Leap Day: Putin's Address to the Federal Assembly

Putin’s address was held within Moscow’s Gostiny Dvor, which is a very large exhibition hall as you can see from this overhead photo,

Its interior space is very impressive:

The information shown on the big screen got many people’s attention as you can tell by all the photos being taken of it:

And now for Putin’s two-hour address:

Vladimir Putin: Dear senators, State Duma deputies! Dear citizens of Russia,

Each Message to the Federal Assembly is primarily a look into the future. And today we will talk not only about our immediate plans, but also about strategic tasks, about those issues that I consider fundamentally important for the confident, long-term development of the country.

Such a program of actions and concrete measures was largely formed during trips to the regions, direct conversations with workers, engineers of civil and defense factories, doctors, teachers, scientists, volunteers, entrepreneurs, large families, our heroes-front-line soldiers, volunteers, soldiers and officers of the Russian Armed Forces. Of course, we understand that such events are being prepared. Nevertheless, the real needs of people certainly break through in these conversations. Many ideas were also put forward at major public and expert forums.

The proposals of citizens, their aspirations and hopes have become the basis, the core of those projects and initiatives that will be heard today. I hope that their public discussion will certainly continue, because we will be able to implement all our plans only together. The tasks are big.

We have already proved that we are capable of solving the most complex tasks, responding to any, the most complex challenges. For example, we repelled the aggression of international terrorism, preserved the unity of the country, and did not allow it to be torn apart in due time.

We supported our brothers and sisters, their will to be with Russia, and this year marks the tenth anniversary of the legendary "Russian spring". But even now, the energy, sincerity, courage of its heroes – Crimeans, residents of Sevastopol, residents of the rebellious Donbass, their love for the Motherland, which they carried through generations, certainly cause pride. All this inspires, strengthens the confidence that we will overcome everything, together we can do everything.

This is exactly how-with the whole world – we not only forced the deadly threat of a global epidemic to recede recently, but also showed that such values as mercy, mutual support, and solidarity prevail in our society.

And today, when our Motherland defends its sovereignty and security, protects the lives of compatriots in the Donbas and Novorossiya, the decisive role in this righteous struggle belongs to our citizens, our unity, loyalty to our native country, and responsibility for its fate.

These qualities were clearly and unambiguously manifested at the very beginning of the special military operation, when it was supported by the absolute majority of the Russian people. Despite all the trials and bitter losses, people are adamant in this choice and constantly confirm it with the desire to do as much as possible for the country and for the common good.

At the production facilities, they work in three shifts – as much as the front needs. The entire economy, which is the industrial and technological basis of our victory, has shown flexibility and sustainability. I would like to thank entrepreneurs, engineers, workers, and rural workers for their responsible and hard work in the interests of Russia.

Millions of people were united by the action "We are together" and the project of the All-Russian Popular Front "Everything for victory!". Over the past two years, Russian businesses have sent billions of rubles to volunteer organizations and charitable foundations that support our fighters and their families.

People send letters and parcels, warm clothes, camouflage nets to the front, transfer funds from their sometimes very modest savings. I repeat, such help is invaluable – it is everyone's contribution to the overall victory. Our heroes on the front line, in the trenches, where it is most difficult, know that the whole country is with them.

I would like to note the work of the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation, the efforts of the Committee of Families of Soldiers of the Fatherland, and other public associations. I ask all authorities to continue to do everything possible to support the families of our heroes: parents, wives, and children who are worried about their closest and dearest people and are waiting for them to return home.

I am grateful to the parliamentary parties for consolidating around national interests. The Russian political system is one of the pillars of the country's sovereignty. We will continue to develop the institutions of democracy, and we will not allow anyone to interfere in our internal affairs.

The so – called West, with its colonial habits and its habit of inciting national conflicts around the world, seeks not only to restrain our development-instead of Russia, they need a dependent, fading, dying space where you can do anything you want. In fact, they would like to do to Russia the same thing that they have done in many other regions of the world, including Ukraine: bring discord to our home, weaken it from within. But they miscalculated – this is an absolutely obvious thing today: they were confronted with the firm position and determination of our multinational people.

Our soldiers and officers-Christians and Muslims, Buddhists and followers of Judaism, representatives of different ethnic groups, cultures, and regions-in fact, proved better than a thousand words that the age-old unity and unity of the Russian people is a colossal, all-conquering force. All together, shoulder to shoulder, they are fighting for one common Homeland.

All of us, citizens of Russia, will work together to defend our freedom and the right to a peaceful and dignified life, to determine our own path, to preserve the link between generations, and therefore the continuity of historical development, and to solve the tasks that the country faces, based on our worldview, our traditions and beliefs that we will pass on to your children.

Dear friends!

The defense and strengthening of sovereignty is taking place today in all directions, and first of all, of course, at the front, where our soldiers are fighting with steadfastness and dedication.

I thank all those who are now fighting for the interests of the Fatherland, who go through the crucible of military trials, and risk their lives every day. The entire nation bows to your feat, mourns the dead, and Russia will always remember its fallen heroes.

(Minute of silence.)

Our Armed Forces have gained tremendous combat experience. This applies to the interaction of all types and branches of the armed forces, modern tactics and operational art. A whole galaxy of talented commanders who take care of people, competently perform their tasks, use new equipment, and successfully solve the tasks assigned to them have grown up and been trained. And I want to say that this applies to all levels: from the platoon and operational level to the highest level of management.

We see where and what problems we have, of course, they are, and at the same time we understand what needs to be done. Such work is carried out continuously both at the front and in the rear. It is aimed at increasing the striking power of the army and navy, their manufacturability and efficiency.

The combat capabilities of the Armed Forces have increased many times. Our units are firmly in command of the initiative, confidently advancing in a number of operational areas, liberating all new territories.

We did not start the war in the Donbas, but, as I have repeatedly said, we will do everything to end it, eradicate Nazism, solve all the tasks of a special military operation, and protect the sovereignty and security of our citizens.

Strategic nuclear forces are in a state of full readiness for guaranteed use. What we planned in the field of armaments, what I said in the Message of 2018 – everything is done, or this work is being completed.

Thus, the Kinzhal hypersonic aircraft system is not only put into service, but is also used with high efficiency to hit particularly important targets during a special military operation. Also, the sea-based strike hypersonic complex "Zircon" was already used in combat, which was not even mentioned in the 2018 Message, but this system is already in service.

Avangard intercontinental-range hypersonic units and Peresvet laser complexes are on combat duty. Tests of the Burevestnik unlimited-range cruise missile and Poseidon unmanned underwater vehicle are coming to an end. These systems have confirmed their high, it is no exaggeration to say, unique characteristics. The first serial Sarmat heavy ballistic missiles were also delivered to the troops. We will soon demonstrate them in the areas where they are based on combat duty.

Work on a number of other promising weapons systems continues, and we will learn more about the new achievements of our scientists and gunsmiths.

Russia is ready for a dialogue with the United States on strategic stability issues. But I would like to emphasize something, dear colleagues, so that everyone understands me correctly: in this case, we are dealing with a state whose ruling circles are taking open hostile actions against us. So what? Are they seriously going to discuss strategic stability issues with us, while at the same time trying to inflict on Russia, as they themselves say, a strategic defeat on the battlefield?

We can give a clear example of such hypocrisy. Recently, unfounded accusations have been heard more and more often, for example, against Russia, that we are allegedly going to place nuclear weapons in outer space. Such stuffing – and this is nothing but stuffing-is a ploy only to draw us into negotiations on their own terms, which are beneficial only to the United States.

At the same time, they block our offer, which has been on their table for more than 15 years. I am referring to the draft treaty on the prevention of the placement of weapons in outer space, which we prepared back in 2008. There's no reaction at all. What they are talking about is not clear at all.

Therefore, we have every reason to believe that the words of the current American authorities about their alleged interest in negotiations with us on strategic stability issues are demagoguery. In the run-up to the US presidential election, they just want to show their citizens and everyone else that they still rule the world. They say that on those issues where it is profitable for America to negotiate, we will conduct a conversation with the Russians, and where it is not profitable for them, there is nothing to discuss, as they themselves say, business as usual, where they will seek to defeat us.

But that certainly won't do. Our position is clear: if you want to discuss responsible issues of security and stability that are important for the entire planet, then you need to do it only in a single package, of course, including all those aspects that affect our national interests and directly affect the security of our country, the security of Russia.

We also understand that the West is trying to drag us into an arms race, thereby exhausting us, repeating the trick that they managed in the 80s with the Soviet Union. Let me remind you that in 1981-1988, military expenditures of the USSR accounted for 13 percent of the gross national product.

Therefore, our task is to develop the military-industrial complex in such a way as to increase the scientific, technological and industrial potential of the country. It is necessary to allocate resources as efficiently as possible and build an effective economy of the Armed Forces, to achieve the maximum for every ruble of defense spending. It is important for us to increase the pace in solving social, demographic, infrastructural and other tasks and at the same time reach a qualitatively new level of equipment for the army and navy.

First of all, this concerns general-purpose forces, the principles of their organization, the supply of unmanned strike systems, air defense and electronic warfare systems, intelligence and communications, high-precision and other means of destruction to the troops.

It is seriously necessary to strengthen the groups in the western strategic direction in order to neutralize the threats associated with the next expansion of NATO to the east, drawing Sweden and Finland into the alliance.

The West has provoked conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East, and other parts of the world and continues to lie. Now, without any embarrassment, they say that Russia allegedly intends to attack Europe. It's just that, as we all know, they're talking nonsense. And at the same time, they themselves choose targets for striking our territory, choose the most effective means of destruction, as they think. They talked about the possibility of sending NATO military contingents to Ukraine.

But we remember the fate of those who once sent their contingents to the territory of our country. But now the consequences for possible interventionists will be much more tragic. They must eventually understand that we also have weapons-yes, they know about it, I just said – that can hit targets on their territory.

And everything that they come up with now, what frightens the whole world, that all this really threatens a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons, which means the destruction of civilization-do they not understand this, or what? These are, you know, people who have not gone through hard trials – they have already forgotten what war is. We, even our current generation, went through such difficult trials during the fight against international terrorism in the Caucasus, and now-in the context of the conflict in Ukraine-the same thing is happening. And they think that for them it's all cartoons of some kind.

Indeed, Russophobia, like any other ideology of racism, national superiority and exclusivity, is blinding and deprives the mind. The actions of the United States and its satellites actually led to the dismantling of the European security system. This creates risks for everyone.

It is obvious that it is necessary to work on forming a new contour of equal and indivisible security in Eurasia in the foreseeable future. We are ready for a substantive discussion on this topic with all interested countries and associations. At the same time, I would like to emphasize once again that I think this is important for everyone today: without a sovereign, strong Russia, no lasting world order is possible.

We strive to unite the efforts of the global majority to meet global challenges, including the rapid transformation of the global economy, trade, finance, and technology markets, when many former monopolies and stereotypes associated with them are collapsing.

So, already in 2028, the BRICS countries, taking into account the states that have recently become members of this association, will create about 37 percent of global GDP, while the Group of Seven indicator will fall below 28 percent. These figures are very convincing, because even 10-15 years ago the situation was completely different. I have already said this publicly. These are the trends, you know? Global trends, and there is no escaping this, they are objective in nature.

Look, the Group of Seven's share in world GDP at purchasing power parity was 45.7 percent in 1992, and the BRICS, even without expansion – there was no such organization in 1992, but the BRICS countries – only 16.5 percent, and in 2022 the Group of Seven is already 30.3 percent, and the BRICS – 31.5 percent. By 2028, the situation will change even more in the direction of BRICS: it will be 36.6 percent, for the "seven" the forecast for 2028 is 27.8. There is no escape from this, this is an objective reality, and it will happen no matter what happens, including even in Ukraine.

Together with our friendly countries, we will continue to create efficient and secure logistics corridors and build a new global financial architecture that is free from political interference on the basis of advanced technology. Moreover, the West itself discredits its own currencies and banking system-they saw off the branch on which they have been sitting for decades.

We cooperate with our partners on the principles of equality and respect for each other's interests, and therefore new states are actively joining the work of the Eurasec, SCO, BRICS and other associations with the participation of Russia. We see great prospects in building a large Eurasian partnership in conjunction with integration processes within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union and the "One Belt, One Road" initiative of the People's Republic of China.

The Russia–ASEAN dialogue is developing positively. The Russia-Africa summits were a real breakthrough. The African continent is increasingly asserting its interests and its right to genuine sovereignty. We sincerely support all these aspirations.

Russia has long-standing, good relations with Arab states. They represent an original civilization from North Africa to the Middle East, which is developing dynamically today. And we consider it important to seek new points of contact with our Arab friends and deepen the entire range of partnership ties. We will do the same in the Latin American direction.

Separately, I ask the Government to increase funding for international programs aimed at promoting the Russian language and our multinational culture, first of all, in the CIS and in the world as a whole.

By the way, dear friends and colleagues, I am sure that many people have visited the exhibition "Russia". People come here to see for themselves, to show their children how rich and vast our Homeland is. The Year of the Family was launched at the exhibition "Russia". The values of love, mutual support and trust are passed down in the family from generation to generation, as well as culture, traditions, history, and moral principles.

And of course, the main purpose of the family is the birth of children, the continuation of the human race, the upbringing of children, and therefore the continuation of our entire multinational people. We see what is happening in some countries where morals and family institutions are deliberately destroyed, entire nations are pushed to extinction and degeneration, and we choose life. Russia has always been and remains a stronghold of traditional values on which human civilization is built. Our choice is shared by most people in the world, including millions of Western citizens.

Yes, today both Russia and many other countries are facing a decline in the birth rate. Demographers argue that this challenge is associated with global social, economic, technological, cultural and value changes. Young people get an education, build a career, improve their way of life, and postpone the birth of children for later.

It is obvious that not only the economy and the quality of the social sphere affect demographics and the birth rate, but also to a large extent the life guidelines that are laid down in the family, formed by culture, education, and enlightenment. The work of all levels of government, civil society, and pastors of our traditional religions is important here.

Supporting families with children is our fundamental moral choice. A large family with many children should become the norm, the philosophy of society's life, the reference point of the entire state strategy. (Applause.) I join in your applause.

Over the next six years, we must achieve a steady increase in the birth rate. To do this, we will make additional decisions in the system of upbringing and education, regional and economic development. Support and improving the quality of family life will be discussed in almost every section of the Message – be patient, it is just beginning. Everything that happened before is important, but now the most important thing begins.

I will start with one of the most acute problems – to put it mildly, the low incomes that large families face, including those with many children. In 2000, more than 42 million people were living below the poverty line in Russia. [roughly 1/3] Since then, the situation has really changed, changed dramatically. At the end of last year, the number of people below the poverty line decreased to 13.5 million people. [About 9%] Of course, that's a lot. But we keep the solution of this problem in the zone of constant attention.

A number of measures have been adopted relatively recently. So, from January 1, 2023, a single monthly allowance was introduced for families with low incomes, and from a woman's pregnancy to the child's 17 years of age. Last year, more than 11 million people received this benefit.

We have greatly simplified the procedure for concluding a social contract. Large families also have priority here. Currently, an application for a social contract can be submitted through the Gosuslugi portal with a minimum set of documents. We will expand the availability of this measure. This will require additional money – somewhere in the region of 100 billion rubles, but they are provided for. In general, I will call these additional expenses, they are all worked out.

I want to repeat: the problem of poverty is still acute. Now it directly affects more than nine percent of the country's population, and among large families, according to experts, the poverty rate is about 30 percent. We need to set clear goals and consistently move towards achieving them: to ensure that by 2030 the poverty rate in Russia will be below seven percent, and among large families it will more than double, at least to 12 percent. In other words, we must put special emphasis on reducing poverty, especially for large families.

I understand that in general, the fight against poverty is not an easy task, it is absolutely systemic and multi-vector. Therefore, I repeat once again, it is important that all the measures that we take in this area, all the tools that we use, are effective and efficient, giving tangible, real results for people and for our families.

We need constant work aimed at improving the quality of life of families with children and supporting the birth rate. And for this purpose, we will launch a new national project, which is called "Family".

I will tell you about a number of specific initiatives right now.

First. In addition to federal programs, Russian regions are implementing their own measures to support families with children. First of all, I would like to thank my colleagues for this work and suggest that we additionally help the regions of the Russian Federation where the birth rate is lower than the national average. This is especially important for Central Russia and the north-west. In 2022, the total birth rate in 39 regions was lower than the national average. By the end of 2030, we will allocate at least 75 billion rubles to such regions so that they can increase their family support programs. Funds will start coming in next year.

Second. Last year, more than 110 million square meters of housing were built in Russia. This is one and a half times more than the highest Soviet indicator, which was achieved in 1987. Then 72.8 million square meters were built, and now – 110.

More importantly, over the past six years, millions of Russian families have improved their living conditions, including more than 900,000 with family mortgages. This program started in 2018, let me remind you. We constantly increased its availability: first, families with two or more children growing up could use it, then families with one child. The family mortgage program is valid until July of this year. I propose to extend it until 2030, while maintaining the basic parameters. Special attention should be paid to families with children up to and including six years of age. For them, the preferential loan rate will remain the same-six percent.

And more. Now, when the third child is born, the state repays part of the mortgage loan for the family – 450 thousand rubles. I also propose to extend the validity of such a norm until 2030. This year, almost 50 billion rubles will be needed for this, and then more and more on an increasing scale, but there is money for this.

In general, the task is to make housing under construction more affordable for families, so that the housing stock in the country is systematically updated.

The third. There are more than two million families in Russia with three or more children growing up. Such families are certainly our pride.

That's what I want to say. Look, these are real figures: from 2018 to 2022, the number of large families in Russia increased by 26.8 percent – a good indicator.

A decree has been signed that establishes a single status for large families throughout the country, which is what people have asked for. Its provisions need to be filled with concrete decisions at the federal and regional levels and, of course, follow people's requests.

In families where many children grow up, there are many worries, and parents should have more free funds to solve everyday problems. I propose to double the tax deduction for the second child to 2,800 rubles a month and up to six thousand rubles a month for the third and each subsequent child.

What does it mean? For example: a family with three children will save 1,300 rubles in their budget every month, while the amount of annual income covered by the deduction will also be increased from 350 to 450 thousand rubles. This support measure should be provided automatically, without submitting applications.

And separately about the maternity capital program. Now the family at the birth of the first child receives the right to payment in the amount of 630 thousand rubles, and at the birth of the second child-for another 202 thousand rubles. The amount of maternity capital is regularly indexed. The maternity capital program is valid until the beginning of 2026. I also propose to extend it at least until 2030. [The current dollar/ruble exchange rate is @1:90, so the 630,000 rubles noted above equals about $7,000.]

Dear colleagues!

I would like to express my gratitude to charitable foundations, social non-profit organizations that help elderly and sick people, and children with disabilities. And they have done a lot to raise the issue of long-term care at the state level, because they have always raised these issues.

I consider it necessary to increase funding for this system from the federal budget, bring it to a single high standard and ensure maximum accessibility for those who most need such assistance, which is about half a million of our citizens.

By 2030, it is absolutely necessary to ensure that 100% of the citizens who need long-term care will benefit and be provided with it.

Now the average life expectancy in Russia has exceeded 73 years. We are back to the level we were before the coronavirus pandemic. By 2030, life expectancy in Russia should reach at least 78 years, and in the future, as we planned, we will have to reach the level of "80 plus".

Special attention should be paid to rural areas and regions where life expectancy is still lower than the average in Russia. The national project "Long and active Life" will be aimed at solving these problems. At the same time, it is important that the duration of a healthy, active life increases, so that a person can devote his time to his family, relatives, children, and grandchildren.

We will continue federal projects to combat cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes.

In addition, I propose to launch a new comprehensive program to protect motherhood, preserve the health of children and adolescents, including reproductive health, so that children are born and grow up healthy, and in the future they will also have healthy children.

Among the priorities of such a program will be the expansion of the network of women's clinics, modernization of perinatal centers, children's clinics and hospitals. In total, over the next six years, we will allocate an additional more than a trillion rubles for the construction, repair and equipping of healthcare facilities alone.

Further. In recent years, we have significantly increased the number of citizens who regularly go in for sports. This is one of our significant achievements. We need to encourage people who are responsible for their health. Starting next year, we will provide tax deductions for all those who regularly undergo medical examinations on a planned basis, as well as successfully pass the TRP standards.

Do you remember the popular slogan? Everyone remembers this joke: "Stop drinking and get on your skis!" By the way, as for "drinking": here we have a noticeable, good result. In fact, without any extremism, we have significantly reduced the consumption of alcohol, and first of all, strong alcohol, and this, of course, affects the health of the nation.

I propose that at the expense of federal resources, at least 350 additional sports facilities should be built annually in the regions, primarily in small towns and rural areas. These are universal complexes, and pre-built playgrounds where children, adults, and entire families can practice. In addition, we will allocate about 65 billion rubles from the federal budget for these purposes over six years.

Conditions for sports should be provided in universities, colleges, schools and preschool institutions. By the way, many of our kindergartens were opened in Soviet times and need to be updated. Starting next year, we will start the program of their major repairs. People talk about it all the time.

As for schools, about 18.5 thousand buildings require major repairs. Until 2030, we will help the regions to completely close this accumulated problem, and in the future we will carry out repairs to schools as planned. What has been done so far shows that we are on the right track. In general, we will allocate an additional 400 billion rubles for major repairs of kindergartens and schools.

In addition, I suggest that in the next six years we upgrade or open medical offices in schools where there is such a need, and there is such a need. Because now, in 2022-2023, out of 39 thousand schools – 39,440 schools in our country – only 65 percent have medical offices. There is a lot to work on.

Another very important topic. Today, many large cities are actively growing. At the same time, the burden on the social sphere is also increasing. The number of students who study in the second shift is increasing, and in some schools even the third shift is being introduced. Of course, this is a problem that also needs to be addressed. In those cities where the issue of overcrowding of educational institutions is most acute, we will have to solve this problem again at the expense of the federal budget, at the expense of federal resources: we will build an additional total of at least 150 schools and more than 100 kindergartens.

Dear colleagues!

The dreams and achievements of our ancestors and older generations have become achievable, and we are proud of these achievements. The future of the country will be determined by the aspirations of the current, younger generation. Its formation, its success, and its vital landmarks, which will pass any test of strength – are the most important guarantee and guarantee of Russia's sovereignty, and the continuation of our history.

I propose to consolidate the positive experience in the field of youth policy and launch a new national project – "Youth of Russia" - this year. It should be a project about the future and for the future of our country. This is how our school teachers understand their vocation, their high mission and responsibility for the younger generations. Thank you very much for your selfless work.

Mentors play a great role in making the children feel like a united team and gain a foothold in life. From September 1, 2024, I propose to introduce a federal payment of five thousand rubles a month for all advisers to directors of education in schools and colleges, which was not previously the case. And I propose separate solutions for school classroom teachers and curators of groups in colleges and technical schools that work in those localities that need special attention, namely those localities where less than 100 thousand people live, and these are, in fact, all our small cities, regional centers, towns and villages. So, starting from March 1, 2024, I propose to double the federal payment for classroom guidance and group supervision to 10 thousand rubles for such specialists.

What else would you like to add? In 2018, May decrees established requirements for remuneration of teachers and other public sector employees based on the average monthly income from work in a particular subject of the Federation. These provisions of the so-called May decrees must continue to be strictly implemented. At the same time, it is necessary to improve the system of remuneration in the public sector, to achieve an increase in the income of specialists employed here.

The level of average salaries in the economy varies in the regions, which means that the incomes of public sector employees, even in neighboring regions of the Federation, sometimes differ markedly. At the same time, the work of a teacher or doctor is equally difficult and extremely responsible everywhere. Such a large spread in salaries from region to region is unfair, of course.

I understand that the problem is long-standing, very complex, capital-intensive, so to speak. We also discussed it with colleagues from federal agencies, regional leaders, teachers, doctors, and other specialists. Of course, it needs to be solved.

I won't go into the details right now, but it's really complicated. Both deputies and members of the Government understand what I'm talking about. I simply ask the Government to work out a new model of remuneration for state employees in 2025 as part of pilot projects in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, and in 2026 to make a final decision for the entire country.

A separate issue is creating additional motivation for young professionals to come to work at the school and see here a prospect for professional and career growth. At the same time, we will allocate more than 9 billion rubles from the federal budget to upgrade the infrastructure of pedagogical universities.

Our school education has always been famous for innovators and unique author's methods. It is these teacher teams that will have to take part in the creation of promising schools. Construction of the first leadership-level educational schools will begin this year in the Ryazan, Pskov, Belgorod, Nizhny Novgorod and Novgorod regions. In the future, they will appear in all federal districts: in the Far East, Siberia, and the Donbas. In total, we will open 12 such schools by 2030.

Now about the content of education. The learning load for children should be reasonable and balanced. And of course, it is clearly not in the best interests of the business when they teach one thing in class and ask another in exams. Such a discrepancy, to put it mildly, between school programs and exam questions–-and this happens, unfortunately—forces parents to hire tutors, and not everyone can afford it. I ask my colleagues from the Government, together with the pedagogical and parent communities, to deal with this problem, as it is obvious.

In this regard, about the unified state exam. It still causes a wide public discussion and controversy, as we all know very well. Indeed, the use mechanism should be improved.

What do I suggest at this stage? I propose to take another step in this direction – to give graduates, as they say, a second chance, namely: at the choice of the student himself, give him the opportunity to retake the Unified State Exam in one of the subjects, and do this before the end of the admission campaign to universities in order to have time to submit documents already taking into account the retake. Such everyday things, but they are important for people.

Dear colleagues!

Last year, Russia's economy grew faster than the world's. According to this indicator, we are ahead of not only the leading countries of the European Union, but also all the countries of the so-called Big Seven. But what should I mention in this regard? I want to mention this. A huge role in this was played by the fundamental safety margin that has been made over the past decades.

Today, the share of non-primary industries in the growth structure confidently exceeds 90 percent, which means that the economy is becoming more complex, technologically advanced, and therefore much more stable. Today, Russia is the largest economy in Europe in terms of gross domestic product and purchasing power parity, and the fifth largest in the world.

The pace and, most importantly, the quality of growth allow us to hope and even assert that in the near future we will be able to take another step forward: we will become one of the four largest economic powers in the world. This development should be directly converted into an increase in the income of our citizens ' families.

In the next six years, the share of wages in the country's GDP should increase. We index the minimum wage ahead of inflation and the growth rate of the average wage in the economy. Starting from 2020, the minimum wage has increased by one and a half times – from 12 to 19 thousand rubles per month. By 2030, the minimum wage should increase almost twice more-to 35 thousand, which, of course, will affect the amount of social benefits, salaries in the public sector and in the sectors of the economy.

At the same time, we understand what risks and factors can lead to a slowdown in economic growth and our overall development. This is primarily the lack of qualified personnel and our own advanced technologies – their absence in some areas. We need to be proactive here, so today I will focus in detail on these two strategically important topics.

I'll start with the personnel base. A large young generation is growing up in Russia. Oddly enough, there are demographic problems with population growth, and a large young generation is taking place. In 2030, the country will have 8.3 million citizens aged 20 to 24, and in 2035 – 9.7 million, 2.4 million more than now. And this, of course, is also the result of demographic measures taken in previous years.

It is important for us that these young people, today's teenagers, become professionals in their field, ready to work in the economy of the 21st century. We will direct the new national project "Cadres" to this end.

Of course, we talk about this a lot, but we need to actually strengthen the link between all levels of education from school to university. They should work in a single logic, for a common result. Of course, the participation of future employers is important here. Since the current academic year, a career guidance system has been deployed in all schools in the country. Children starting from the 6th grade can get acquainted with different specialties.

I am now appealing to the heads of enterprises, scientific and medical centers: please invite schoolchildren to visit, let the children see the workshops, as I was offered during one of my trips, museums, laboratories. Please be sure to get involved in this work.

Based on the principles of close cooperation between education and real sector enterprises, we are implementing the "Professionalitet" project. It made it possible to update educational programs for aircraft and shipbuilding, pharmaceuticals, electronics, defense and other industries.

About a million specialists of working professions will have to be trained for these areas by 2028. We should extend such approaches to the entire system of secondary vocational education, including training personnel for schools, hospitals, clinics, services, tourism, cultural institutions, and creative industries.

Separately, I instruct the Government, together with the regions, to implement a program for repairing and equipping secondary vocational education institutions. It is necessary to put in order not only educational buildings, but also sports facilities, dormitories of technical schools and colleges. Over six years, we will allocate 120 billion rubles from the federal budget for this purpose.

We will also allocate an additional 124 billion rubles, and in the next six years we will carry out major repairs of about 800 dormitories of higher education institutions and universities.

Now let's talk about higher education in general. The goal is to develop science and education centers all over the country. To do this, we will build 25 university campuses by 2030. We have already discussed this, but now I think it is necessary to say it again: I propose to expand this program and build at least 40 such campuses in total.

We will have to allocate about 400 billion rubles from the federal budget for this purpose, of course, providing for all conditions on campuses so that students, postgraduates, teachers, and young families can study, work, and raise children.

In general, it is necessary to sort out literally all the life situations that young mothers and young parents face, and adjust the work of the public services system, the social sphere, healthcare, urban and rural infrastructure with this in mind. I ask the Government and the regions to carefully study all these issues.

Further. In my Address last year, I announced significant changes in the organization of higher education, and the need to use the best domestic experience here. The professional foundations of the future specialist are laid in the first courses, where fundamental disciplines are taught. I consider it necessary to increase the level of remuneration for teachers of such subjects. I ask the Government to propose specific parameters for this solution and start implementing them in a pilot mode as early as September 1.

Additional resources will be required: according to preliminary estimates, this year – about 1.5 billion, then-4.5 billion. This money has also been calculated.

It is important for us to increase the potential and quality of the entire higher education system, to support universities that strive for development. This is the goal of our Priority 2030 program. Its funding is calculated until the end of this year. Of course, I propose to extend it for another six years and allocate an additional 190 billion rubles.

Criteria for the effectiveness of participating universities should include personnel and technology projects with regions, economic and social sectors, the creation of real-world innovative companies and startups, and the attraction of foreign students. Of course, we will evaluate the work of all Russian universities, colleges, and technical schools based on how popular their graduates are and how their salaries are growing.

Dear friends!

Now a few words about the technological base of development. Here, the foundation of the basics is science, of course. At a meeting with scientists and employees of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which celebrated its 300th anniversary this year, I said that even in the most difficult periods, Russia has never given up solving problems of a fundamental nature, it has always thought about the future, and we must do the same now. As a matter of fact, that's what we're trying to do.

For example, no other country in the world has such a range of mega-science research facilities as Russia has today. These are unique opportunities both for our scientists and for our partners, researchers from other countries, whom we invite to cooperate.

The domestic scientific infrastructure is our strong competitive advantage both in the field of basic science, and in creating groundwork for pharmaceuticals, biology, medicine, microelectronics, the chemical industry and the production of new materials, as well as for the development of space programs.

I believe that we should more than double the total investment of the state and business in research and development, increase their share to two percent of GDP by 2030, and by this indicator become one of the world's leading scientific powers.

I would like to repeat once again: at the same time, private business investment in science should also increase significantly – by at least half by 2030. Of course, the main thing is the efficiency of such investments. We are talking about achieving a specific scientific result in each specific case. Here we need to use the positive experience of our federal research programs in genetics, agriculture, and projects of the Russian Science Foundation.

Taking into account the current challenges and future challenges, we have adjusted the Strategy of Scientific and Technological Development of Russia. In its logic, we are also launching new national projects of technological sovereignty. I will name their main directions.

First. We need to be independent, have all the technological keys in such sensitive areas as saving citizens' health and food security.

Second. It is necessary to achieve technological sovereignty in cross-cutting areas that ensure the sustainability of the entire country's economy. These are production facilities and machine tools, robotics, all types of transport, unmanned aircraft, marine and other systems, data economy, new materials and chemistry.

The third. We must create globally competitive products based on unique domestic developments, including in the field of space, nuclear and new energy technologies. It is already necessary to create a legal environment for the development of industries and markets of the future, to form a long-term order for high-tech products, at least until the end of this decade, so that companies understand what rules they should work under.

It is also necessary to establish internal cooperation chains and international technological platforms, launch mass production of our own equipment and components, and focus geological exploration on finding rare earth materials and other raw materials for the new economy. We have it all.

I would like to emphasize that we are talking about our strategic reserve for the future, so we will set up all the development tools and mechanisms available to us to solve these problems, and we will ensure priority budget financing. I ask the Government and the Federal Assembly to take this into account when preparing the budget. I always ask you to see this as a top priority.

Projects of technological sovereignty should become the engine for the renewal of our industry, help the entire economy to reach the advanced level of efficiency and competitiveness. I propose to set a goal here: the share of domestic high-tech goods and services in the domestic market should increase by one and a half times over the next six years, and the volume of non – primary, non-energy exports should increase by at least two-thirds.

Here are a few more figures. In 1999, our share of imports reached 26 percent of GDP – we imported almost 30 percent of everything from abroad. Last year, it was already 19 percent of GDP, or 32 trillion rubles. And in the period up to 2030, we need to reach the level of imports of no more than 17 percent of GDP.

This means that we must produce much more consumer goods and other goods ourselves: medicines, equipment, machine tools, vehicles, and so on. All of us can't-we don't need to strive to produce everything. But the government knows what needs to be worked on.

I would like to emphasize that taking into account the demographic challenges that we are facing, the high demand, and, to put it bluntly, the shortage of personnel, it is critically important for us to radically increase labor productivity – this is one of the key tasks.

This means the introduction of digital technologies in management, the growth of energy-and resource-efficient economic proposals and the implementation of such proposals, end-to-end modernization of industrial capacities, their robotization and automation. By 2030, Russia should be among the top 25 countries in the world in terms of the number of industrial robots. You know, if you keep in mind what we have today, it will be a good result.

We will continue to create special industry competence centers where the best practices of lean manufacturing in the economy and social sphere will be generalized and replicated. By 2030, at least 40 percent of medium-sized and large enterprises in the basic and raw material sectors of the economy, as well as all social institutions, should be covered by projects to increase labor productivity. This is a common, huge, but very important work.

In addition, advanced engineering schools that are created on the basis of higher education institutions should be aimed at increasing the efficiency and re-equipment of production facilities. Our goal was to create 50 such schools. 30 of them have already been created, and we are launching another 20 this year.

I propose to expand this program to 50 more engineering schools. In other words, a total of 100 such centers will train highly qualified specialists and offer original technical solutions in various fields: industry, agriculture, construction, transport, and the social sphere.

Of course, it is always necessary to use artificial intelligence in each of these areas – we should strive for this. It is also necessary to modernize the network of scientific and technical libraries in universities and scientific organizations, to make them real digital centers of knowledge and information. We will also allocate an additional 9 billion rubles for this purpose.

Dear colleagues!

In recent years, hundreds of new plants, factories and production facilities have opened in Russia. They open, they open, we are already used to it. This is a current job. But among them are such industrial giants as the Udokan mining and metallurgical Combine in Transbaikalia, the Taishet Aluminum Plant in the Irkutsk Region, the Murmansk Center for the construction of large-capacity offshore structures, and ZapSibNeftekhim in the Tyumen region. This list, of course, can be continued.

Please note that in the next six years, the level of gross value added of the Russian manufacturing industry should increase by at least 40 percent compared to 2022. Such accelerated industrial development means the creation of thousands of new industries, modern, well-paid jobs.

We have already created a kind of industrial "menu". Companies implementing industrial projects can choose the best support measures, agreements on the protection and promotion of investments, special investment contracts, a cluster investment platform, and so on. Quite a lot of tools have been invented and applied. We will definitely develop all these mechanisms.

So, over six years, we will allocate an additional 120 billion rubles for subsidies to companies for R & D, as well as for the expansion of industrial mortgages. And through this program, we will additionally build and modernize more than 10 million square meters of production space. I just want to note for comparison. By the way, a plus to the pace that we have already gained.

Here's a comparison. Today, about four million square meters of production space are built annually in Russia. This is a significant indicator of the renewal of our industrial potential, and we will make an additional 10 million, as I said.

Further. We will add 300 billion rubles to the Industrial Development Fund. We will increase its capital almost twice and focus it on supporting high-tech projects. We will additionally allocate at least 200 billion rubles within the framework of the cluster investment platform to subsidize interest rates for projects for the production of priority industrial products. To encourage the renewal of production capacities of manufacturing enterprises, I suggest that they increase the base for calculating depreciation. It will account for 200 percent of the cost of Russian equipment and R & D. It's kind of a boring substance, but I'll explain what it's all about. If a company buys domestic machines for 10 million rubles, it will be able to reduce the tax base by 20 million rubles. This is serious support.

We will continue to develop industrial technology parks with an emphasis on placing small and medium-sized businesses in line with our technological priorities. Here it is important to use the advantages of the cluster approach, when companies grow together with their subcontractors and suppliers, and their cooperation gives a mutually beneficial effect for everyone. I would like to draw the Government's attention to: at least 100 more such sites need to be created by 2030. They should form growth points throughout the country and encourage investment.

We set a goal: by 2030, the volume of investment in key industries should increase by 70 percent. By the way, we have good dynamics here. I want to say even very good. Good.

The cumulative investment growth rate in 2021 was 8.6 percent, while the plan was 4.5. In 2022-15.9 percent, while the plan was 9.5. And in the first nine months of last year, with the plan for the year 15.1 percent, the increase was 26.6 percent. We must continue to move at a faster pace.

Our banking system and stock market should fully ensure the inflow of capital to the economy and its real sector, including through the mechanisms of project and equity financing. In the next two years, industrial projects with investments of more than 200 billion rubles will be supported using equity funds. The meaning of such a mechanism is that the Development Corporation " VEB.Russian Federation " with the participation of commercial banks is included in the capital of high-tech companies, provides assistance in the phase of their active growth.

I have already given instructions to launch a special regime of initial public offerings of shares of companies that work in priority high-tech areas. I would like to draw the attention of my colleagues both in the Ministry of Finance and in the Central Bank: we need to speed up the launch of this mechanism, including compensation for the costs of placing securities. You need to do it eventually.

I repeat: the Russian stock market needs to strengthen its role as a source of investment. By 2030, its capitalization should double from the current level and reach 66 percent of GDP. At the same time, it is important that citizens have the opportunity to reliably invest their savings in the development of the country and receive additional income at the same time.

A decision has already been made: voluntary savings in non-state pension funds in the amount of up to two million eight hundred thousand rubles will be insured by the state, that is, their return is guaranteed.

In addition, long-term individual and investment accounts worth up to RUB 1.4 million will be insured. We will extend a single tax deduction to citizens ' investments in long-term financial instruments in the amount of up to 400 thousand rubles a year.

At the same time, I consider it necessary to launch a new tool – the so-called savings certificate. Citizens will be able to place their savings in banks for a long time – more than three years. The certificate will be irrevocable, which means that banks will be able to offer customers a higher profitable interest income. Of course, these funds of citizens will also be insured by the state in the amount of up to 2.8 million rubles, that is, twice as much as for ordinary deposits in banks.

I would like to emphasize that all measures of state support for investment, the creation and modernization of enterprises should be linked to increasing employee salaries, improving working conditions and social packages for employees.

Of course, there is a fundamental requirement: a domestic business must operate in the Russian jurisdiction, not withdraw funds abroad, where, as it turned out, you can lose everything. And now we meet with our business colleagues and think about how we can help them get something out of there. We don't need to take them there, and then we won't have to decide how to get them back.

We need to invest resources in Russia, in the regions, in the development of companies, in training personnel. The most reliable protection of the assets and capital of Russian business is our strong, sovereign country.

The absolute majority of entrepreneurs are on domestic, patriotic positions. And businesses that operate here in Russia should have guarantees of inviolability of their property, assets, and new investments. Investment here and protection of investments, protection of the rights of entrepreneurs are interrelated, of course, and we must ensure this. This is in the interests of the state, society as a whole, and millions of people who work in private businesses, large, medium, and small.

I have always said and I will say it again: no one—not even the authorities or law enforcement officers—is allowed to harass people, break the law or use it for selfish purposes. We need to help people, including those from the business community—and I'm talking about them now–-to help them. They create jobs, provide jobs, and pay salaries to people. This is the vocation of the authorities—to help.

Dear colleagues!

Small and medium-sized businesses are making an increasingly significant contribution to economic growth. Today, its share in such industries as manufacturing, tourism, and IT exceeds 21 percent. Hundreds of new domestic brands have made a strong statement. Last year, one million 200 thousand new companies in the field of small and medium-sized businesses were registered in Russia.

Please note: this is the highest figure in the last five years. People want to start their own business, believe in themselves, in their country and in their success. I would like to emphasize that the number of young entrepreneurs under the age of 25 has increased by 20 percent in 2023. Today there are more than 240 thousand of them.

This creative energy must be sustained so that the average income per employee employed in small and medium-sized businesses will grow faster than the GDP growth rate in the next six years. In other words, the efficiency of such a business and its quality indicators should increase.

I have already said that there should not be a situation where it is actually unprofitable for companies to gain momentum, because tax payments during the transition from a simplified to a general tax regime increase sharply. It turns out that the state is pushing businesses to split up – to other ways of so-called optimization of the fiscal burden.

I ask the Government, together with parliamentarians, to work out the parameters of an amnesty for small companies that were forced to use tax optimization schemes during the actual growth of their business.

What is important here? Such companies should, of course, abandon the artificial, in fact pretended, fragmentation of business--go to normal, civilized work "in white". At the same time, I would like to emphasize that there will be no fines, penalties, or recalculation of taxes for previous periods. This is the point of the amnesty.

In addition, I instruct the Government to provide for a smooth, rather than abrupt, increase in the tax burden for companies that switch from the simplified tax system to the general taxation procedure starting next year.

Further. We decided on such a solution as temporary moratoriums on inspections. This measure has fully justified itself. Companies that guarantee high quality of goods and services and are responsible to consumers can and should be trusted.

Therefore, I consider it possible to abandon temporary moratoriums on business inspections from January 1, 2025, and instead, taking into account the accumulated experience, completely switch to a risk-oriented approach, fixing it in law. Where there are no risks, preventive measures should be applied and, thus, the number of inspections should be minimized.

And also: I propose to grant small businesses a special right - once every five years to take credit holidays for up to six months without deterioration of the credit history.

I repeat: we need to create all the conditions for small and medium-sized companies to develop dynamically, and the quality of this growth is improved due to high-tech areas of the production business. In general, the tax regime for small and medium-sized industrial enterprises should be relaxed.

I ask the Government to submit specific proposals in this regard. We've talked about this many times. Please, the suggestions have already matured, in fact.

I would like to highlight the work of small and medium-sized businesses in rural areas and in the agro-industrial complex. Now we are not only fully providing ourselves with food. Russia is a leader in the global wheat market. We are one of the top twenty food exporting countries. I would like to thank the agricultural workers, farmers, and specialists working in agriculture in general for your impressive results.

By 2030, the volume of production of the Russian agro-industrial complex should still grow by at least a quarter compared to 2021, and exports should increase by one and a half times. We will definitely continue to support the industry, as well as the program of integrated rural development, including the renovation and modernization of post offices.

We use a special solution for the development of coastal regions. Let me remind you: we have a "keel quota" rule. It must be strictly implemented. The point, as some of those present here know, is that companies receive quotas for the extraction of seafood under the obligation to purchase new Russian-made fishing vessels and update the fleet.

At the same time, this year the federal budget received substantial money from the sale of quotas for seafood – about 200 billion rubles. Anton Germanovich [Siluanov] is here, we have agreed with him--I propose that some of these funds should be directed specifically to the social development of municipalities that are the base of our fishing industry.

Dear colleagues!

In modern conditions, improving the efficiency of all areas of labor productivity is inextricably linked with digitalization, using artificial intelligence technologies--I have already mentioned this. Such solutions make it possible to create digital platforms that allow us to optimally build interaction between citizens, businesses and the state.

So, it is necessary to create a platform that will help the citizen to maintain and maintain health throughout life, to use the potential of the entire health care system. For example, based on the digital profile data, they can get a remote opinion from a specialist of the federal medical center, and a doctor or family doctor can assess the complete picture of a person's health, predict the occurrence of diseases, prevent complications, and choose individual and therefore the most effective treatment tactics.

All I'm talking about is not some speculation about the distant future. Such practices are already being implemented in the work of leading medical centers. The goal is to distribute them all over the country, make them mass-produced and accessible.

I believe that by 2030 we need to create digital platforms in all key sectors of the economy and social sphere. These and other complex tasks will be solved within the framework of the new national project "Data Economy". We will allocate at least 700 billion rubles for its implementation in the next six years.

For the state, such technologies and integrated platforms open up huge opportunities for planning and developing the economy of individual industries, regions and cities, for effective management of our programs and national projects. The main thing is that we will be able to continue building the work of all levels of government around the interests of each individual and each family, and provide state and municipal services to citizens and businesses proactively, in a convenient format, with the fastest possible result.

By the way, Russia is already one of the world leaders in the introduction of public services in electronic form. Many countries, including European ones, have yet to reach our level. But we certainly should not and are not going to stand still.

Artificial intelligence algorithms are an important element of digital platforms. Here, too, we must be self-sufficient and competitive. A decree has already been signed approving the updated version of the National Strategy for the Development of Artificial Intelligence. It sets new goals, including ensuring technological sovereignty in such revolutionary areas as generative artificial intelligence and large language models. Their implementation promises a real breakthrough in the economy and social sphere, and it should be a real breakthrough. To do this, we need to increase our computing resources. So, by 2030, the total capacity of domestic supercomputers should be increased at least 10 times. This is an absolutely realistic task.

In general, it is necessary to develop the entire infrastructure of the data economy. I ask the Government to propose specific measures to support companies and startups that produce equipment for data storage and processing, as well as create software. It is necessary that the growth rate of investment in domestic IT solutions is at least twice the growth rate of the economy. Conditions for using digital systems should be created not only in megacities, but also in small towns, in rural areas and in remote areas, along federal and regional highways, and along local roads. To do this, it is necessary to provide access to high-speed Internet in almost the entire territory of Russia within the next decade. We will solve this problem, among other things, by multiplying our satellite constellation and allocating 116 billion rubles for its development.

Dear colleagues!

Now I would like to focus on regional development issues separately. What is offered? First of all, it is necessary to reduce the debt burden of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. I consider it necessary to write off two-thirds of the regions ' debt on budget loans. It is estimated that this will allow them to save about 200 billion rubles annually from 2025 to 2028.

I would like to draw your attention to the fact that these savings should be "colored" and targeted by the regions to support investment and infrastructure projects. Dear colleagues, I would like to draw your attention to this.

Further. In 2021, we launched a program of infrastructure budget loans in the amount of 500 billion rubles, then expanded it to one trillion. Let me remind you that such loans are provided to the region at three percent per annum for a period of up to 15 years. A great tool for development. These funds are allocated for development projects, and the regions note the high efficiency of such a mechanism. These loans are not written off, but this year the constituent entities of the Russian Federation will begin to repay these debts. I propose that the funds that are returned to the federal budget should be re-invested in the development of regions, directed to the issuance of new infrastructure budget loans, and in general, starting from 2025, we will increase the portfolio of infrastructure loans to the constituent entities of the Federation by at least 250 billion rubles annually.

I also believe that the regions should be given more opportunities to manage funds within the framework of achieving the goals of national projects.

I'll give you a concrete example. The subject of the Federation is modernizing, say, a polyclinic, and has carried out high-quality repairs. If there are still funds left, they can not be returned to the federal budget, but sent, for example, to purchase equipment for a renovated polyclinic, and so on.

And of course, we will support those regions of the Russian Federation that have potential for development, but we need to help them open it, launch projects in the real sector of the economy and infrastructure that will become drivers in these territories.

Currently, 10 regions of the Federation with low budget security are implementing individual social and economic development programs. I ask the Government to extend these programs for another six years.

By 2030, all our regions should become more economically self-sufficient. I repeat, this is a matter of justice, equal conditions for the self-realization of citizens and high standards of living throughout the country.

Dear colleagues!

As you can see, the plans are big, and so are the costs. Large-scale investments are expected in the social sphere, demography, economy, science, technology, and infrastructure.

In this regard, I would like to mention the tax system. Of course, it should provide resources for solving national problems, as well as for implementing regional programs; it should reduce inequality, not only in society, but also in the socio-economic development of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation; and it should take into account the level of income of citizens and companies.

I suggest that we think through approaches to modernizing our fiscal system and distributing the tax burden more fairly to those with higher personal and corporate incomes.

On the contrary, we need to reduce the tax burden on families, including through deductions, which I have already mentioned today. Encourage businesses that invest in development, infrastructure and social projects. At the same time, it is necessary, of course, to close all sorts of loopholes that are used by some companies to avoid taxes or understate their tax payments. I ask the State Duma and the Government to submit a concrete set of proposals in this regard in the near future. And in the future, taking into account the adopted changes, I propose to fix the main tax parameters until 2030 and thus ensure stable and predictable conditions for the implementation of any investment projects, including long-term ones. This is exactly what the business asks for in the course of our direct contacts.

Dear colleagues!

Decisions in the sphere of financial support for regions, economic growth, should work to improve the quality of life of people, and in all regions of the Federation. We have already extended until 2030 special programs for the development of such regions as the North Caucasus and Kaliningrad region, Donbass and Novorossiya, Crimea and Sevastopol, the Arctic and the Far East. Master development plans have been prepared for 22 Far Eastern cities and agglomerations, and the same work is underway for localities in the Arctic.

Now we have to take the next step. I propose to define a list of more than 200 large and small cities. A master plan should be developed and implemented for each of them, and in general, the development program should cover about two thousand localities, including villages and towns. Here, too, the decisions to support the constituent entities of the Russian Federation that I mentioned today, including infrastructure loans, should work.

I would like to address the heads of regions. These resources should also be used to expand the capacity of municipalities. Yes, I remember meeting with the heads of some municipalities at their forum here in Moscow. Local authorities have a special role and responsibility. This is where people and citizens go with their daily needs. I would like to thank our mayors, district heads, and deputies for their hard work and attention to people's needs. I would also like to mention the municipal employees who work in the immediate vicinity of the war zone and share all the challenges with their fellow countrymen.

Co-authors of development plans for cities and towns should be their residents. It is necessary to actively use mechanisms when citizens themselves determine which objects and problems should be allocated money first. I propose to increase co-financing of such, in fact, popular projects from the federal and regional budgets.

We will also extend the All-Russian competition of the best projects for creating a comfortable urban environment in small towns and historical settlements until 2030.

In general, we will improve more than 30 thousand public spaces in Russia in six years. I also ask the Government to provide additional support to the regions that are reconstructing embankments, parks, squares and historical centers of cities. We will allocate 360 billion rubles for landscaping and major projects in this area.

Ancient buildings, manors, temples are the visible embodiment of our national identity, the indissoluble connection of generations. I ask the Government, parliamentarians, and relevant State Council commissions with public participation, of course, to analyze the regulatory framework for the protection and use of cultural heritage sites. It is necessary to eliminate obviously excessive, contradictory requirements, because of which sometimes the monument is destroyed in front of our eyes, and formally, according to the law, it is impossible to take prompt measures to save it.

I propose to form a long-term program for preserving the cultural heritage of Russia. I expect that we will accept it for 20 years. It is necessary to provide for measures to support citizens, companies, and public associations that are willing to invest their labor, time, and money in the restoration of monuments.

We will test such mechanisms this year in a pilot project of the DOM.RF Development Institute. Five regions will take part in it: Transbaikalia, Novgorod, Ryazan, Smolensk and Tver regions. And by 2030, at least a thousand cultural heritage sites across the country should be put in order, given a second life, so that they serve people and adorn our cities and villages.

We will definitely continue our fundamental cultural projects and keep their funding. We will update the infrastructure of museums, theaters, libraries, clubs, art schools, and movie theaters. Over the next six years, we will additionally allocate more than 100 billion rubles for educational, historical and other popular creative projects in the cinema, on the Internet, and in social networks.

I also suggest expanding the Pushkinskaya Karta program, which allows students and young people to visit movies, museums, theaters and exhibitions for free, and gives cultural institutions an incentive to develop and launch new projects, including those involving businesses. I ask the Government to prepare its additional proposals.

In addition, by analogy with the programs "Zemsky teacher" and "Zemsky Doctor", we will launch the program "Zemsky Cultural Worker" from 2025. People talk about it all the time in meetings. A specialist who moves to work in a village or small town will be able to receive a one-time payment of one million rubles, and in the Far East, in the Donbass and Novorossiya, this amount will be twice as high – two million rubles.

Another additional decision that needs to be finalized and adopted is that I ask the Government to provide special conditions for family mortgages specifically for small towns, as well as for those regions where new apartment buildings are being built in a small volume or do not exist at all. It is necessary to do this as quickly as possible, to resolve the issue of key parameters, including the amount of the initial payment and the loan rate. I ask you to keep this in mind, and I will be waiting for your suggestions.

Further. We will also continue special mortgage programs at a rate of two percent for residents of the Far East and the Arctic, the Donbass and Novorossiya. Participants and veterans of the special military operation will be able to get a loan on the same preferential terms in these regions.

Separately, we will support projects for the integrated development of territories for construction, the construction of residential blocks with all the infrastructure in regions with an insufficient level of socio-economic development, where many of our usual proposals do not work. For these territories, we will allocate an additional 120 billion rubles for these purposes.

In this regard, the next system task. With federal support, many regions have significantly increased the rate of resettlement of dilapidated housing. In total, over the past 16 years, one million 730 thousand people have moved into new apartments. In the next six years, it is important not to reduce this dynamic. I ask the Government to prepare and launch a new program for resettling dilapidated housing.

As for housing and utilities systems, we will increase the pace of modernization of municipal infrastructure. A total of 4.5 trillion rubles, including private companies, will be allocated for this purpose by 2030.

We will continue to implement our Clean Water project. For many of our cities and rural settlements, this problem is extremely relevant. First of all, we are talking about a reliable supply of high-quality drinking water.

A separate topic is gasification. There are plans to provide this eco-friendly fuel to the cities and districts of Yakutia, Buryatia, Khabarovsk, Primorsky, Zabaikalsky Territories, Murmansk and Amur regions, the Jewish Autonomous Region, Karelia, and such a large Russian city as Krasnoyarsk. We also use LNG to gasify the Kamchatka Territory and some other regions.

Naturally, this will provide an opportunity to expand the social gasification program. Thanks to it, gas has already been supplied free of charge to the borders of one million one hundred thousand land plots. Applications are still being accepted, and we are helping privileged categories of citizens, including families of participants in a special military operation, with the implementation of gas utilities inside the site.

What would you like to say now? Horticultural associations are located within the borders of many localities that have already received grid gas. People have been tending their land plots for years, sometimes from generation to generation, and now they are building houses there where they can live all year round, but they cannot connect to the networks, because garden associations are not included in the social gasification program.

The problem affects millions of families! Of course, it needs to be solved, and it needs to be solved in the interests of our citizens, namely: to expand the social gasification program and continue the network to the borders of plots with the house of horticultural associations.

Residents of remote northern and Far Eastern territories, where there will be no network gas supply in the coming years, will also receive support. Today, they heat their homes with coal or wood. Now, with the help of subsidies from the state, they will be able to purchase modern eco-friendly equipment, and domestic production. First of all, the most needy families should receive support. We will also allocate an additional 32 billion rubles for this purpose.

Taking into account modern environmental standards, we will develop public transport and reduce its age. By 2030, the regions of the Russian Federation will additionally receive about 40 thousand buses, trolleybuses, trams, and electric buses. In addition, we will provide 150 billion rubles from the federal budget for this program of public transport renewal.

We will also renew the fleet of school buses at a rate of at least three thousand cars a year, which is especially important for small towns and rural areas. This is what residents, heads of municipalities and regions say. A very important program indeed. Therefore, we will allocate an additional 66 billion rubles for the purchase of school buses. And of course, it should be equipment produced in Russia, either in full or with a high degree of localization.

As you know, the Clean Air project has managed to reduce harmful air emissions in 12 industrial centers of Russia. Since last year, 29 more cities have joined the project. In the whole country, the volume of harmful emissions into the atmosphere should be halved. We will move towards this goal in stages. To evaluate the results, we will create a comprehensive environmental quality monitoring system.

Over the past five years, thousands of kilometers of rivers and banks have been cleared, and dirty runoff to the Volga has been reduced by almost half. Now I propose to set a goal-to halve the pollution of Russia's main water bodies.

Over the past five years, 128 large landfills in cities and 80 objects of accumulated environmental damage have been eliminated, which literally poisoned people's lives in 53 regions of Russia. The territories of the Krasny Bor landfill, the Baikal Pulp and Paper mill and the Usolye-Sibirsky landfill have been brought to a safe state.

What would you like to emphasize in this regard, dear colleagues? Only the most urgent measures have been carried out at these facilities so far, but this is not all. Leave them in such a state as now, too, in no case can not be. We need to complete this work and create all the necessary infrastructure here.

In general, we will continue to eliminate the most dangerous objects of accumulated environmental damage throughout Russia. In the next six years, at least 50 such points of high environmental risk should be eliminated.

We need to create incentives for businesses and introduce "green" technologies, and switch to a closed-loop economy. Moreover, we have, in fact, created a modern waste management industry from scratch. 250 enterprises have been built for their processing and disposal. The goal by 2030 is to sort everything that needs to be sorted, all solid waste, and reuse at least a quarter of it. We will allocate additional financial resources for such projects, build about 400 more waste management facilities and eight eco-industrial parks together with businesses.

What else can I say? During meetings with citizens in the Far East, Siberia, and other regions, the topic of saving our forest resources was repeatedly raised, as well as the need to restore order with illegal logging and forest protection. This topic really has a huge public response. It is important for almost every person, we are here, as they say, the whole world is joining forces, and the situation is gradually changing.

A very important milestone: starting in 2021, more forests are being restored in Russia than are being cut down. I would like to thank for this result the volunteers, schoolchildren, students, all citizens who planted trees, participated in environmental actions, and, of course, business representatives for supporting such projects. We will definitely continue to restore forests, parks, and gardens, including around agglomerations and industrial centers.

As a separate solution, I propose to raise the salaries of specialists who work in forestry, meteorology, and environmental protection, i.e. they deal with the most important issues of environmental well-being. I must honestly say that the issues they solve are very important, and their income is very modest.

To support civil initiatives in the field of environmental protection, I consider it necessary to establish a fund for environmental and environmental protection projects. To begin with, the total amount of its grants will amount to one billion rubles a year.

Work will continue on the conservation of specially protected natural areas, protection and restoration of rare and endangered plant and animal species. In this regard, I suggest that we consider opening a network of rehabilitation centers for injured and confiscated wild animals.

By 2030, we will create an eco-tourism infrastructure in all national parks of the country, including eco-trails and hiking trails, including weekend routes for schoolchildren, recreation areas, museums and business centers.

Modern, safe infrastructure will also appear near water bodies, including on Lake Baikal. A year-round resort will open here until 2030. At the same time, I consider it important to strictly adhere to the principle of "zero pollution", that is, the complete absence of waste and untreated wastewater into the lake. The construction of the Baikal resort will be part of a major project "Five Seas".

Modern hotel complexes will also appear on the coasts of the Caspian, Baltic, Azov, Black and Japanese Seas. This project alone will increase the domestic tourist flow by another 10 million people a year.

And in the whole country – taking into account the dynamic development of such tourist centers as Altai, Kamchatka, Kuzbass, the North Caucasus, Karelia, and the Russian North-by 2030, the tourist flow should almost double, to 140 million people a year. At the same time, the contribution of tourism to Russia's GDP will also double to five percent. We will work out additional solutions in this regard in the near future.

The development of tourism and the region as a whole is provided by transport infrastructure. High-speed automobile traffic has already opened between Moscow and Kazan. This year we will extend the highway to Yekaterinburg, and next year – to Tyumen. In the future, a modern and safe route will pass through the whole country – to Vladivostok.

Also, more than 50 city bypasses should be built in Russia in six years. A new significant road project is, of course, the construction of the Dzhubga–Sochi highway. It will reduce the travel time from the M-4 Don highway to Sochi by four times—up to one and a half hours—and, moreover, will allow the Black Sea coast to actively develop.

But I want to say right away that we have agreed with the Government, and I want to say this publicly too: this is, of course, a complex and very capital-intensive project, there are solid tunnels and bridges, an expensive project. Nevertheless, I ask the Government to provide a scheme for its financing. Work it out.

We have already put federal highways and almost 85 percent of roads in large agglomerations in order. We must strictly maintain this level. At the same time, we will focus on the development of regional roads in the coming years.

Air travel should become more affordable. It is necessary to increase the so-called aviation mobility of citizens. By 2030, the intensity of air traffic in Russia should increase by one and a half times compared to last year's level.

For this purpose, we plan to accelerate the development of intra-and inter-regional air traffic. And here the Government faces a specific task: in six years to modernize the infrastructure of at least 75 airports – this is more than a third of the Russian airport network. We will allocate at least 250 billion rubles for this purpose. This will be direct budget funding.

We will also need to upgrade the fleet of our airlines using our own, domestic aircraft. They must meet all modern requirements for quality, convenience and safety – a difficult task. They bought too much air transport abroad, but did not develop their own production.

Nevertheless, advanced Russian developments in mechanical engineering, construction, communications and digital systems will also be in demand in the creation of a high-speed railway network. I will also say a few words in this direction.

The first route between Moscow and St. Petersburg will pass through Tver and our ancient capital—Veliky Novgorod. Then we will build highways to Kazan and the Urals, Rostov-on-Don, the Black Sea coast, Minsk, fraternal Belarus, and other popular destinations.

Large-scale modernization of the Central Transport Hub will continue. The Moscow central diameters will become the basis for connecting the capital region with Yaroslavl, Tver, Kaluga, Vladimir and other regions with modern high-speed routes.

It is also necessary to modernize the main network of inland waterways. This will provide additional economic benefits in the field of tourism, industrial development, and the development of certain sensitive and very important regions for us, including the Far North.

What do I want to say here in addition? Modern infrastructure works directly to increase the capitalization of all the assets of the country, regions that use their transit tourism potentials, can attract land plots for industrial and agricultural facilities, and for citizens it is an opportunity to build a house for a large family, live in more comfortable conditions, and for businesses it is new prospects, including in the external markets.

In this regard, a separate issue that was raised at one of my meetings is the queues at border checkpoints. This problem is particularly acute in the Far East. According to the regulations, customs inspection takes 19 minutes; in reality, almost every truck driver often waits at the border for hours.

Our colleagues from the Ministry of Transport have a specific task: the typical time of cargo transport inspection at the border should not exceed ten minutes. Modern technologies allow you to do this.

Such requirements are also important for the smooth operation of the North-South transport corridor, which will connect Russia with the countries of the Middle East and Asia. It will be based not only on automobile routes, but also on seamless rail connections all the way from our ports in the Baltic Sea and the Barents Sea to the coast of the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean. We will also increase the capacity of railways in the southern direction, which will allow us to actively use the port capacities of the Azov and Black Seas.

The third stage of expansion of the Eastern Polygon of the BAM and Trans – Siberian Railways is being launched. At one time, we, sorry for the bad manners, "yawned" a little, we didn't do something in time, but okay, now we have to catch up and we will catch up. By 2030, their throughput capacity will increase from 173 to 210 million tons per year. At the same time, the ports of Vanino and Sovetskaya Gavan should also be developed.

Special attention is paid to the further development of the Northern Sea Route. We invite foreign logistics companies and states to actively use the opportunities of this global transport corridor. Last year, 36 million tons of cargo passed through it. I would like to draw your attention, colleagues: this is five times more than the record figure during the Soviet Union-five times! We will provide year-round navigation on the Northern Sea Route. We will increase the turnover of our northern ports, including the Murmansk transport hub, and, of course, increase the Arctic fleet.

Last year, the unique research icebreaking platform "North Pole" was launched. At the beginning of this year, a new nuclear-powered icebreaker "Leningrad" was laid down at the Baltic Shipyard. Next year we will lay another ship of the same class – the Stalingrad. And at the Far Eastern shipyard Zvezda, a new generation icebreaker is being built – Lider, twice as powerful.

Based on our domestic shipyards, we plan to significantly upgrade the merchant fleet: tankers, gas carriers, container ships. This will allow Russian businesses to build efficient trade flows in the face of changing logistics and drastic changes in the global economy.

Dear citizens of Russia, Dear friends!

I would like to say this separately. I constantly meet with participants of a special military operation. These are both regular military personnel, and volunteers, people of civilian professions who were mobilized for military service. All of them took up arms to defend their homeland.

You know, I look at these brave people, sometimes very young guys, and without any exaggeration I can say: my heart is filled with pride for our people, for our people and for these particular people. Such people, of course, will not back down, will not let down and will not betray.

They should take leading positions in the system of education and upbringing of young people, in public associations, in state-owned companies, in business, in state and municipal administration, lead regions, enterprises, and ultimately the largest domestic projects. Such true heroes and patriots in life are sometimes quite modest and reserved, they do not boast of their success, do not utter loud slogans and words. But at crucial moments in history, it is these people who come to the fore and take responsibility. Such people who think about the country, live by its fate, can be transferred in the future and entrusted with Russia.

You know that the word "elite" has largely discredited itself. Those who, without any merit to society, consider themselves some kind of caste with special rights and privileges, especially I mean those who in previous years filled their pockets at the expense of all sorts of processes in the economy of the 90s, they are definitely not the elite. I repeat, the real elite is all those who serve Russia, hard workers and soldiers, reliable, proven, and worthy people who have proven their loyalty to Russia.

In this regard, I think it is a new and important decision: starting from tomorrow, March 1, 2024, veterans of the special military operation, as well as soldiers and officers who are currently fighting in active units, will be able to apply for participation in the first training stream of the special personnel program. Let's call it "The Time of Heroes". This idea, I will not hide, came to my mind when I met with students participating in the special military operation in St. Petersburg. This program will be built according to the same standards as our best projects: the Higher School of Public Administration, which is called the "School of governors", as well as the competition "Leaders of Russia". Their graduates reach high positions in many spheres, even becoming ministers and heads of regions.

Military personnel and veterans with higher education and managerial experience will be able to participate in the program here, regardless of their rank and position. The main thing is that they should be people who showed their best qualities, showed that they can lead their comrades.

Studies will begin in the coming months. Mentors for the first participants of the program will be heads of the Government, the Presidential Administration, federal ministries, departments, heads of regions and our largest companies. In the future, we will expand such personnel programs and launch management courses at the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, and I consider it necessary to raise the status of the Academy by law.

In addition, veterans and participants of the special military operation will be able to get a higher education, a civilian specialty in our leading universities as a priority.

I ask the Ministry of Defense, the commanders of combat formations to support the desire of soldiers and officers to try their hand at the new personnel program, to provide them with the opportunity to apply for participation, to go to face-to-face classes. I would like to point out that the participants of the special military operation-both privates, sergeants, and combat officers-already form the backbone of our Armed Forces. And, of course, as I have already said, those who intend to continue their military career will receive priority promotion, when applying for command courses, schools and military academies.

Dear friends!

Independence, self-sufficiency, and sovereignty need to be proven and confirmed every day. We are talking about our and only our responsibility for the present and for the future of Russia. This is our homeland, the homeland of our ancestors, and it is necessary and dear only to us and, of course, to our descendants, to whom we must pass on a strong and prosperous country. [The essence of Russian Progressive-Conservatism.]

Over the past few years, we have managed to build a system for managing and implementing national projects on new principles, based on large amounts of data and modern digital technologies, which has made it possible to increase work efficiency, control risks, take into account the full amount of information, and constantly adjust projects and programs based on feedback from citizens.

I would like to thank my colleagues from the Government, departments, and regions who have painstakingly built this system over the years, both during the pandemic and during the sanctions aggression against Russia. I know that it was a difficult, difficult job, and, most importantly, it is already paying off. We can see this in the results.

Exactly in this logic, we will continue to act. By the end of the year, all the national projects that I mentioned today should be approved and coordinated with each other. I would like to emphasize once again that these are not projects of individual departments, but they should work on common systemic tasks, on achieving our national development goals. At the same time, I ask the All-Russian Popular Front to continue to monitor the implementation of decisions at all levels of government.

I want to emphasize that the main result of our programs is not measured in tons, kilometers, or the amount of money spent. The main thing is the assessment of people, how their lives are changing for the better. The scale of the historical challenges that Russia faces requires extremely clear and well-coordinated work of the state, civil society, and business. [The core of Russia’s political-economy.]

I consider it necessary not only to prepare a draft budget for the next three years, but also to outline all the main expenditures and investments for the period up to 2030. That is, in fact, we need to form a six-year long-term financial plan for the country's development, which, of course, we will supplement with new initiatives. Naturally, life will make adjustments.

Despite the difficult period, despite the current challenges and difficulties, we are planning long-term plans. The program that I outlined in my Address today is objective and fundamental. This is the program of a strong, sovereign country that looks confidently to the future. To achieve these goals, we have both the resources and enormous opportunities.

But I will now emphasize the main thing: the implementation of all the plans outlined today directly depends on our soldiers, officers, volunteers – all the servicemen who are fighting at the front right now, on the courage and determination of our comrades-in-arms, who defend the Motherland, rise to the attack, go forward under fire, sacrifice themselves for us, for the sake of the Motherland. It is they, our soldiers, who create today absolutely necessary conditions for the future of the country and for its development.

Low bow to you guys.

I thank all of you, dear colleagues, and I thank all the citizens of Russia for your solidarity and reliability. We are one big family, we are together, and therefore we will do everything as we plan and want to do, as we dream.

I believe in our victories, successes, and the future of Russia!

Thanks!

If you’ve kept pace here at the Gym reading Putin’s meetings and discussions, you’ll know where many of those ideas, initiatives and national projects came from—Russia’s people—from managers of corporate conglomerates to humble farmers, soldiers and mothers, teachers, scientists, factory workers, municipal workers, students and youth. That’s what democracy is in practice. I also noted the entire program are examples of two interrelated dynamics: Putin’s political-economic philosophy that’s based on people centered development and Russia’s longstanding social philosophy of Progressive-Conservatism: The future becomes the present then the past onto which the future is built—values and traditions are maintained and modernized yet continue to provide the foundation for the society, its state and its culture as the people and their economy continue to modernize and flow into the future in an organized, logical manner. Stability and continuity of the stability is thus provided and protected.

At times it’s hard to get a grip on the monetary amounts since Russia’s cost of living is about 2/3s less than that of the USA. So, although the dollar amount seem small, they are actually 2/3s larger in reality. In other words, the ruble/dollar exchange rate is a useless measure. What matters is what’s accomplished regardless if the funds are in dollars, rubles, or yuan. I suggest reading or watching the latest Geopolitical Economy Hour and making a rough comparison between Bidenomics and Putinomics. (watching is best because of the charts provided, although the transcript helps with the diction issues.)

Where’s Russia going to get the people it needs to accomplish all those projects and goals? Russia just made it easier for those having similar values to emigrate, a change that’s aimed at the deindustrialized skilled Europeans as well as those from other places on the planet. No, Putin didn’t mention that change, but it’s being implemented. And what’s not to like about Putin’s proposed 6-year Plan? You could say that’s his campaign’s economic plan. You could also say Putin’s erecting the legacy he’ll give to Russia when he retires in 2030.

In many ways, Russia’s a developing nation. A road connecting the entire nation will finally be constructed. If you’ve seen the rural road networks in Ukraine, then you’ve also seen many of Russia’s rural road networks. Much of that’s a legacy of the Soviet years that placed developmental emphasis elsewhere. And there’re no more elites; there’re only Russians—some with differing statuses to be sure, but none considered exceptional any longer. As for similar Western people, Russia will soon be independent of their attempts to deter Russia’s development, while the Global Majority applauds and joins Russia in its quest for a just, peaceful world aimed at promoting all people’s wellbeing.

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