An Enjoyable Part of the Job: Putin Chats with Award Families
On the eve of the International Children's Day, Vladimir Putin met via video link with families awarded the Order of Parental Glory, mothers awarded the honorary title of "Mother-Heroine", and their family members.
The Kremlin’s description of the one hour 22-minute event:
Large families from Moscow, Tyumen, Tomsk, Donetsk, the Leningrad Region, the Krasnodar and Kamchatka Territories, the Chuvash and Chechen Republics were in touch with the President.
The event was also attended by Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova and Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova.
The Order of Parental Glory is awarded to parents (adoptive parents) who are raising or have raised seven or more children. The Order of Parental Glory was established by Presidential Decree in 2008.
The title "Mother-heroine" is given to mothers who have given birth to and raised ten or more children. Women awarded the title are also awarded a special distinction-the Order of "Mother Heroine". The title and order were established by Presidential Decree in 2022.
I don’t know how wide an audience there was for this event, but I’d imagine it was broadcast nationally across Russia’s eleven time zones. Similar events are in the Gym’s archives because they show something that’s unique to Russia that in geopolitical-speak is considered soft power. It’s an extremely rare occasion when Putin mentions his own family as I recently noted, so all Russia seems to have become his surrogate family, where he gets to enjoy the familial interactions he forfeits as Russia’s president, which he seems to fully enjoy. Of course, there’s also a political message associated with these events that’s linked to the need to solve Russia’s demographic problem, which is one reason why 2024 was declared the Year of the Family. Cynics will say what follows is merely scripted propaganda. I say look at the above picture and tell me how that was done and why when the primary audience is fellow Russians? Unlike other award events, these participants don’t get an in-person meet-and-greet with Putin, which IMO is somewhat sad, although I don’t get any such hints from the families. After this video presentation, Putin did a live state awards presentation at Ekaterininsky Hall of the Kremlin. Hero of the Russian Federation was added to the collection of Dagestan’s Ibragimpasha Sultanovich Sadykov.
Special notice was made for the mother of a family not included in the above presentation. Here’s Putin’s Praise:
Saving everything that is dear to us, the very people of Russia, comes from the family, the birth and upbringing of children, the preservation of the best family traditions and foundations. Olga Vladimirovna Verpakovskaya, a mother of many children from the Tver Region, was awarded the high title of "Mother-Heroine". Together with her husband, they have fourteen children. And such noble parental work deserves recognition and admiration. There should be as many such families in our country as possible.
Mother-Heroine indeed. The following transcript of the video meeting is long but filled with some insights for those who decide to read it all:
Vladimir Putin: Dear friends, good afternoon!
At the beginning of our meeting, I would like to congratulate all young Russian citizens, parents, grandparents, teachers, and mentors on the International Children's Day.
This holiday is filled with warmth, joy, and sincere emotions and is widely celebrated in our country, where good traditions of generational continuity and genuine family values are honored and cherished. After all, the most important thing for every child is a strong, friendly family, loving parents, relatives, care of teachers, teachers, mentors who are ready to give advice, help, support, including in a difficult life situation, if it arises.
It is around the interests of the family and children that almost all our actions, all state actions and decisions are built, and in various areas and spheres: education, healthcare, and the economy, in the development of housing programs, and in general in the renewal of our cities, villages and towns.
Families and parents should be sure that the state is ready to provide them with the necessary support, and children should certainly have the widest opportunities for self-realization, so that they can reach their potential, their abilities, talents and ultimately find their own path in life, fulfill their most courageous dreams. dreams and achieve success that we can all be proud of.
We will continue, of course, to create all conditions so that as many children as possible are born in Russian families. I would like to emphasize that this is a fundamental task of our state policy, working for the future, for the sake of the future.
I want to wish all the guys happiness, joy, loyal, reliable friends. Dear friends, dare, dream, conquer the highest peaks on the road of knowledge, and you will definitely succeed!
On the eve of the International Children's Day, we traditionally honor large families of our vast country. And today I am happy to welcome families where parents were awarded the Order of Parental Glory, as well as families where the mother received the recently revived honorary title of "Mother – Heroine" in our country.
Families like yours are certainly the pride of Russia. You carefully preserve the best traditions, give yourself to your children without a trace, bring them up in an atmosphere of love – and this is the most important thing – and mutual support, do everything to ensure that they grow up happy, successful, worthy people, continue the history of your families, your family and pass on to the next generations the values and principles that they need. You cherish the values that unite our country.
Of course, a large family, raising children is a strenuous daily work. You know this better than anyone else. But at the same time, children for parents are an incomparable happiness, perhaps the most important thing for any person.
Your example – as well as many other wonderful large families-is a vivid confirmation of this. And I am sure that such an example inspires young people who are just starting their adult life.
A family with three or more children growing up should become the norm, a natural way of life. We are moving in this direction: in recent years, the number of large families in Russia has grown by about 26 percent. Now there are more than two million such families.
We are constantly expanding and improving the system of nationwide family support measures. This year, let me remind you, a single status of a large family has been established. And this was done just at the request of large families with whom I met. This is very important from the point of view of equal social guarantees throughout the country.
I hope that regional and local authorities will continue to supplement the existing federal measures with their own solutions and programs and help specific families.
Families, and especially those with many children, should see and feel the respect with which both the state and society treat them.
You know that this year has been declared the Year of the Family. Within its framework, a large number of events are held that find a warm response. I am referring, for example, to the All-Russian contest "This is a family event" and many interesting initiatives, including regional ones.
Of course, I expect to hear today how you assess all the areas of support for the family, motherhood, and childhood that are currently being implemented, and what measures you consider necessary and most effective for their implementation at the national level, and what may need to be improved in our work.
Of course, I am always very sensitive to such dialogues and direct feedback, and I always try to rely on this in my decision-making.
Dear friends, I once again congratulate you on the upcoming International Children's Day!
Yes, and I would like to congratulate Lida Semashkina and Lidia Andreyevna separately. She is 17 years old today. My reference book says that she is a first-year student at the Kamchatka Art College. I wish you, Lida, all the best in your chosen profession, it is very interesting and exciting. I am sure that you will enjoy learning about this area, and you will apply it later, including for the upbringing of future children.
That's all I wanted to say at the beginning. Thank you very much for your attention.
Please, who would like to say something? Raise your hand, please. Here the girl raised her hand, Kamchatka Krai. They haven't fallen asleep in Kamchatka yet. The girl raised her pen. My mother probably has it sitting on her lap.
Dmitry Semashkina: Mr President, hello!
Vladimir Putin: Hello, my dear. What's your name?
D. Semashkina: Daria Andreyevna Semashkina.
Vladimir Putin: Very good. It's your sister's birthday, isn't it?
Dmitry Semashkina: Yes.
Vladimir Putin: Did you congratulate her?"
Dmitry Semashkina: No.
Vladimir Putin: But will you congratulate me?
Dmitry Semashkina: Someday.
Vladimir Putin: Good. And as a gift, what will you give her?
A. Semashkina: What will you give me?
D. Semashkina: My little bear.
Vladimir Putin: Wow! Aren't you sorry?
Dmitry Semashkina: No, I'm not sorry.
Vladimir Putin: Well done!
Dmitry Semashkina: I won't cry.
Vladimir Putin: All right. There's a little one crying. She probably wants to talk, too.
A. Semashkina: It's just a little late in Kamchatka.
Vladimir Putin: It's a little late, I know. Everyone is already tired and sleepy. And the baby already wants to sleep, of course.
But you're doing great, listen. You don't feel sorry for your little bear for your sister. You're a very kind girl. Well done! That's how you treat your loved ones.
Dmitry Semashkina: Yes.
Vladimir Putin: And she loves you, which is probably why you're giving her your little bear. You feel like your big sister loves you, right? Well done! I want to wish you all the best. It's great that you have such a close-knit family.
Maybe Mom or Dad will say something?
A. Semashkina: Lida also wanted to say something after the congratulations.
Vladimir Putin: Please, Lida.
L. Semashkina: Thank you very much for your congratulations.
Vladimir Putin: You see, little sister, how well she treats you. This is not an accident. Surely she feels that you love her, and responds to you in the same way, even gives you her bear cub. That's great!
A. Semashkina: A word to the pope, probably.
Alexander Semashkin: Hello, Vladimir Vladimirovich!
Vladimir Putin: Hello!
Alexander Semashkin: Thank you very much for the honor and trust you have placed in me. Thank you for such a high award.
We are very pleased that we are part of an example for many families. And this is really a worthy accent for many large families. I think that thanks to this, many people will take a healthy principle, an example in order not to be afraid to create such strong good families.
Thank you very much. May God bless you with health and give you a wise government in our multinational big country. Thank you.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you. All the best to you.
I haven't been to Kamchatka for a long time. How's the situation there now? How do you assess the situation in the social sphere? Do you feel supported by the local authorities? How are relations with local authorities developing?
A. Semashkina: Mr President, hello!
I'll take the floor. As for the order, everyone asks: how was this award that you sought? We say: we honestly lived our own way of life, so to speak, and, of course, did not even strive. They always ask me: did you get the mother heroine award? I say: we don't give birth to children for the sake of heroism.
In general, thanks to the administration. They somehow interceded, made sure that we were awarded this honor. Of course, it was very pleasant, even unexpectedly pleasant. Therefore, we will try to set a good example.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much.
My daughter is looking at me through binoculars on your lap, but I can see you well and even without special devices. All the best, all the best! I need to visit you, I will definitely come to Kamchatka.
A. Semashkina: I'd love to visit you.
Vladimir Putin: Please, please, let's move on. Who would like to say something?
Yevgeny Kravtsov: Good afternoon, Mr President.
Vladimir Putin: Hello!
Evgeny Kravtsov: We are very pleased to meet in this format.
We are a large family with 18 children. We were given a lot of care by our administration, the management of the Leningrad station, where I work.
We would like to express our gratitude specifically to you and the people who took a significant part in helping and caring for our family.
Of course, there are many difficulties, indeed, there are difficult situations, but with God's help we overcome all the difficult moments of life.
Thank you for the high award, which was awarded to my wife Olga Vladimirovna. This was also unexpected for us. In 1998, we entered family life and experienced a lot of difficulties along the way. We thank you.
We also want to be a good example for Russian families.
Vladimir Putin: You are such an example.
Olga Vladimirovna, I congratulate you on the award and on such a wonderful, wonderful family. All around you. It is clear that you have a huge responsibility and a lot of hard work on your shoulders. There is something to be proud of and there is something that certainly pleases you in life. The most important thing is your children. Do you have any questions, Olga Vladimirovna?
Evgeny Kravtsov: I can't hear very well. Very hard to hear.
Vladimir Putin: Do you have any questions or suggestions?
E. Kravtsov: We met with representatives of the municipal authorities and prepared certain questions, and they will be presented to you, as I was told.
But in general, there are many questions, and they are significant and concern not only our family, but, perhaps, even many large families in the Russian Federation. I asked some questions about the status and definition of need.
I work in our family. It just so happens that God has surrounded us with very caring and attentive people. In the person of our governor, Alexander Yuryevich, we received a lot of care and assistance. And also in the person of the director of the Leningrad station Vladimir Ivanovich Pereguda. That is, they personally showed a lot of concern, mostly because my income slightly exceeds the subsistence level until the last year, 2024. Accordingly, it turned out that we missed out on all social programs for the reason that there was a small excess. And it was only in 2024 that we received assistance.
They asked questions, and there was such an interesting reaction: what is the largest family in the Leningrad region, and social assistance is bypassed? So it turned out that the income exceeded a little.
Vladimir Putin: Yes, yes, I see.
By the way, we paid attention to this. Tatyana Alekseyevna also raises this issue at meetings with the Government. This is certainly a moment that requires careful attention and pre-regulation.
Tatyana Alekseevna, we have already discussed this issue. Slightly exceeds the income of the head of the family, and all the various social support mechanisms skip them. We've talked about this before.
Tatyana Golikova: Yes, Mr President, we were told that this is something that we are working on. Let's look specifically at this family. I understand that 2024 has resolved this issue, if I heard correctly. If not, then we'll have another look.
Vladimir Putin: They help there. The governor of the Leningrad region helps them, and the management of the nuclear power plant, where the head of the family works. But in general, we need to regulate this at the federal level, bearing in mind that such situations can also occur in other families where the head of the family does not work at a nuclear power plant, do you understand? So let's go back to that again.
Evgeny Kravtsov: I'll add a little more, perhaps?
Vladimir Putin: Please, please.
Yevgeny Kravtsov: Mr President, I have retired, I am 50 years old this year, and I am just receiving a pension, plus one of the children will turn 17, and again our budget will be slightly off, and again I will be out of payments. This is not only my private problem, but I think that it also requires considerable attention in the country.
Vladimir Putin: Yes, yes, that's what we're talking about right now with Tatyana Alekseevna. We will definitely return to this issue at the Government level.
You don't work at the station anymore, do you?"
Evgeny Kravtsov: I work at the station. At the age of 50, I left due to a bad experience, and it turns out that I still have the opportunity and desire to work. I want to be useful and implement myself.
Vladimir Putin: I see,I see.
Evgeny Vladimirovich, how is the station developing? You had a lot of work at the station there.
Evgeny Kravtsov: Rosenergoatom is developing very well. We are building additional blocks, and we have a serious prospect. I myself work at the second plant-the second LNPP, in the reactor shop. I graduated from St. Petersburg State University with a degree in radiochemistry, and my life has been connected with the nuclear power industry. My eldest son graduated from Polytech and also works there already. Another son is graduating from a polytechnic college and will also follow in his father's footsteps, just as I followed in my father's footsteps. My father is a submariner, he is an energy engineer, operated submarines, mastered the first and second generation of submarines. And I also followed in my father's footsteps.
Vladimir Putin: I wish you good luck. All the best!
And as for situations involving state support, we will definitely think about it for families like yours. This is important not only for your family specifically, but also for others who find themselves in the same situation. We will definitely think about it. All the best to you!
I don't even have a list, but a little information about each family that is in contact today. I propose to move to the Siberian Federal District. Tomsk region, the Rakhimov family. Rakhimov Rakhmatulla Khamitovich and Galina Sergeevna.
R.Rakhimov: This is us.
Vladimir Putin: Yes, I see it. Hi!
R.Rakhimov: Hello, Vladimir Vladimirovich!
Vladimir Putin: Hello, Rakhmatulla Khamitovich! How are you? I see you are in the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
R.Rakhimov: Things are good. Yes, I have been working in the Ministry of Emergency Situations for 17 years; in general, I am retired from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
I work, my wife and I gave birth to children together, and we do not regret it. As the previous parents with many children said: also not because of orders, but because of love and respect for each other.
Vladimir Vladimirovich, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you personally good health, and God grant that we have such a good and wonderful President. These are not pretty words, this is reality. thank you.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much.
Galina Sergeevna, can you add something?
G. Rakhimova: Hello, Vladimir Vladimirovich!
Vladimir Putin: Hello!
G. Rakhimova: We are very grateful to you for such a high award for our family.
On April 2, our daughter was born, and we named her Nadezhda. I think that at the present time we all really need hope.
Vladimir Putin: Exactly.
G. Rakhimova: And on April 3, we learned that you signed a decree on awarding our family. Thank you.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much.
How is the situation where you live? Do local authorities help you? How are you doing with housing and children's education? Do the children manage to study in any clubs or sports sections?
R.Rakhimov: The children all study at the same school, the 56th school. The school is pretty good. Everyone is engaged in sports, what kind of sport, scuba diving. Our eldest son is now in the railway technical school in the first year, automation and telemechanics. But since a lot of time is devoted to studying – he was also engaged in scuba diving – there is not enough time, so he abandoned it.
Nevertheless, they go to the "Brotherhood of Orthodox Pathfinders" at the Church of the Sign and study there, in the "Brotherhood". They go hiking, study nature and the territory of Russia. There is Father Igor, a good priest, who helps in teaching all these Orthodox things. Also, my seniors are volunteers, they weave nets for their children.
We live together with her parents in an apartment. I would like to wish for something better. As Comrade Yevgeny from Leningrad used to say – I don't remember his patronymic – we have the same problems, one-on-one, with social payments. Considering that my income is sometimes higher, and it turns out that we receive child benefits as a percentage less. Now we get 50 percent.
G. Rakhimova: And we can't even apply for a small Hope, because we know that if we apply, we will be refused even for the children we receive.
Vladimir Putin: Why not?
G. Rakhimova: Because the cost of living will be exceeded.
Vladimir Putin: Tatyana Alekseyevna, we need to sort this out. I don't even understand what it is.
Tatyana Golikova: Yes, I will look into it, Mr Putin. Some kind of incomprehensible situation here. Okay, we'll see about that separately.
Vladimir Putin: Galina Sergeevna, we will definitely take a look, and don't hesitate to find out all these nuances. It is very good that we are in touch with you today. This is useful for us, because it gives us an opportunity to analyze how the decisions we make work in real life and in practice. We will definitely deal with this.
And I want to wish you all the best. You have such a close-knit family, it's nice to see. We will definitely contact you and resolve all these issues.
G. Rakhimova: Thank you.
Vladimir Putin: Then we will move to the Krasnodar Territory. Solodovnikov Elena Viktorovna and Vladimir Alekseevich.
Vladimir Solodovnikov: Hello, Mr President!
Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon!
Vladimir Solodovnikov: It's a pleasure. Such a meeting. I think that in our family it will be such a historic, memorable meeting, communication with the President.
I want to tell you a little bit about our family. My wife and I were in the same class, classmates, this is the first love. School years passed, we met each other, realized that we needed each other, and this is our family – 11 sons. Of course, we love them very much, we waited for each of them, accepted them as a gift from God, invested all our strength and health in them. Although it was difficult, of course, we have been a large family since 2000, and our third child was born. And it was a difficult time. Well, we tried our best, worked and invested in them so that they would not differ from other children, so that they would have the best of everything, as they say, so that they would not feel like separate people. Just like that.
Vladimir Putin: I look, here is a reference here: one of your sons also became a father of many children, just recently the third child was born. Who has it?
Vladimir Solodovnikov: Yes, this is Vadim.
Vladimir Putin: Where is he?
Vadim, I congratulate you.
Vladimir Solodovnikov: Hello, Mr President!
Thank you very much.
Vladimir Putin: Do you have any questions or suggestions?
Vladimir Solodovnikov: I would like to thank my parents for giving birth to all of us in the first place, for giving birth to all of us, and for not sparing their time and effort, for giving everyone the best for us, and for putting all their love into it. And I took an example from them.
Vladimir Putin: Vladimir Alekseyevich, your father, said that we tried to do everything for our children, to create conditions for their future, so that they would feel confident and go through life with confidence. This always distinguishes people who put their heart and soul into their family and their children.
This is such a noble beginning, which is really inherited. And in your case, it all turned out that way.
I sincerely wish you all the best. And to your extended family, and to all emerging families – all the best to you.
If you have any questions, please. You now have channels.
Vladimir Solodovnikov: We are only grateful that, of course, there is a lot of concern for large families right now, and we are very much noticing this now. Naturally, it has become much easier for us, and the care from our local authorities and from the region, and from you, all federal payments, of course, help us a lot. We are very grateful.
Vladimir Putin: Do you also feel some attention coming from the edge? Veniamin Ivanovich helps, supports?
Vladimir Solodovnikov: Of course.
Vladimir Putin: I'll talk to him about his support.
V. Solodovnikov: We were once at the award ceremony "Parental valor", awarded us. He looked at our family and said such prophetic words. He says: this mother is worthy of the title "Mother Heroine". And now my wife was awarded this order.
Vladimir Putin: I congratulate you again.
Elena Solodovnikova: Thank you.
Vladimir Putin: I wish you all the best, all the best!
Let's move to the Volga Federal District. Chuvash Republic, Sergey Shishov and Olga Anatolyevna.
Sergey Shishov: Hello, Vladimir Vladimirovich!
Olga Shishova: Hello, Vladimir Vladimirovich!
Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon!
Olga Shishova: On behalf of our extended family, we would like to express our deep gratitude for the high state award. God has appointed you to lead such a huge power-Great Russia, Holy Russia. We saw how you and His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia prayed at the thanksgiving service after the inauguration. It is so important that the head of our vast country is a believer, a sincere believer.
We are very happy that the traditional Russian spiritual and moral values are now being revived. Now we can safely raise and raise our children, because for our family, education is based on spiritual and moral values.
That is why I would like to thank you and wish you good health, long life, and always to be surrounded by people who are loyal to you and our state.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you.
I see that your family members take part in actions to collect humanitarian aid and support participants in a special military operation.
Sergey Shishov: Yes. In our city, at the temple, they collect things necessary for soldiers of a special military operation. Our children also take part in collecting the necessary things.
Olga Shishova: In addition, we have such continuity – our parents have always tried to help boarding schools and children who are deprived of parental love. Now that things are going this way, they are also helping. Mom knits a lot, sews, does something with her own hands. We also knit warm clothes together as a team. Children write letters, poems, and draw pictures to the best of their abilities, and send them all there for support.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you. I would like to express my gratitude both from myself and from those of our guys who receive both your things and your letters. You know how important this is for people who risk their lives for the interests of our country, for the interests of families like yours. Therefore, such mutual communication and support are the basis of our existence in general, and by and large, the basis of our success, including on the battlefield.
Thank you very much.
I look, the baby is in the arms of his son.
Olga Shishova: Yes, I fell asleep.
Vladimir Putin: He's already asleep.
S. Shishov: This is my godson.
My name is Seraphim, I am 18 years old. Me, Savva, Georgy and Tikhon are helping Metropolitan Savvaty of Cheboksary and Chuvashia at the Vvedensky Cathedral in Cheboksary.
Now I fell asleep, I'm tired.
Sergey Shishov: Mr President, I agree with what my wife said. Thank God that you, Vladimir Vladimirovich, are the head of our state. Thanks to you, we have such an opportunity to raise and educate our children in the spirit of traditional Russian spiritual and moral values. I wish you God's blessing and God's help in your efforts for the benefit of our state.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much.
I want, as they say jokingly in such cases, to send you a return puck. You said that something is happening thanks to me, and I want to say that thanks to you and people like you, I am now where I am and work, and I try to do it, of course, to the maximum for the good of the country. So we are doing, in fact, a common cause. Here you are where you are, I am where I am. This is without any exaggeration, and it is true.
Our country is one big family. This is how it should be.
I saw that you are also a coach for your kids?
Sergey Shishov: Yes, I train my kids a little bit in army hand-to-hand combat myself.
Vladimir Putin: You've done hand-to-hand combat yourself before, haven't you?
Sergey Shishov: Yes, before the army I was also engaged in martial arts a little bit, I have some experience.
Vladimir Putin: I would like to wish you all the best. thank you very much.
Olga Shishova: Mr President, can I briefly tell you more about my children?
Vladimir Putin: Please, of course.
Olga Shishova: In addition to being subdeacons at the cathedral, my daughter also sings in the Cathedral's Sunday school choir.
Boys and girls still receive additional – and the older ones have already graduated-music education: this is a guitar, clarinet, piano, balalaika. Girls also receive additional art education. My daughter has prepared a gift for you, she is this year a graduate of the children's art school in the ceramics class.
When they called us a month ago to say that our family had been awarded and invited to Moscow, to say that it was a holiday is an understatement, because the joy was simply too much, the children were happy, and it didn't end in one day, the joy was boundless, everyone was very happy. When all the suitcases were packed, they called us and said that there would be no trip. I remember how upset the children were because they had never been to Moscow.
But all the same, we are grateful for everything, because communication with you, even in the format in which we are currently communicating, is a great joy. This is a great honor for us and an event for our entire family. In our family book, probably, these words of the meeting will be special lines for memory.
Thank you again very much.
Vladimir Putin: Olga Anatolyevna, I have written in my reference book that every summer the family makes pilgrimage trips. Where do you go?
Olga Shishova: Yes, pilgrimage trips are a kind of consolation for us. As soon as the holidays start, we try to leave with the children. We can't go far, we usually go to the Nizhny Novgorod region, we love Diveyevo very much. We hope that we will go there again this year. We can't get any further away. We would like, perhaps, to get out to the Moscow region, but we don't have such an opportunity yet.
Vladimir Putin: You said that you were packing your bags to go to a meeting in Moscow. Let's just do that. If for some reason, including sanitary reasons, not everything turns out in the same mode as such meetings were held before, this is nothing, this does not prevent you from coming to Moscow. I will ask my colleagues from the Administration, and we will definitely organize such a trip for all the families participating in our meeting today. We will agree with you on the time when it will be convenient for everyone. Probably, it is better to make sure that those who work have both vacations and vacations during the summer period. And we'll definitely organize it, okay? Agreed.
Olga Shishova: Thank you very much. We are very happy.
Vladimir Putin: You're welcome. So let's do it.
Thank you. All the best!
We are moving to the Tyumen region, the city of Tyumen. Yakunin Andrey Aleksandrovich and Yakunina Natalia Aleksandrovna.
Alexander Yakunin: Good afternoon, Vladimir Vladimirovich!
Vladimir Putin: Hello!
Alexey Yakunin: On behalf of myself, my wife Natalia, and all my children, I would like to thank you for this high award and for all that you are doing to revive and strengthen the family. I always tell all my children that we are called to serve our Homeland and it is a great honor and privilege for us. The fact that you paid attention to our family and awarded such a high award confirms my words. I am sure that thanks to your support, my children are confident about the future and will work for the benefit of Russia.
Now my three eldest sons are already working with me. I organize assistance to people in crisis situations, and my eldest son helps develop medical care. This year you gave instructions to study the experience of the Tyumen region in providing medical care to the homeless – this is exactly what Olga Demicheva said about our project. My eldest son, it turns out, gets such a start in life, including with your support.
My second son works in a peasant farm, which I also created and promote the idea of developing abandoned rural settlements in the implementation of a socially significant project. This idea has been ranked in the top 1000 on the forum "Strong Ideas for the New Time" for three years in a row. I believe that this is such an important area of activity for developing assistance to people in crisis situations.
And my fourth son, he has already joined the work of the "Mercy Media" news agency. I created it specifically for the development of social journalism. My work continues in my children, and we act as a team.
If I may, I could tell you how we are implementing your tasks, if you are interested.
Vladimir Putin: Of course, Andrey Alexandrovich.
Alexey Yakunin: Thank you very much to Tatyana Golikova, because as soon as your assignment was issued, the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation brought together representatives of the Ministry of Health and the State Council and developed general recommendations for replicating our experience.
I wrote [an application for the competition] to the Presidential Grants Fund, where the implementation plan is also laid down. In June, the All-Russian conference "Always a person" is planned in Tyumen. Olga Yurievna will see her off. I am sure that many non-profit organizations will gather, and this will allow us to replicate the experience that we already have.
After all, I also head the homeless assistance department of the Synodal Charity Department of the Russian Orthodox Church. On behalf of all non-profit organizations and our church projects, I would like to express my gratitude to you, because the assignment you gave gave an impetus to the development of our projects. In a number of regions, temporary shelters are already being created with the medical service, and they are working on it. In particular, I recently met with the leadership of the Kurgan region, with the Deputy governor for social affairs, and there the issue of creating a care center with a medical service in its structure was discussed. That is, how important your word is in this case.
You know, I've been waiting more than twenty years for this meeting with you. I would also like to thank you, if possible, for creating conditions in Russia for everyone to realize their idea for the benefit of Russia. When you provided socially oriented non-profit organizations with access to budget funds, it allowed me to implement the idea that I started working on back in 2001, and the opportunity came in 2017, when I managed to become a social service provider and develop this area. And now your assignment is to study the experience of the Tyumen region.
I thought it was important to just give you feedback on how important it was that you took this step back then. After all, until 2017, I had my own medical business, I am a psychiatrist-narcologist, and I used all my income to develop this idea – creating a rehabilitation system for socially vulnerable citizens. And in 2017, when this opportunity appeared, I was able to fully immerse myself in the implementation of this idea and successfully implement it. So three thanks in one speech.
Thank you very much.
Vladimir Putin: Good.
Andrey Alexandrovich, this is something that my colleagues from the Government and the Administration have noticed. We could and probably should have paid attention to this earlier, realizing that we have a lot of kind, sympathetic people in our country, those who are trying to support and help people who need this help and support.
Did you directly organize "Mercy" or did the Russian Orthodox Church organize it in some parish? Who organized the Charity itself?
A. Yakunin: I organized this, but we always work in conjunction with the Synodal department. Now I am the head of the Russian Orthodox Church's general homeless assistance program.
Vladimir Putin: You know, it is by combining the efforts of people who are not indifferent, like you, with a kind heart, and, frankly, our religious organizations. In this regard, I cannot but draw your attention to the fact that His Holiness the Patriarch always, almost always, believe me, when we meet with him, and we meet regularly, not as often as we would like, but regularly, and we always talk about helping and supporting people. He always emphasizes that we need to join forces – both the church and the state, and raises the question of supporting people like you. This impulse also comes from His Holiness the Patriarch, of course, through the Russian Orthodox Church. He has very good friendly relations with representatives of our other traditional faiths.
By combining all our common efforts and the efforts of civil society, as they often say now, or simply put, in normal human language, simply by combining the efforts of people like you, who are proactive and kind, the state, the church, we will all achieve common success in support. Then our society will become more noble and more stable, which is the most important thing.
It is always nice to feel and see that you are doing a good deed. As I have repeatedly said, gifts are certainly pleasant to receive, but it is much more pleasant to make gifts, to give something to people, and if this gift is not even material, but spiritual, then this is doubly, triple more important.
This support is extremely important, and these movements, volunteer movements, have been widely developed in our country in recent years. Such areas of joint work dramatically increase the sustainability of our society, and this is very important for the state as a whole, for each individual in the end.
So thank you so much for putting so much personal time into this. I think I can see that this job gives you satisfaction, and in the end it's the same thing that matters most.
So thank you very much. I hope that our joint work in this regard will continue, and I wish your family all the best. Maybe Natalia Alexandrovna wants to add something?
Please, Natalia Alexandrovna.
Natalia Yakunina: I've already raised my hand, just like in the first grade.
First of all, thank you very much for your work, for your hard work, for the efforts that you put in connection with your activity.
And secondly, I would like to express my great gratitude to my husband right here, to the whole country. I am very proud of him, I love him very much. I rarely see him, but despite the difficulties he overcomes every day at his job, we are still together. We were also going to visit you in Moscow. I hope that this trip will come true.
Thank you so much again. Our children are very grateful to you.
Vladimir Putin: How many children do you have?
Natalia Yakunina: Eight, just eight.
Vladimir Putin: You say that you rarely see your beloved husband, but eight children is rare, but it turns out aptly. That's the first thing.
And secondly, you gave him such a family, such a great joy, so many children. I think that this is a manifestation of your mutual love. There is nothing more important than love in life and children.
I sincerely wish you all the best. I hope you enjoy this trip as well. Olga Anatolyevna Shishova will help us organize this trip. If I have a normal work schedule, I will try to see you all. All the best to you!
Natalia Yakunina: Thank you.
Vladimir Putin: We are moving to the Donetsk Republic, the city of Donetsk. Volga Irina Aleksandrovna and Oleg Mikhailovich, please.
Igor Volga: Hello, dear Vladimir Vladimirovich!
I would like to thank you for such a high award as "Mother Heroine", for paying attention to us and appreciating our work. Thank you very much for this.
We live in Donetsk, in the Petrovsky district, since 2000, we are raising 10 children. Everyone is doing their favorite thing. We have no plans for the future yet due to our situation, but if we had known in 2014 that we would become part of the Russian Federation, it would have been easier. And if we knew when the SVO would end, it would also be easier. But we don't lose hope for the best.
Vladimir Putin: It will definitely happen. Eventually, everything will fall into place. And your children will find their place in life, I am sure. They are all so beautiful, already grown up. What do children do?
Irina Volga: Nastenka, the oldest, is already married and has a daughter. She graduated from the Art College and Donetsk Academy of Construction as a landscape architect. The eldest son followed in his father's footsteps-he graduated from a shoe repair school, but is engaged in keys, auto keys. Nadezhda helps her husband repair shoes. Oksana sews, a tailor. Katya and Oksana are twins. Katya bakes cakes. Zhenya is a pastry chef, graduating this year. Tanya is a hairdresser. Olya finished the eighth grade, Philip-the fifth grade. And Mikhail – the smallest, our beloved baby-goes to kindergarten.
Vladimir Putin: It is clear that everyone is engaged in a specific case.
Tell me, please, the costumes I see behind your back are so colorful, what is it? Who does this and why?
I. Volga: These are theatrical costumes. We are now in Mariupol, in the house of creativity.
Vladimir Putin: It's clear. How do you like Mariupol?
I. Volga: The hero city is being restored. Everything is quickly restored, everything becomes more beautiful before our eyes.
Vladimir Putin: Do you feel any changes there?
Irina Volga: Yes, they do.
Vladimir Putin: And new transport is emerging, and the appearance of the city is changing, the health care system is gradually changing, and the education system is changing. I am sure that the same thing is already happening, and I hope it will continue to happen on a larger scale in Donetsk itself, and in the entire Donetsk Republic. I have no doubts about that.
What would you like to pay attention to? What do you think both the federal and regional authorities should pay attention to? Except, of course, for security issues, this is a separate and most important issue. And in the everyday sense, in terms of supporting families like yours?
Irina Volga: I am a mother of ten children, we already have a granddaughter, and each of our children, I think, will want large families. My wish is that mothers with many children should retire earlier, so that they can help future young families.
Vladimir Putin: In my opinion, this is how everything is built here.
Tatiana Alekseevna?
Tatyana Golikova: Yes, Mr President, we have an earlier retirement, and we did not change anything here when the corresponding changes were made. Therefore, this benefit is there, I just don't know what age Irina Alexandrovna is talking about now, from the point of view of wishes.
Vladimir Putin: We have a preferential retirement for large families, what is it like for a woman?
Tatyana Golikova: It depends on the number of children there.
Vladimir Putin: How many children do you have in your family, Irina Alexandrovna?
Irina Volga: We are raising ten children.
Vladimir Putin: 10 kids. We already have a preferential retirement regime for women in such families.
Tatyana Alekseyevna, I need to inform Irina Alexandrovna and Oleg Mikhailovich then about what actions they will take.…
Tatyana Golikova: We will definitely do it, let's say what kind of order we have.
Vladimir Putin: Yes, what procedure and what benefits they are entitled to expect, and what benefits they should receive. Unfortunately, people often don't even know that, oddly enough. But here, in the Donetsk Republic, there may be really not enough information on this subject yet.
Tatyana Golikova: Let's do it, Mr Putin.
Vladimir Putin: Good.
Oleg Mikhailovich, do you have any questions or suggestions about how the work is organized? By the way, including in such a private small business, in individual entrepreneurship?
Olga Volga: For my part, I would also like to thank you, Mr Putin, for your attention to large families, and especially to our family. For us, this is a high assessment of our life. As previous families have already said, we do this not because of the reward, of course, but because of a common joint desire.
If you'll excuse me, I'll briefly tell you how our family developed in general. I want to say that after graduating from the University of Luhansk Pedagogical Institute, I got a job in a rural school, also in the Luhansk region, and there I taught in practice, I noticed Irina.
As a young specialist, I tried to behave in such a way as not to give anyone a reason. I like the girl, but I didn't give her any reason. She finished school, dropped out, went on to study, and only then did I dare to tell her about it, and we already met our parents.
We moved to Donetsk and until 2014 lived, as they say, happily, our parents moved in with us, settled next to us, and they helped us nurse all the children. I will say that parental help, especially from grandparents, is simply not to be underestimated. It would have been much harder without them.
Since 2014, as everyone understands, we have been isolated: we did not leave Donetsk anywhere until 2023. Our children have already started to grow up and start working and earning extra money. They secretly collected the necessary amount to take us to Abkhazia, because the entrance to Abkhazia was already there, there was an opportunity to relax, and we were already traveling from Donetsk. Our parents participated, our older children, our son-in-law, our eldest daughter, and our sons who have already started working, and they collected this amount. And so we went, for the first time escaped, as they say, from Donetsk to Rostov. We were struck by the silence, at 11 o'clock in the evening shops and supermarkets are open. I couldn't come to my senses for a long time – how quiet everything was.
When we arrived during the day, so as not to be late for the train, we spent the night in Rostov, rented housing, arrived at the station in advance and thought about putting up transport (we went to look for parking), and at this moment the spouse calls and says that the train has been served for boarding. It turned out that my daughter was somewhat mistaken, and our long-awaited trip almost broke down. We ran up to the train at the very last moment, already started boarding, literally the train was about to start, and my daughter Nastya, who accompanied us, agreed on everything, she looks – she doesn't have a passport. The husband ran to get his passport in the car, and at that moment the train starts moving. I see my daughter's tears are flowing. I say: "Nastya, Nastyun, don't worry, we'll find out how and what." And at that moment, while my husband was running, someone not from our car just pulled the stopcock. Women train drivers, they themselves were worried about us, say: "We have never had such a thing happen in our life. It's just luck."
And when we have all calmed down, got on the train, they check the documents (and we bought tickets to Sukhum with Deneer passports) and it turns out that when the decision was already made to move to the Russian Federation, we can't enter there with Deneer passports. We were warned, and the train manager warned us, says: "You may be removed from the train." Another obstacle, our joy is again blocked by something.
We are taken off the train at six in the morning already outside Adler, before the border with Abkhazia. They took me out over the fence, showed me the guard, and said, " Go straight along the autobahn, you'll get to the city, about a kilometer and a half." And we with bags, well, wheels were, rolled on this highway. Everything is lit, of course. When we came to the city, it was still such a morning, it was gray and suddenly it dawns, and we look, around the mountains, around this beauty, it turned out that we were in Sirius, like in a fairy tale, everything is shining.
After Donetsk (who lives in Donetsk, does not know how to be in a completely shining city), we were a little shocked. And two cars, a taxi was taken, my daughter already called, rented us an apartment. We spent this time in such communication, we see each other, our child pours water into the bath, a full bath. It's hard to understand for people who don't experience it, and he didn't get out of the bath, because we don't even have water to swim normally.
You see, we face these difficulties, and then they are solved. It's been like this all our lives, not just during the war. We've had difficulties before (and somehow it's all been solved in the best way possible, I wouldn't even have guessed that it could be).
We met a man in Adler who rides yachts. He took us for a ride, and we got a friend, a friend among the locals, although he is a Siberian and has lived there for a certain time, and we already consider him our friend.
A year has passed, and Irina has received a payment. We already went to Abkhazia, and the people were very good-natured. But we immediately came to Adler to see this guy. He took me out in the evening. He says, " Can I walk you in? I want to talk to you." I say, " Please." I thought he was going to take me to the gym, maybe because I was doing sports, it was somehow close to me, and then I started another job, I'm still doing shoe repairs. I thought that, probably, he would take me to the gym, show me his gym.
He said he wanted to take us somewhere else. We found ourselves in a supermarket, a very expensive store. During the conversation, I found out that the guy was an orphan himself, and I was shocked, of course. He said that he wanted to buy a present, if only for the sake of our acquaintance to buy something. Directly asked: "What do you need? Sneakers or a jacket of some sort?" I say: "I have sneakers, bought them. Let's get a jacket." He takes me around these stores and measures everything for me. I look at a person like that, I just think: what a heart the guy has! He must have endured these hardships in his life.
I think that every large family understands that it is difficult to live in a large family, but I think no one here feels sorry. He tells me: "I want to buy you this." I say, " Please, if you want to." He bought me something. Then you could still buy a warm jacket, and I say: "It's already warm, give me this one." He tried it on me, I put it on, he says: "You look like a mushroom picker" – khaki color. I say, " I just need a jacket like that right now." He and I bought these things, he bought gifts for the children, he bought gifts for his wife, and we had such a friend on the other side, as they say, in the south.
I wanted to say that we should not be discouraged by these difficulties that overtake us. Looking at our families, there are even many large families in our district, in Petrovsky district: eight children, nine children, and we have ten, but people still somehow remain in their places. My parents live near us. We were told, " Why don't you leave?" I'll tell you honestly, Mr Putin, I can't explain why we didn't leave, it's hard to even explain. My parents say, " It's already hard for us to get out." And I couldn't go anywhere, and my children stayed with us. And to this day, we are alive and well, and no one was injured-only Tanya, she had a concussion. As it is, everyone is alive and well, and we did not leave our city. We love it, our city.
I want to say that all our friends, starting from the first grade, when the children started, all our doctors, nurses, all our friends, neighbors, they are very good to our family. I would like to say hello to all of them, because I think they will see us. They really always supported us, and our district administration, especially I thank them, our doctors, teachers. Thank you very much for supporting us. We were young, now we are a little stronger, and now our children have grown up.
We are grateful to these people and we are grateful to you for organizing such meetings, Mr Putin.
I wish you good health. And as it is written in the Holy Scriptures: acquire wisdom, acquire understanding. This is always necessary for every person.
Thank you very much.
Vladimir Putin: Oleg Mikhailovich, what you have just said does not even need any comments. I think that it is people like you, like your new friend in Sochi, who are the foundation of Russia, a multinational and powerful country. It is based on this attitude to each other and to their homeland.
Yes, times are not easy. Since 2014, Donetsk, the Donetsk Republic, and then Luhansk have been living in such difficult, frankly speaking, conditions. What you've said is the best illustration of what's going on. I have no doubt that this situation will change, it will change for the better, it will be sustainable. Those problems, even with passports, that you mentioned, I hope they are all gone, are becoming a thing of the past. Everything will be calm, stable, and everything will develop.
Donetsk, Donetsk Republic, Luhansk, Kherson region, Zaporozhye region-everything will develop as part of Russia, the Russian Federation - in our common big family. Everything will get back on its feet, including for families like your extended family. Ten children is a huge amount of wealth.
I won't comment on anything else, I just want to wish you happiness and good luck. I hope that another trip, which we have already mentioned, a trip to Moscow, will also be full of good impressions and cause the necessary positive emotions for your entire extended family.
I wish you all the best, happiness and prosperity. Thank you very much. good luck to you.
Irina Volga: Thank you. Goodbye.
Vladimir Putin: The fact that you said that " thank God, everyone is healthy here, only one daughter received a concussion." I don't think it even needs comments. Our common goal is to ensure that no one ever gets anything like this, or even thinks about it, so that everything is reliable and stable. We will achieve this state of affairs, there is no doubt about it.
All the best to you and have a good trip to Moscow.
Irina Volga: Excuse me, please, but can I also thank our local authorities? They have done a lot for us: they fill all our needs, and we are very grateful to them.
Vladimir Putin: Good. I will also talk to Denis Vladimirovich about this, and I will also express my gratitude to him.
I know that he is trying, he is a very active, energetic person, the head of the Republic. We are in constant contact with him. We will think about what we can do in addition for your family and for families like yours, because in today's situation we generally need to support large families, which we are trying to do, and even more so in your situation.
So I'll tell him all this, but I'm sure he'll hear it. Nothing more valuable than such words, as they say, live for him, too, can not be. Nevertheless, we will also talk about it with him.
I wish you all the best, happiness and prosperity.
Let's move to another region – the North Caucasus Federal District, Chechnya. Khalikov Huseyn Daudovich and Khalikova Taisiya Akhyadovna. You are welcome.
H.Khalikov: Hello!
I wanted to thank you very much. Thank you for paying attention and meeting with us at such a difficult time for the country. Thank you very much.
I am grateful to our management for paying great attention to our families and our people. Thanks to you, Mr President, and your support, people in our Republic are moving forward more confidently every day.
Thanks to Ramzan Akhmatovich, he does not leave every person, every family without attention.
The only request I have for you today, not as a President, but as a private individual, is to come and visit us. We have a place in the mountains called Sharoi. Thanks to Ramzan Akhmatovich, a tower complex was built there, we will meet you, you will be our great guest.
Thank you.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much for the invitation. I will definitely try to implement it. I also promised Ramzan Akhmatovich, and he also recently told me: we haven't been here for a long time. I promised him to come and, of course, I will do everything possible to make this trip happen.
Indeed, a lot has been done in Chechnya recently, primarily thanks to the residents of Chechnya themselves, thanks to the Chechens, and all the people who live there. I'm just surprised sometimes to see how Chechnya is developing, at what pace, and what it looks like today. Just recently, Ramzan showed me the development plans for Grozny, showed me the new district that is planned for construction. I have no doubt that we will do it all together, and Chechnya will be proud, and the whole country will be proud of what is happening in Chechnya. We are already proud.
Such a center of Grozny, probably, a few years ago, no one could have dreamed of it, no one could even have thought of it. And these are the realities of our day today, and this is the result of the work of the entire Chechen people and the team headed by Ramzan Akhmatovich.
I want to wish you all all the best.
But nevertheless, before we move to another region of the country, I would like to ask Taisiya Akhyadovna, maybe she will add something?
Tatyana Khalikova: Hello again.
I also want to thank you for your attention to our family, for the high award.
I would like to express my gratitude to the leadership of the Republic, the leadership of our Achkhoy-Martan municipal district.
I also join all the warm words spoken to you. Thank you very much.
Vladimir Putin: You know, I looked at the composition of your extended family. You have children: a math teacher, a physics teacher, a senior researcher, an artist, a researcher, an artist. Listen, you have such a beautiful family, and you have raised such wonderful children.
Maybe one of them will add something?
R. Khalikov: I want to add about my older brother Ramzan, who was not mentioned in the newspaper. We work in government agencies, but we didn't know about him. I want to add it.
Ramzan always stayed at home, took care of his parents, when our grandmother was still alive, he was with her. He's our big brother, and we all look up to him.
Many thanks to our parents and older brother.
We would also like to send a big hello to our older sister Aseta, who was unable to attend the conference today, as she lives in the Tver region.
Thanks to you, Mr President, we can be proud of our country and our President. Many thanks to you, as well as to our management, Ramzan Akhmatovich.
Thank you very much. Peace and kindness to all.
Vladimir Putin: It's great that you started talking about your parents, your older brother, and your older sister instead of yourself. What does this mean? This shows that there is mutual respect and love in your family. This is a role model for all families: those with many children and those with few children. This is the basis of our common cultural code, and it applies to the Caucasus and other regions of the country. We are a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country, but this is the cultural code, the basic foundations of our common Russian culture: respect for our elders, respect for our parents, respect for our country – both for our small Homeland, for our big Homeland, for our Homeland as a whole, and care for each other, love for each other. a friend. This is the basis for the stability of the Russian state.
I want to wish you all the best. Thank you for the invitation.
Moscow, Central Federal District. Abakumovs Irina Alekseevna and Alexander Nikolaevich. You are welcome.
Irina Abakumova: Good afternoon, Vladimir Vladimirovich!
We're not all here. Our younger children, schoolchildren, went to Vladivostok for special achievements in sports. The rest are also nothing, you can tell us.
We have a dynasty of doctors, three doctors, volunteers, went to the Donbass. We have engineers and military personnel. In general, the full composition.
Vladimir Putin: Alexander Nikolaevich, would you like to add something?
Alexander Abakumov: Mr President, a few years ago it was very difficult to think about whether we have an ideology in the state. And now, as I can see from today's conversation and from those speeches, ideology is emerging in our state. Thanks to you and the efforts of your assistants, thank God, family values and the purpose of the state are emerging in our country.
I would like to thank you once again, Vladimir Vladimirovich, and wish you to visit such a small town in the Moscow region, where you have not yet been. This is the city of Lobnya. I serve there, go through my ministry. Our dear Prime Minister Mikhail Vladimirovich comes from there. And if possible, stop by for at least a few minutes.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much for the invitation. Thank you for your service and for the children and their upbringing.
I see they're medics. The eldest son, as I understand it, is a therapist, and it is written in the documents: at the beginning of the SVO, he went with his sister to the combat zone as volunteer doctors. No one forced you to, did they? At the call of the heart, we went, it's impossible to say otherwise. It seems to be a stamp, but it is difficult to find other words: it is precisely at the call of the heart.
I would like to wish you, your entire extended family, all the best, happiness and prosperity. Here we talked about the possibility of organizing a trip to Moscow, and you are already practically in Moscow. But I hope that you will also take part in these general events, because in addition to the trip, my colleagues are also organizing a specific program. I hope you will also find this interesting. We will try to make it informative and not very tedious, taking into account that there will be a large number of children.
I want to thank you all for today's meeting and conversation. Our country is big, if not huge. I look, there is a picture on the screen, Kamchatka is still not sleeping, despite the fact that the children are small already, I see, they are lying on the laps of the older ones, they are almost falling asleep. I want to wish you all all the best.
Did you have something to say?" You are welcome. Enable Kamchatka.
A. Semashkina: Hello, dear Vladimir Vladimirovich!
I would like to express my gratitude to you for appreciating the care and love of our parents in this way. thank you very much. And may the Lord bless you!
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my parents for their loyalty to each other, for their love for us, for their care and also for their faith in our God. Thank you.
Vladimir Putin: You can't say better. This is the best thing to say at the end of our meeting.
I want to wish everyone all the best. I congratulate you on the upcoming good holiday-Children's Day.
Russia has many holidays. I like the idea of Children’s Day. Its history is rather interesting, particularly the initial sponsoring nation when compared with its policy today. Those who read to the end saw Russia’s new ideology expressed by one of its people, not some high official or media pundit. You also discovered how seriously Team Putin takes the outcomes of its governance—they want to know how things work on the ground and are ready to solve any problems related to policy. I was asked in a comment, how to convince the skeptics and cynics about what Russia and Russians are about and replied that the proof is in what you read and other such reports. The testimony of the Donetsk family was worthy of a Mikhail Sholokhov novel. Alexey Yakunin’s testimony was also deeply related to longstanding Russian values. I’m sure I’m missing something. Perhaps other readers will add what they got from this.
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