. If any of you did not take the floor but has some ideas to share, please go ahead and add them to the draft instructions. We will work on them within the Presidential Executive Office together with the Government.

Thank you very much to all of you, and all the best. Thank you.

Meeting with Russian business community

2025-06-02T16:17:57+04:00

Vladimir Putin had a meeting with Russian business leaders on Russian Entrepreneurship Day.

Taking part in the meeting were managers of the country’s enterprises and companies which safeguard technological sovereignty, successfully replace the brands that left Russia, create new jobs in the regions and actively explore foreign markets.

* * *

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, colleagues.

Today is Russian Entrepreneurship Day, and I extend my congratulations on the event both to you and on your behalf, as they say, to the entire business community of Russia which consists of tens, hundreds, thousands and maybe even millions of people who perform a momentous task – provide goods and services and just create the underpinning of our economic life.

I wanted to meet exactly these people because the most famous companies are a talking point, we meet with their leaders regularly, they are real juggernauts of the Russian economy in a good sense.

But I want you to know that we know you and we have a great respect for what you are doing. My colleagues and I wanted to meet these particular businesspeople so as to listen to you and see what else may and must be done to support you and your colleagues.

Everyone says entrepreneurship is a special path, one must be talented and be versed in law, finance, the economy in a broad sense. However, I believe that the most successful entrepreneurs have a special talent of being able to communicate with people. I think this is key, a foundation of business success. And also to communicate with business partners, and with everyone in general. As I observe, people with this talent attain the greatest success.

Sure enough, this work requires special knowledge, no doubt about that. But the key is to pool efforts around interesting ideas. It refers also to those areas, industries and services that are being created from scratch. Pushing this barrow wheel is probably the hardest thing, especially if you have no external support. That’s what I think is hardest.

It is the intense daily work that paves the way to success for the entrepreneur’s business and his company. And ultimately, without any exaggeration, to the success of the entire country.

We remember history well and know what important role the trading, merchant, and entrepreneurial class played in the exploration of the Russian North, Siberia, the Far East, the Urals, Novorossiya, and the Black Sea region, as well as in the creation of the Russian fleet and railways, in supporting our culture, science, education, in carrying out the first domestic industrialisation at the turn of the 20^th century, which laid the foundations for the development of the country's industry and infrastructure for decades to come. Many enterprises built back then later served the country during the Great Patriotic War and in the postwar years.

Of course, I cannot help but highlight the contribution that businesses, including the younger generation of entrepreneurs, made to the economic development of Russia in the 21^st century. The revival of agriculture, the construction sector, and entire branches of industry and modern services play a vital role in strengthening our sovereignty, including industrial, technological and financial sovereignty. Without this sovereignty, no form of sovereignty is truly possible, because everything else rests upon it – this is the foundation.

The fact that Russia now ranks as the fourth-largest economy in the world by purchasing power parity is, without question, your achievement: an outcome of the dedicated work of enterprise teams and companies across every region of the Russian Federation.

I have mentioned this before, but let me repeat: over the past two years, under far from ideal conditions – conditions that were, in fact, quite difficult – the Russian economy has demonstrated accelerated growth. The year before last, GDP increased by 4.1 percent; last year, by 4.3 percent. These are strong figures. Moreover, this growth was not limited to isolated industries or regions but was broad-based and comprehensive, spanning key sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture, digital technologies, services, and finance. Clearly, such impressive results cannot be attributed to the efforts of just a few large organisations which I mentioned earlier. They are only possible when hundreds, thousands, or even millions of people unite behind a shared national endeavour.

Over the past few years, Russia and our business community have faced a number of acute challenges, and the entrepreneurial community has faced a number of challenges. They were related to changes in logistics and cooperation chains, to the disruption of previously familiar payment mechanisms and international settlements. In addition, a number of foreign companies left the Russian market, largely forced by the so-called political Western elites. And some of them, unfortunately, but this is an obvious thing, “framed” their Russian partners.

And it is very important that in these difficult conditions our entrepreneurs did not lose heart, did not give up, but, on the contrary, showed their inherent business acumen, ingenuity and substantial economic efficiency in the broadest and most direct sense of the word, demonstrated real leadership qualities – all that is in demand at any historical stage and at any time, and today it is especially important and helps the country to move forward.

Our meeting is attended by just such entrepreneurs from various industries and sectors of the national economy. These include industry, including high-tech industry, information technology, agribusiness, catering, tourism and other areas.

All of you, colleagues, are united not only by the high rate of development of your businesses, but also by the desire to continue to grow dynamically, to bring benefit to people, to serve society, to make our country, Russia, even stronger.

Your companies hold increasingly strong positions within the country, and also confidently compete abroad. Thanks to the flexibility of their approaches and, of course, the quality of their products, they are increasing their supplies to promising international markets. And I want to assure you that the state will definitely continue to support you and your efforts, and will lend a shoulder for implementing your initiatives.

Well, as we agreed, we would first of all like to listen to you, in the sense that I mentioned, what are your assessments of the current situation and what do you think the Government should do to support you.

<…>

Vladimir Putin: Colleagues, I would like to finish where I started. Congratulations to the entire Russian entrepreneurial community and all your teams on Russian Entrepreneurship Day. I wish you all success.

There is something I would like to point out. As a matter of fact, I will not say anything new as opposed to what has been said here today. Our colleague has just said that until recently, there were 70 percent of foreign veterinary medications in the Russian market and the ratio is changing dramatically. The same is true for almost every industry you represent: in information security, software, public catering, transport engineering, and so on and so forth.

In Russia we say, there would be no fortune but misfortune helped. Well, what can we do? We did not create any problems for anybody. But if we do face challenges, especially those created by other countries, Russia has always — and I want to stress it — demonstrated an incredible ability to overcome any difficulties and any problems. This is exactly the case when overcoming difficulties is making us stronger. This is exactly the case. But, of course, it is happening thanks to the talent of our people, our nation, the hard work and the management talent of our business community.

A great deal has been done. I want to thank you for that. As it has been said, we must not rest just yet.

Good luck and happy Russian Entrepreneurship Day.

I wish you all the best.

Russia-Oman talks

2025-04-22T19:39:17+04:00

Vladimir Putin held talks in the Kremlin with Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, who is in Russia on a state visit.

Before the meeting in the narrow format, the President of Russia hosted an official welcome ceremony for the Sultan of Oman during which the two heads of state presented their respective delegations and took a group photo.

The talks continued in expanded format as a state breakfast.

Following the state visit by the Sultan of Oman to the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin and Haitham bin Tariq Al Said issued a joint statement.

In addition, a package of documents was signed following the talks, including an intergovernmental agreement on the mutual cancellation of visa requirements, the Protocol of Amendments to the Intergovernmental Treaty on Trade, Economic and Technical Cooperation dated November 24, 1994; memoranda of understanding between respective agencies on climate change and low-carbon development, transport and transit, cooperation in combating legalisation (laundering) of proceeds from crime and financing of terrorism, and on cooperation in the fishing industry. Memoranda of understanding were also signed on information exchange between Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency, RT Arabic and the Ministry of Information of the Sultanate of Oman, a memorandum of understanding between Russia’s Roscongress Foundation and the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and memoranda of understanding on training and retraining of diplomatic personnel and in the sphere of scientific research and education.

* * *

Beginning of Russia-Oman talks in narrow format

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Your Majesty, friends,

I am delighted to welcome you to Moscow. First, I would like to thank you for accepting the invitation and coming here on this visit.

Your Majesty, people in Russia have come to know you quite well, as you have visited our country many times. Moreover, in 1985, you were the one to sign the agreement establishing diplomatic relations between our two countries. This year, we will be marking the 40^th anniversary of our diplomatic ties.

We have built a very solid foundation and remain committed to expanding our contacts. Preparations for your visit included drafting a substantial package of documents. There is no doubt that it will provide additional impetus and serve as an effective legal framework for developing our relations across all sectors and tracks.

We have much to accomplish in terms of developing our trade and economic ties. However, we already have what it takes to expand our ties in logistics, transport, mutual investment, and agriculture. Our colleagues have been working along these lines, including at the level of our respective state funds.

We continue to supply food products to Oman and also anticipate further progress in the energy sector, where we can take further steps, considering that Russian companies are eager to strengthen their relations with Oman.

We will discuss all these matters during today’s talks, and I know that you met with Russian businesses this morning.

You are well aware, of course, that Russia plans to hold a summit with Arab countries this year – our foreign ministries have probably been in touch on this matter. Many of our friends in the Arab world have supported this idea. If you have the time, Your Majesty, we would be glad to see you at the Arab League–Russia summit.

We are delighted to see you, Your Majesty. Welcome to Russia!

Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq Al Said (retranslated): Mr President, thank you very much for your invitation to visit your friendly country, and for the warm welcome and hospitality. We are delighted to visit Moscow once again.

I visited Russia earlier, when I was a minister. Our countries enjoy strong relations that we develop in the interests of our nations. I am making this visit today as a head of state rather than as the head of an agency or ministry.

Forty years ago, we signed the Treaty on Establishing Diplomatic Relations. Over this period, significant changes have occurred. We strive to achieve a privileged level for our relations that would be beneficial for our nations.

This morning, we met with representatives of Russian businesses, and we are highly interested in developing these contacts. There are many potential areas for cooperation, including energy, agriculture and trade. I encouraged the representatives of Russian businesses to open their branches and representative offices in Oman, to visit us and to attract mutual investment.

Our investment authority is in active cooperation with several Russian bodies and agencies. I believe that we must maintain this approach.

I am very grateful to all Russian officials who have visited Muscat in the past two or three years. I also want their Omani counterparts to visit Moscow and other Russian cities more often.

<…>

Vladimir Putin visited Arkhangelsk nuclear-powered cruiser submarine

2025-03-28T21:27:26+04:00

The President toured the cruiser’s control centre, the crew quarters and weapons storage facilities, and also spoke with the crew members.

Presidential Aide Alexei Dyumin and Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy Alexander Moiseyev accompanied Vladimir Putin aboard the cruiser, while the submarine commander, Alexander Gladkov, provided details.

The Arkhangelsk nuclear-powered cruiser submarine is a Project 885M Yasen-M ship, the latest fourth-generation multipurpose nuclear-powered submarine capable of carrying any sea-launched missiles and effectively hitting targets both at sea and on land.

The Arkhangelsk joined the Russian Navy on December 27, 2024. Its crew has recently completed its basic training and is now ready to carry out its duties at sea.

* * *

Meeting with crew members of the Arkhangelsk cruiser submarine

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Comrades, good evening.

I am glad to see you all. It is a pleasure for me to once again visit a missile cruiser like this, or any missile ship. This is my first time on a missile-carrying submarine of this kind. I have visited other submarines, as you probably know, and taken part in their exercises. But your submarine is special since it is our latest model.

You see, we launched its construction in 2015, launched it in 2023 and the cruiser was handed over to the Armed Forces and joined the Navy in 2024. This, I must say, is a very solid timeframe for complex units like this one. This is a state-of-the-art vessel.

We saw another submarine of this kind today and took part in its launch. It is quite similar, while adding the capability to carry and launch the Zircon missiles, which is something we can be proud of. After all, to some extent, the Zircon missiles can be viewed as strategic weapons. What range do they have? Is it 1,200?

Remark: There are two versions, and one of them has a slightly bigger range.

Vladimir Putin: I see. Considering how effective, precise and fast this weapon is, it can certainly be considered a strategic system.

We are aware of the role of the Navy. Russia has been a major naval power for centuries, and we will do our utmost to maintain this status, building new naval surface vessels and submarines and improving their performance. They must meet modern requirements while remaining combat-ready and effective in the immediate – in every sense of the word – historical perspective, because these weapons that should serve our country for decades, form the basis of our strategic security.

We will do everything towards this, just as we will do everything necessary to train professionals like you. These are one-of-a-kind men, if I may say so. Their jobs call for a special character and readiness to implement any tasks to ensure national security. You are such people. I have no doubt about that.

The traditions of our Navy were established long ago, and you continue to honour them. There is a special bond in the brotherhood of naval officers, especially in the submarine fleet.

I would like to congratulate you on being appointed to serve on this warship, our most modern vessel armed with the latest equipment and capable of fulfilling a wide range of missions. You know this better than many, but it is an extremely important issue. You can work against surface and submerged targets, as well as stationary ground targets. It is difficult to name the tasks which our missile carriers or similar warships cannot fulfil. They can do anything, and we will continue to improve all their capabilities. I have just now spoken with the commander-in-chief, your commander. Everything must be adjusted to modern and future requirements. We must look to the future.

I am happy to see you. I congratulate you on being appointed to serve here. As I have said when we were outside, I also congratulate all our naval personnel on today’s event, the launch of the Perm, a new submarine of the same class.

If you have any questions, I will be happy to take them. Please.

Commander-in-Chief of the Navy Alexander Moiseyev: Comrade Supreme Commander-in-Chief, allow me to give the floor to the submarine commander.

Vladimir Putin: Yes, certainly.

Submarine commander Alexander Gladkov: I would like to say a few words about our so-called exposition, the four submarines, all named Arkhangelsk.

The first battleship named Arkhangelsk was transferred to the Soviet Navy as part of war reparations in 1944 and remained in service under that name until 1949.

The next warship named Arkhangelsk was the K-525, the leading submarine of Project 949, which remained in the Navy until 1996. After it, the name Arkhangelsk was bestowed on the nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine TK-17 Arkhangelsk. You know about it. Our submarine of the Yasen-M class (Project 885M) is the fourth vessel to be named Arkhangelsk.

Mikhail Lakomkin: Mr President,

Commander of the damage control division, Lieutenant-Commander Lakomkin. The Arkhangelsk crew members are proud to be part of the glorious Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Currently, the crew is undergoing combat training and is preparing to perform important missions at sea. Work is progressing according to plan, and I am confident that the crew and our cruiser will be ready to fulfil their mission once it is assigned.

A cruiser of this generation is our source of pride, as few countries in the world are capable of building such a formidable weapon.

Could you please comment on the future prospects and plans for the development of the Russian Navy?

Vladimir Putin: Do not worry. As I said, it is our belief that the Navy is one of the main guarantees of Russia’s state security and global strategic stability, because there is a certain strategic balance between Russia and the United States, and we will treat this balance with the utmost care. We will act in a measured and timely manner.

Historically, Russia has faced certain challenges at all times. Being a land power, with a huge territory, there is still a reason that Russia began shaping its traditions of shipbuilding and the Navy under Peter the Great. In fact, some of them existed even before that, but Peter the Great created a solid foundation to rely on, which was new. We, in turn, will make every effort to preserve this major component of the Russian Armed Forces, and to strengthen it.

We have just witnessed the launch of the fifth Project Yasen-M cruiser. Plans are in place to build five more such ships and three more Borei-A ships. However, our plans for the development of the Armed Forces and the Navy are not limited to this. Other plans call for building surface ships and strategic missile carriers.

I will not go into details now. There are different opinions and different approaches to achieving our ambitious plans. Still, disputes and debates among researchers, designers, the Armed Forces, and various enterprises are part of a positive process aimed at choosing the best, optimal ways to develop the Navy. This is what we need to do.

I will not go into details now, although I am deeply immersed in them. The commander knows – we do not meet as often as we should, but this discussion is ongoing nonetheless, and decisions are also made eventually. This is not just about adjusting our respective stances – these discussions lead to decisions on the development of the Navy. We made long-term, future-oriented decisions, for decades to come – until 2050 and beyond.

In response to my instructions, a strategy for the development of the Navy is currently being drafted, along with a programme for the construction of surface ships and submarines until 2050. You will be part of this work as well.

There was no irony in what I just said. I meant it seriously, because feedback from those who operate the equipment – ships in this case – drives our future development plans. I hope that during your service, if you notice something or have an idea, please share it. We will be glad to hear your practical comments.

Mikhail Lakomkin: Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: You are welcome.

Anton Frolov: Comrade Supreme Commander-in-Chief,

Communications department commander, Captain III rank Frolov.

Submariners like us have an important mission when it comes to ensuring our national security. That said, we also understand that the main objective right now for all of us and for the country in general is to fulfil the objectives of the special military operation.

Could you share your assessment of the latest developments and how the special military operation has been unfolding?

Vladimir Putin: Of course, I can.

To put it briefly, we are gradually moving towards achieving all the objectives we set for ourselves at the start of the operation. Some would have liked these advances to happen at a quicker pace, but we have gathered steady momentum and have been confidently advancing our positions. But I would like to frame this question in a different way.

What I want to say is that we were not the ones who started or launched hostilities. It all started in the wake of the 2014 coup d’etat in Ukraine. Western countries supported it, and this was how hostilities broke out in southeastern Ukraine.

We tried to resolve these issues by peaceful means for eight years. Taking Crimea and its people, as well as the people of Sevastopol under our wing was something we had to do. And we went to great lengths and were unrelenting in our efforts to resolve all matters concerning Donbass and Lugansk by peaceful means.

It turned out, and everyone knows this today, that both the Ukrainian authorities and their Western curators were unfortunately misleading us and trying to trick us. Former leaders who used to stand at the helm of several leading Western nations, including former President of France Hollande and Ms Merkel, the former German Chancellor, stated openly that they needed these Minsk agreements merely to deliver more weapons to the Ukrainian regime and to prepare it for a military confrontation with Russia. However, during these eight years, the people in Donbass, Lugansk and Donetsk faced outright genocide, and I mean real genocide. But the Ukrainian regime’s Western curators preferred to turn a blind eye to these developments, forcing us to try to stop the war which started in 2014 by military means. We were not the ones who started it.

By the way, even when the armed conflict escalated into open confrontation in 2022, we were still offering to settle all the outstanding issues by peaceful means. Moreover, as I have said many times, we reached an agreement with Ukraine during our talks in Istanbul. I must mention that we had an agreement on matters that are being raised all the time these days and are viewed as something impossible. I am referring to de-Nazifying and demilitarising efforts. In fact, we had a deal on these issues, and it was all set forth in the agreement, I mean its draft. Ukraine’s head negotiator initialled a summary of this document. They initialled and signed this document, which means that it was acceptable to them.

We know what happened next. After that, their European curators arrived, including former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who convinced the Ukrainian leadership to keep fighting until there are virtually no Ukrainians left and to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia.

He probably forgot that we have crews like the one you are in, and that we have means like this submarine. He probably forgot, or maybe they ignore altogether what the Russian people represent, what they stand for and what they have in their hearts and souls when it comes to defending their Fatherland.

Overall, we can clearly see what is happening right now. Our troops have the strategic initiative along the entire contact line. Only recently, I said that we would squeeze them into a corner, but now we have reason to believe that we are set to finish them off. I think that people in Ukraine need to realise what is going on.

Our Armed Forces have been gathering momentum and acting increasingly effectively. Major General Mikhail Gudkov, who took part in combat action, can tell you about it.

He commands the Pacific Fleet’s 155^th Naval Infantry Brigade. I believe that this is one of the best brigades in our Armed Forces. The Defence Minister and the Chief of the General Staff believe that Major General Gudkov’s achievements must be replicated across our Armed Forces, primarily by the naval infantry units, which have been quite effective in combat. They are actually very good. It would not be an exaggeration to say that these are elite units within the Armed Forces, just like the paratroopers and the special operations units.

Although I should note that earlier today, just before arriving here, I received another report from the Chief of the General Staff. Other units of the Armed Forces have gained significant momentum.

Regarding the marines, I have already stated that they are performing superbly. Since both the Defence Minister and the Chief of the General Staff believe that your experience should be replicated across other units, I have decided to transfer you to a new position, elevating your level of responsibility. You are hereby appointed Deputy Commander of the Navy of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

Mikhail Gudkov: Aye, Comrade Supreme Commander-in-Chief.

Vladimir Putin: Please, be seated.

Your area of responsibility will include command over all Marine Infantry of the Navy, as well as all missile and artillery coastal forces.

The task is straightforward yet extensive: despite the fact that all marines are demonstrating exemplary performance, these units must be brought to the same level of combat readiness and effectiveness that you have achieved with the 155^th Naval Infantry Brigade of the Pacific Fleet.

Additionally, the General Staff of the Defence Ministry has approved a programme to reorganise the Marine Infantry. We will gradually transition brigades into Marine Infantry divisions. This year, two divisions, including the 155^th Brigade, will be established; next year, two more divisions; and the following year, another division.

This is a major undertaking that requires, first and foremost, the organisation of combat training, informed by your experience in commanding the 155^th Marine Infantry Brigade of the Pacific Fleet during active operations. Consideration must be given to structural changes as brigades transition into divisions, as well as to weaponry, communications systems, and other matters. In essence, this constitutes a substantial endeavour.

I will shortly outline further immediate steps. The Commander has endorsed this proposal, and I am confident that you will succeed. I wish you good luck.

As regards the situation along the line of contact, let me reiterate, emphasise: across the entire frontline, the strategic initiative lies unequivocally with the Russian Armed Forces.

The Lugansk People’s Republic has been 99 percent liberated, while the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions stand at over 70 percent. Our forces, our troops, are advancing daily, liberating territory after territory, area after area.

Ivan Domnin: Comrade Supreme Commander-in-Chief,

Petty Officer II class Ivan Domnin. Today, the entire world’s attention is focused on the negotiations between Russia and the United States. Unexpectedly, we have begun dialogue and rapprochement with our main rival. If possible, I would like to hear first-hand about the progress and the outcomes of these talks.

Vladimir Putin: Do not concern yourself with this; simply carry out your service and fulfil your duty. (Laughter.)

That was a joke. I understand that everyone in the world and in our country is closely following these developments. In this regard, I would like to state – first and foremost – that, in my view, the newly elected President of the United States sincerely wishes to end this conflict for a number of reasons – I will not list them now, as they are numerous. But in my opinion, this aspiration is genuine.

It is clear that the conflict I have just mentioned and briefly characterised in terms of recent developments, remains complex and requires thorough discussion and consideration.

We stand for resolving all these issues by peaceful means, as I have just stated, reinforcing the measures we have taken from the very beginning – first, second, and third.

Therefore, we advocate resolving these issues through peaceful means, but with the elimination of the root causes that have led to the current situation. We must undoubtedly ensure Russia’s security from the long-term historical perspective. Any step taken to achieve this objective will be welcomed by us, and we will work with any partners who strive towards this goal. This includes not only the United States but also the People’s Republic of China, India, Brazil, South Africa, all BRICS nations, and many others, such as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, with which we have a signed treaty. Article 4 of this treaty outlines in detail our mutual obligations for support. Cooperation with this country is also progressing in both military-technical and defence spheres.

We are prepared to work with Europe as well, despite their inconsistent behaviour and constant attempts to lead us up the garden path. Nevertheless, we have grown accustomed to this. I trust we will avoid making mistakes rooted in excessive trust towards our so-called partners.

But in general, they have a problem over there, which is never highlighted, just mentioned in passing. I am highlighting it. What is it? Ultranationalists have had considerable influence in Ukraine from the start, in fact, since the collapse of the Soviet Union. These people hold openly neo-Nazi views, and they even use the term in Ukraine, so we were not the ones who invented it. Curiously, few people mention this now, either.

In 2017, the United States Congress added a provision to the government spending bill that prohibited financing or having any relations with units like the Azov militia unit. An American lawmaker directly described that paramilitary group as terrorist and anti-Semitic.

Moreover, although the amendment was not supported by the Senate at that time, in a year or two, its sponsors, including the oldest member of the US Congress, supported that legislation, and it was adopted by Congress. The US Congress recognised Azov as a terrorist, anti-Semitic, and neo-Nazi organisation.

Has anything changed since then? No. Essentially, Azov has not changed. It has remained the same. However, in 2022, the State Department decided that US military aid could go to that controversial unit because it had been integrated into the Armed Forces of Ukraine – apparently, the bill allowed this interpretation. The fact that it was integrated into the official armed forces changed nothing. Their views and actions remained the same as they were at the start.

If anything, it has become worse, because now they plan to strengthen these units, including Azov, and elevate them to divisions. This means that such people now have even more weapons at their disposal. They have more supporters, people they have persuaded to fight for them by implanting their views.

What happens next? As a result, the current civil authorities in Ukraine have no legitimacy in accordance with the country’s constitution. Ukraine has held no presidential election, while according to the constitution, all key officials are to be appointed by the president, including regional government bodies, governors and so on. So, if the president is illegitimate, so are all the others.

So, under these circumstances of de facto illegitimacy, neo-Nazi formations receive additional weapons and recruit new personnel. What does this lead to, what could it lead to? It results in de facto power being in their hands. This, in turn, means that it is already unclear with whom to sign documents and what effect such documents might carry, for tomorrow new leaders may come to power through elections and declare: “We do not know who signed those papers, so goodbye.”

The issue is not just this uncertainty; it is that these neo-Nazi formations, such as Azov, among others, are effectively beginning to run the country. This raises the question: how is it possible to conduct negotiations with them?

In such situations, international practice follows a well-established path. Within the framework of the United Nations peacekeeping operations, there have been several cases of what is termed external governance or temporary administration. This occurred in East Timor, I believe in 1999, in parts of the former Yugoslavia, and in New Guinea. In short, such precedents exist.

In principle, it would indeed be possible to discuss, under UN auspices with the United States and even European countries – and certainly with our partners and allies – the possibility of establishing a temporary administration in Ukraine. To what end? To conduct democratic elections, to bring to power a competent government that enjoys public trust, and only then to begin negotiations on a peace treaty and sign legitimate agreements that would be recognised worldwide as consistent and reliable.

This is just one option; I do not claim that others do not exist. They certainly do. At present, there is no opportunity – and perhaps no possibility – to lay out every detail, as the situation is evolving rapidly. But this remains a viable option, and such precedents exist within UN practice, as I have already noted.

Ultimately, we advocate for the resolution of all conflicts, including this one, through peaceful means. But not at our expense.

Visit to Radar MMS

2025-02-22T20:14:19+04:00

In St Petersburg, Vladimir Putin visited Radar MMS, a research and production enterprise specialising in the development of guidance systems for precision-guided weapons, radar systems, and military and civilian unmanned aerial vehicles.

The President reviewed the enterprise’s products and information displays and toured the assembly workshop. He was accompanied by First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, Presidential Aide Alexei Dyumin, Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Northwestern Federal District Alexander Gutsan, and Governor of St Petersburg Alexander Beglov. Commentaries were provided by General Director – Chief Designer of Radar MMS Georgy Antsev, Executive Director, member of the Board of Directors Ivan Antsev, and Director of the unmanned aerial and surface vehicles research and production complex Vasily Antsev.

During the visit, Vladimir Putin presented the Order of Alexander Nevsky to the enterprise’s team. Later, the President held a meeting on the development of Radar MMS at its premises.

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Radar MMS is one of the country’s leading companies in the design of smart weapon guidance systems, military and civilian avionics, as well as monitoring, navigation, and complex software systems. The enterprise traces its history back to 1950.

Radar MMS workshops are located across multiple sites, with a total area exceeding 120,000 square metres. The production facilities employ over 2,500 different machine tools.

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Opening remarks at the meeting on the development of Radar MMS

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Colleagues,

First of all, I would like to once again congratulate the Radar team on being awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky.

This high state decoration is absolutely deserved. Within the walls of your enterprise, experienced and qualified experts work diligently to fulfil assigned tasks, serving Russia with honesty and dedication.

We have just familiarised ourselves with the products manufactured by Radar. The enterprise develops truly effective, cutting-edge unmanned aerial vehicles, radio and electronic and telecommunications equipment, Earth’s surface monitoring systems, and so forth, as well as a variety of navigation complexes with a wide variety of applications.

All high-tech products designed and manufactured by your enterprise form part of modern detection, reconnaissance, and guidance systems for precision-guided weapons.

One of the enterprise’s key areas of focus is the creation of modern unmanned aerial systems for both the civilian sector and the Armed Forces. I would like to emphasise in this regard: it is imperative to actively advance both these avenues. We have spoken about this repeatedly in the past. We have addressed this matter numerous times before. All necessary instructions have been issued and are being conveyed to the enterprise’s leadership.

Furthermore, it is noteworthy that your enterprise dedicates significant effort to crafting state-of-the-art equipment utilising modern electronic components, and this endeavour must unquestionably persist.

It is equally important that the enterprise continues to produce civilian products that are in high demand, such as modern high-speed hydrofoil vessels. We discussed this today during the inspection – and with Governor [Alexander Beglov] as well. Here is what matters: it is essential to reduce costs and, of course, keep the final price of the product more affordable for consumers. It must be acknowledged that the latest models of these vessels boast improved levels of comfort and environmental safety. On the whole, these are modern vessels that, in my opinion, are highly needed in Russia today.

Undoubtedly, a priority of your work remains the fulfilment of state defence order assignments. In 2023–2024, the enterprise was granted subsidies to expand its production capacities as part of the state programme to develop the defence industry. Today, we will assess the efficiency of utilizing these resources, the overall development of the enterprise, and discuss its future plans.

Additionally, we will review the progress of priority state contracts, identify current challenges, if any, and determine if additional support from the Government of the Russian Federation is needed.

Let us get started. Please.

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Meeting of the Council for Strategic Development and National Projects

2024-12-20T17:08:24+04:00

Vladimir Putin held a meeting of the Council on Strategic Development and National Projects in the Kremlin.

The main subject of the meeting was the National Development Agenda of the Russian Federation for 2025–2030. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin delivered the keynote report.

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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, colleagues,

As per tradition, at the end of the year we hold a meeting of the Council for Strategic Development and National Projects to analyse the progress of the key nationwide programmes and outline further steps together with members of the Government, heads of regions, and representatives of business, scientific and public associations.

As you know, this year we are concluding the current national projects. They have brought substantial changes to the economy and the social sphere, and they have improved the quality of life for our citizens.

A large-scale modernisation programme began for cities, towns and villages. Since 2018, almost 95,000 public spaces and residential courtyards have been improved. The All-Russia Contest to Create Comfortable Urban Environment was launched, with 800 winning projects already implemented.

We are taking care of the road network. The roads in many cities have become objectively better in the past six years. As we agreed, by the end of this year, 85 percent of the roads in the biggest metropolitan areas must meet regulatory standards. When it comes to regional motorways, we expected that the share of standard-compliant roads will reach 50 percent. However, we can see that the actual progress will be over 54 percent. We are ahead of schedule, even if only slightly.

Under the Environment national project, 60 regions have eliminated 242 objects of accumulated harm to the environment, including 157 major landfills that literally poisoned people’s existence. Now, these objects have been eliminated and their territory reclaimed, bringing comfort and safety to over 20 million people. I must emphasise, particularly to those who are centrally involved in this work and to the heads of the regions: there is still much more work to do than has been done. Colleagues, I want to draw your attention to this. However, the environmental sphere is changing for the better. Similarly, Russian healthcare is also changing.

In the course of primary care modernisation, more than 1,000 outpatient clinics have been built or renovated, and 174,000 pieces of modern medical equipment have been purchased in the past four years. Much has been done to increase the accessibility of medical care, particularly in small towns and villages where 10,000 paramedic centres, outpatient facilities, and so on, have been built and renovated.

As part of the Demography national project, 246,000 places in childcare facilities for children under the age of three years have been created, and nearly 1,700 new kindergartens have been opened.

Positive changes have also been made in the general education system. Since 2019, almost 1,400 new schools have been built, enrolling 850,000 children. By the end of the year, an additional 150 schools with over 100,000 new places will be opened.

We have also initiated a large-scale school renovation programme, focusing on upgrading classrooms, internal infrastructure, and the overall appearance of school buildings. By the end of this year, 4,800 buildings will have been renovated. In total, 7,346 buildings are scheduled for major repairs between 2022 and 2026.

In terms of transportation, direct air connections are being enhanced through airport modernisation and the expansion of the route network. The share of flights that connect cities without a stopover in Moscow – a situation we often discussed in the past, where traveling to a nearby region required a stopover in Moscow – now exceeds 50 percent. While there is still work to be done, significant progress has been made. This improvement means domestic flights are becoming more convenient and faster, and I hope this will help curb the rise in ticket prices.

Over the past six years of implementing a comprehensive plan for modernising and expanding key infrastructure, we have significantly increased the volume of work on the Eastern Operating Domain. The carrying capacity of the BAM and the Trans-Siberian Railway, our main routes, has been notably enhanced.

What is particularly significant is that in recent years, we have built a strong construction complex in infrastructure, including roads, railways, and ports. This includes multidisciplinary companies with skilled personnel, expertise, and equipment, all of which are ready to construct new industrial and logistics facilities. In the coming years, it is crucial to maintain the pace of infrastructure development to fully engage this entire capacity created.

What I have outlined so far is by no means all that has been accomplished through national projects in recent years. I would also like to highlight the valuable experience gained from the collaboration between government bodies, the business community, and civil groups in achieving national development goals.

To systematise this experience and provide an objective assessment, I ask the Accounts Chamber to analyse the implementation of national projects from 2019 to 2024 and to draw appropriate conclusions and recommendations. I ask the Government to consider these findings when implementing new national projects, which are designed to address the current challenges facing our country and to tackle tasks of strategic importance for Russia’s long-term development, essentially, until the middle of the next decade. Of course, we must also examine what remains undone, identify the reasons behind it, and determine what actions are necessary to ensure full implementation.

Colleagues,

All our actions, plans, and programmes rely on the actual state of the economy, reflecting objective trends in employment, industry, finance, services, and other sectors. These factors shape the resource capabilities of the state, businesses, regions, and specific localities, specific territories.

To expand these opportunities, a sustainable platform for national development is needed. This platform must encompass our own technologies, a modern education system, the removal of bottlenecks in infrastructure, logistics, and communications, building capacity of the financial sector, and the provision of accessible resources and energy to businesses, organisations, cities and towns.

We certainly have all the necessary elements to build a national development platform, and we frequently discuss this with you. We will continue to strengthen it, including through strategic partnerships with friendly countries. I am confident that such partnerships will only increase, and we can already see this process unfolding.

I want to emphasise that success cannot be achieved by relying solely on external sources. We must be strong, confident, and self-sufficient, securing all forms of sovereignty – economic, social, state, and technological.

This was outlined in the Address to the Federal Assembly at the start of the year and later reinforced in the May executive order, which set forth national development goals for the country. These goals focus on crucial areas such as demography, improving citizens’ well-being, addressing environmental challenges, enhancing the quality of life, and creating favourable conditions for business and personal self-realisation, enabling individuals to pursue interesting, well-paid work. Additionally, achieving technological leadership for Russia and widely implementing digital solutions in governance, the economy, and social sectors are key priorities. While much remains to be done, we are making significant progress, and we must continue building on these achievements to move forward.

The primary tool for achieving these goals will be new national projects, which will serve as a roadmap for their realisation. These projects will be launched next year and are set to be completed within six years. The Government has already prepared the necessary documents. Today, as part of our meeting, I suggest we revisit and evaluate the decisions and approaches outlined in these plans. Allow me to start by sharing a few general, systemic thoughts.

To begin with, the targets of our national projects must be objective. They must be based on the real state of affairs, as I have pointed out on numerous occasions, and ensure continuity from the previous national projects.

It should be noted that this cannot be said about all the indicators at present. For example, it is estimated that air mobility, that is, the number of people travelling by air, will remain unchanged at the 2023 level over the next five years. But this is an obvious underestimation. Over the first 10 months of 2024, air transportation increased by more than six percent, which means that the year-end result will exceed the 2023 level. All of us here are aware of the situation in the aviation industry, or at least those engaged in this professionally are, and we understand the situation with our aircraft fleet. But the upward trend in the sphere of transportation is here to stay. Therefore, this matter must be addressed. We cannot pretend that this is not happening. Why lie to ourselves?

I would like to ask our colleagues to once again analyse all the indicators of national projects so that they can be promptly adjusted. In the future, I suggest discussing and making such amendments only at Council meetings. I would like to repeat that we must not be guided by the bureaucratic logic, which implies adjusting indicators downwards to simplify our jobs and ultimately report good results. This should not be done; it is unacceptable. Why lie to ourselves?

I would like to add that the indicators of our national projects must reflect the planned results, showing how much any given socioeconomic development parameter will be improved in reality, such as the urban environment and ecology, what additional opportunities will be created for small and medium-sized businesses, and so on.

In this context, we should inform our citizens about the goals, tasks and indicators of national projects in detail and in understandable terms. As I said, all these projects are focused on the interests of our people, on the interests of Russian families.

With this in view, I propose compiling a special reference book, which will not be written in bureaucratese but will tell people in simple terms about the concrete stages ahead of us and the results and positive changes in their lives which they will see and feel following the implementation of national projects.

I would like to ask the Russia National Centre to compile such reference book and the Government to render the necessary assistance.

Next. Spending on national projects will become a federal budget priority for the coming years. All project events and actions must be fully funded. Funds must be allocated and translated into specific projects, construction sites, facilities; and this must be done actively, as scheduled.

I want to emphasise again: it is not only about the amounts of funding and budget discipline, which, of course, is very important too. The main thing is that they help achieve tangible results: new kindergartens and schools, which I have just mentioned, repaired roads and utility networks, upgraded hospitals and outpatient clinics, advanced production facilities created from scratch, and eliminated landfills, among other things.

In this context, I would like to add that we agreed that the new national projects would be ready by September 1, which means before the federal and regional budgets are ready. Unfortunately, this work took a little longer than expected, and we were not able to fully synchronise the budget process and planning of national projects. As a result, the regions do not have a full picture yet regarding how, in what volumes, and in what timeframes federal resources will be allocated. If I do not understand something here, if I am mistaken, let my colleagues from the regions correct me. However, it seems to me that there is still a risk that practical work on national projects may stall at the beginning of the year. This cannot be allowed, colleagues.

I hope that heads of the regions will speak about this separately in their reports. I would also like to ask the Government to address the issues we have outlined during the days left before the New Year celebrations and, if need be, even work additionally during the lengthy festive season, so that the regions have both the funds and clear understanding of the tasks at hand.

By the way, writing off part of the state debt, as well as allocation of additional targeted loans for infrastructure renovation and improvement of the situation in the housing and utilities sector will be a good financial support for the regions.

At the moment, the Government, together with the State Council commissions, is in the last stage of developing these mechanisms. I ask you not to delay this work and finalise all the details in the near future.

Meanwhile, special attention should be paid to the Arctic and Far Eastern regions, as well as regions with a low fiscal capacity and, of course, those regions where individual socioeconomic development programmes are being implemented. The decision to continue these programmes has been made.

Let me remind you that, following the Eastern Economic Forum, an instruction was issued to include action items of master plans for Far Eastern and Arctic cities in the national projects and provide funding for them. These localities are of strategic importance for Russia, so they require special attention. Moreover, the Infrastructure for Life, Efficient Transport System, Family, Long and Active Life, and Youth and Children national projects must feature separate sections with action items of these master plans. They must be aligned. As of today, this has not yet been fully implemented. I expect that all shortcomings will be eliminated within a month. I am asking you not to delay this work.

Overall, it is necessary to make the work of project committees and the entire national project management system planned and thorough. In general, this work has been organised. I would like to ask you not to lose anything in quality and pace in order to confidently, step by step, achieve the set goals. This means that documents must be prepared and discussed in a timely manner. I would also like to ask the meeting participants to speak out on this topic.

I repeat: it is important to get moving and set a high pace and quality of the overall work. In this regard, I suggest evaluating the launch of national projects, their progress, and the first results at the next meeting of our Council in June.

Of course, it is important to use up-to-date digital and platform solutions here and conduct big data analysis. The Government has already mastered this practice. It must be actively and widely applied.

At the same time, we must always receive feedback from people and uncover problems on site in order to adjust and amend national projects in a timely manner, based on the actual situation.

Let me repeat: it is people’s opinion that plays the key role here. National projects must address real problems of Russian families and result in improving the quality of people’s life in all regions.

In this connection, we will assess the effectiveness of the Government’s performance on national projects not only in terms of achieving key indicators, but also using opinion polls, based on feedback, including via the channels of the Russian Popular Front and political parties, primarily those represented in parliament, which communicate directly with their voters.

The latest surveys show the following: according to people, the most tangible results of national projects have been reached in the area of preschool education, that is, the availability and operation of nurseries and kindergartens, in creating conditions for people’s self-realisation, as well as in repairing and building motor roads, and improving the quality and convenience of public services.

What is no less important, surveys also show low-performing areas, where people are not content with the situation, and accordingly, these issues require increased attention. I mean the level of medical care, housing availability, and, in general, the creation of conditions for more children to be born in families. As we understand, this is not only about child benefits, but also about additional opportunities in the area of education, healthcare, sports, culture and leisure, tourism and recreation. In short, all those areas of life that are important to people and should be as comfortable as possible, as well as focused on the needs of large families with children.

I have just mentioned these areas, but this does not mean that nothing is being done in this respect. On the opposite, a lot has been done. But I am not talking about this now. I talk about how people perceive this, which is the main indicator. We know that we have achieved record high results in housing construction; we have never had results like this. I think the Soviet Union never saw such rates of construction we have now, thank God. But what I talked about is people’s reaction. You know, earlier I mentioned the transparency and accessibility of information for people. We are talking about mortgage, especially family mortgage, which we preserved at the rate of two percent. This is good. However, nobody knows that the Ministry of Finance has limits on this family mortgage at two percent. Let us tell people openly, I understand that we have to fight inflation, but we need to tell them honestly that for this and that reason we are giving a family mortgage at two percent, but there is a limit to this, so whoever wants it should hurry up, as the limit will end in the middle of the year or by November or December. We just need to be honest about it, and it will be clear. Such as things are today, people go to take out a mortgage, and they are rejected because the limit has been reached. What limit? Nobody knows about this, but people need to know. Then there will be a normal dialogue with society; everything will be clear. There is nothing special about it, no need to hide anything. This is better than a situation when people come to get a mortgage only to find out that there is nothing for them to get.

I would like to repeat once again. I ask the Government, together with the regions, to thoroughly analyse each area of concern within existing national projects, determine the regions with the most complicated situation, and propose all the necessary solutions for and adjustments to future national projects. Overall, I would like to ask my colleagues from the Presidential Executive Office, the Government, and the regions to set target indicators for the future that are not lower than the current level of 2024.

I would like to once again draw our colleagues’ attention to the fact that national projects are not of a departmental or industry-specific nature. They must yield an overall effect for the country’s progress, which means they should bring together all government authorities and all levels of power, the public, and all responsible and creative forces of our society.

The Russian Academy of Sciences and business associations are assigned a special role in drafting and implementing national projects. In this connection, I suggest we set up a special working force on the platform of our Council to further coordinate the actions of development institutions within the framework of national projects. It will also involve the department heads of the Government’s financial and economic bloc. I ask Igor Shuvalov to head this work, to organise and lead it. We have discussed that in broad terms. I think that VEB, of course, is ready for this; it is a good tool for coordinating this kind of work.

Colleagues,

As is customary at the end of the year, I would like to elaborate on the key tasks we are facing in the coming year 2025.

Firstly, the main challenge for the Russian economy now is a transition to a balanced growth trajectory, with low unemployment and moderate inflation. I spoke about this yesterday at the VTB forum, both during my brief address and later in the discussion.

I would like to reiterate that reaching a sustainable trajectory of balanced growth is a joint task of the Government and the Central Bank. It is crucial to be aware of that and to build the mechanisms of the entire state policy, including monetary policy, accordingly.

Secondly, we will continue to ramp up Russia’s production potential, thereby developing the supply-side economy. We will employ such business support measures that can produce a maximum effect on increasing the output of goods and services in those sectors where it is most needed.

I ask the Government to further fine-tune the regulatory framework for the real sector, improve regulatory environment and remove administrative barriers for manufacturing businesses. We are constantly doing this and yet we constantly see that such work is nevertheless needed.

I would like to make it clear: colleagues, do not think that we can keep urgent decisions on the backburner. We need to act here and now, while taking into account the objective factors that affect businesses. I am referring to the need for human resources, vocational job professionals, the supply of materials, equipment and technological solutions to enterprises.

In this regard, the third point. The coming year will be a key year for launching a new stage of technological development of our country. Just a few days ago, the Government discussed these issues, very substantively, and our colleagues looked into this matter in detail, discussing how to ensure Russia’s technological leadership.

I repeat, we are not talking about producing everything domestically. This is neither necessary nor possible. We need to achieve global competitiveness of our own technological solutions, enter the world market with them, and on this basis consolidate our leadership in certain areas. Now, unfortunately, national projects lack a block of such systemic tasks.

I would like to add that, while enhancing technological sovereignty, it is imperative to assess the situation in industries in general instead of assessing the state of their individual elements. Otherwise, it could appear that the objectives of relevant national projects have been formally achieved or even exceeded, yet in reality, independent and competitive sectors have not been developed.

I want to underscore one more important point. When advancing priority technological domains, wherever feasible, of course, it is essential to synchronise the efforts undertaken in the civilian domain with those in the defence sector. This coordination is crucial to avoid overlapping efforts and the dilution of resources. Additionally, I believe that shortly, in the near future, it will be necessary to address the diversification of the defence industry and individual enterprises, and we must lay the groundwork for these opportunities today.

I will address the rocket and space industry separately. I am aware that our colleagues are working on a dedicated national project. Within the framework of this project, we must ensure a systemic approach so that rocket and space industry gets clear-cut long-term comprehensive development plans and retains its status as a technological leader in our country, something we have agreed upon at Rocket and Space Corporation Energia’s venue in October of last year.

Fourthly, due to external restrictions and barriers, Russian enterprises encounter fewer opportunities to use Western logistics, insurance, and payment infrastructure. We are actively progressing in this domain, developing our own solutions, including in collaboration with our BRICS partners. These services are being developed on a modern technological basis, which means that they will be more efficient and reliable than their Western counterparts.

Furthermore, it is imperative to guarantee convenience and low costs for using the ruble in international transactions, thereby enhancing the role of the national currency in such exchanges. Crucially, there is a demand for this, and colleagues are eager to collaborate.

Moving forward, given the global demographic crisis that has also impacted Russia, supporting families and the birth rate is a crucial area of the government’s focus.

Next year, it is essential to create conditions conducive to a breakthrough in the demographic situation, acknowledging that these are exceedingly challenging tasks and, due to objective circumstances, not everything is within our control. Nonetheless, we must exert every effort within our capacity to achieve consistent growth in the birth rate in our nation, ensuring a positive trend in the future.

In this context, addressing the issues faced by families, particularly those with children, should be a central theme running through national projects. At our previous Council meeting in May, we discussed this, and a corresponding instruction was issued to the Government. I ask the State Council’s relevant commissions to continuously monitor the measures within all national projects aimed at enhancing the well-being and quality of life for families with children.

Moreover, we will soon discuss this matter at a State Council meeting, where we will sum up the results of the Year of the Family.

Thank you for your attention.

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