Putin Flys to the End of Russia: Chukotka Part One

Two contrasting images from the same region—inside above; outside below

A playful image:

Strategic Location:

Putin toured the greenhouse facility which as you see is a very large facility with further expansion planned. Anadyr is the capital of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug and is a vital port facility along the Northern Sea Route. Anadyr is a small city of under 20,000 people, but big things are planned for this small city and its Okrug. Putin has wanted to visit the region for many years and now with all the emphasis on development of Russia’s Arctic, Siberian and Far Eastern regions, he’s finally able to visit the place combining all three regions. Yes, it’s cold there; as I type it’s -15F. After touring the facility and Anadyr, Putin met with the locals and then met with the Okrug’s minister. And that’s what you’ll read about, although there’ll be a few surprises along the way.

Vladimir Putin: Dear friends, good afternoon!

The regional authorities and the relevant Ministry [for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic] and I have long been planning to hold a similar meeting and see how the situation is developing in the Chukotka Autonomous Region.

Chukotka is well-known throughout the country. And not only because this is the easternmost region of Russia, but also because there are large amounts of minerals here, there are a lot of issues related to ensuring the country's security, with the development of logistics routes that are extremely important not only for Russia, but also for the whole world. I have in mind, first of all, the Northern Sea Route. In general, there are a large number of issues that are of great interest to the Russian Federation as a whole.

We recently discussed the development of the Far East regions in general in Arkhangelsk, and we drew attention to the fact that certain localities in Chukotka are very important in this regard – both Pevek and Anadyr, where we are located – and some of them fit into several development programs for both the Arctic and the Far East at once.

But it's better to see it once than hear it a hundred times: a lot of things become clear right away. The papers seem to make everything clear, but when you look at it with your own eyes, some things take on a completely different sound. For example, to fly to the airport, then move to the city-on the winter road [winter seasonal road] in this case, you begin to understand what it is and how people live here.

There are certainly a lot of questions. I know that all sorts of people have gathered here: heads of large families, small businesses, and various specialized areas of activity.

Please, let's just hold this meeting – we will talk to the governor separately on figures, on all issues of life in the region as a whole, and I would like to have an open, free, and unrestricted conversation with you on those issues that really concern you.

Please, please.

Evgeny Vereshchagin: Hello, Mr Putin. Kuyakamsi! I'm the one who greeted you all in Eskimo.

Vladimir Putin:" Kuyakamsi "means"hello"?

E. Vereshchagin: This greeting, yes, "hello", greeted you all.

My name is Yegor Vereshchagin, and my wife is Yulia. We are a large family with five children. And, Mr Putin, we have a first proposal – to consider the issue at the federal level of exempting large families from the tax on single housing. Not only parents, but also children as well. Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Do you know what makes you happy? I am not only happy that you have five children, which is very good, and we congratulate you. I am glad that it is becoming fashionable to have many children in our country. According to public opinion polls, in 2022, 60 percent of men in Russia and 70 percent of women in the country would like to have two or more children. Such an attitude to a large family – it is constantly strengthening, growing up.

And of course, in this regard, it is very important that the state supports such families. But we are also trying to do this, as you can see, there is a whole set of support measures here: mortgages are cheap, and by the way, they are exempt from income tax, if a large family decides to improve their housing conditions, sells something, then does not pay tax. Unified system of benefits from the mother's pregnancy to the child's 18th birthday. In general, a whole large set.

These benefits include non-taxation, withdrawal of this tax, on real estate. This possibility already exists in accordance with the relevant Federal Law – I don't remember from what year or what number, but it is there, this law is valid. However, this tax is attributed to the competence of regional and, more precisely, municipal authorities. Municipal authorities have the right to reduce this tax to zero. True, of course, not all municipalities have such an opportunity. But if we talk about large families in the Far East, then, in my opinion, this is not such a big amount of money for the federal budget either. And the federal budget, of course, could support the appropriate levels of the budget system in order to provide this benefit.

I just, just finished a conversation with the Finance Minister. However, on other issues, he reported on the situation in general with finances for the past year, on plans for the coming 2024. The country's budget system feels confident, calm, and actively developing. So, of course, there is such a possibility. I support this and will instruct the Government and the relevant relevant commission of the State Council to work on it. I think that this decision will be made in the near future.

Evgeny Vereshchagin: Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: Please.

We are talking about large families in the Far East.

Mikhail Tyumentsev: Hello, Vladimir Vladimirovich!

Vladimir Putin: Good morning.

Mikhail Tyumentsev: As you said, I am also the head of a large family, and my wife, Anastasia, is here. My name is Mikhail Tyumentsev.

I have such a question in the continuation. Is it possible to make amendments and additions to the legislation on the possibility of using maternity capital to purchase a car? Domestic production, let it be, but nevertheless, because it is necessary.

Vladimir Putin: I understand. Mikhail Gennadyevich-sit down, for God's sake – you understand, we have specially introduced… After all, I once came up with this maternity capital simply. I just came up with it initially, because it was very difficult for people with two or more children to live. There was a time when it was very difficult in the country. But this institution is developing, and we are improving it. Now they have already started paying for the first child, and this capital is constantly growing. But it was originally conceived as a tool for supporting large families on key issues of family life. One of them is – and above all – the improvement of housing conditions.

You know I'm always afraid of what? Families, especially those with many children, always have a lot of needs – a sea of needs, you know? Health, education – all sorts of things. But I am always afraid that once we start allowing this maternity capital to be spent in a variety of ways – I will now say a simple but very direct thing – we will not be able to ultimately guarantee the interests of children.

Mikhail Tyumentsev: I understand you.

Vladimir Putin: That's what it's all about.

It is clear that parents want first of all to do something good for their children, and when you talk about transport, it is primarily about something-about transporting children and families.

M. Tyumentsev: To kindergarten, to school.

Vladimir Putin: I understand that.

You know, maybe we won't touch the family capital for this purpose right now. We will simply ask the Government and the Ministry of Industry to work out the issue of car purchase benefits separately – for example, in this case, for families in the Far East, for large families, so that they can be worked out. We had it during the pandemic and so on, we did it, including to support people, on the one hand, and on the other hand, to support the automotive industry. This is still in demand. I will instruct the Government to work out the issue of concessional lending, subsidizing the purchase of cars outside the family capital.

Mikhail Tyumentsev: Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Please.

Dmitry Bogdanov: Mr President, good afternoon!

Welcome to Chukotka.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

Dmitry Bogdanov: Dmitry Bogdanov. I would like to continue the topic of large families.

Last year I was lucky enough to have a third child in my family. We have heard that in the Primorsky Territory, large families with a third child are being helped to pay off their mortgage up to one million rubles.

Statistics on the birth of third children in Chukotka are higher than the national average and probably one of the best or the best in the Far East, and this support measure would probably be very useful for all large families in Chukotka.

Given the fact that housing is probably one of the most expensive in the district, as well as the [high] costs of maintaining children, I would like to ask you to consider the possibility that this measure also applies to Chukotka.

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: When a third child is born, we have a rule according to which the family receives 450 thousand rubles in addition to the preferential mortgage to repay the mortgage loan. In Primorsky Krai, indeed, such families, where a third child appears, pay an additional 550 thousand rubles-and it turns out one million to repay the loan. Primorsky Krai does this, as far as I understand, from its own budget. But Chukotka has less income than in the Primorsky Territory, and here, of course, it will be problematic to solve this issue in this way.

Therefore, a region like Chukotka will need federal support. In my opinion, taking into account the state of public finances, it is possible to do this. But in this case, it seems to me that this measure should be extended not only to Chukotka, but also to other regions of the Far East, where the birth rate is still lower than in the whole region [of the Far East]. I won't list them now, it's easy to calculate, these are counting indicators.

Therefore, we will assume that we have agreed. I will formulate a corresponding instruction to the Government, the Ministry of Finance and, accordingly, to the regional authorities. Our colleagues will work through everything, and a decision will be made in the next few months.

Dmitry Bogdanov: Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: I repeat, for large families in Chukotka and other regions of the Far East, where the birth rate is lower than the regional average. It will be such a well-considered decision. Let's see, calculate how much it costs, and see what can be done next.

Please, please.

Dmitry Yudin: Good afternoon, Vladimir Vladimirovich!

We are glad to welcome you to Chukotka. SVO member Dmitry Yudin.

The participants of the SVO have a question regarding the activities of the Ministry of Defense. After injuries, they do not always give short-term leave for further treatment. And federal payments have been going on for a very long time. Also, the VVK [military medical commission] is not always assigned to everyone, and without the VVK there are no payments that are due in part of the injury, there are no payments – they are very difficult to get.

And the last thing I wanted to say. Since our region is very far away and there is a difficult transport scheme, it is not always possible for members of the Free Trade Association to return to their units on time after their vacation, and after that their payments stop. Since it is not always possible to leave on time, they can't arrive at their unit on time – and they simply stop receiving these payments.

Everything, in principle.

Vladimir Putin: Look, leave after being wounded. As far as I know, this situation is being corrected: people get the opportunity to go on vacation, and if for some reason the vacation did not take place within six months, then it should not disappear, and in the next six months the person should get the right to take time off from vacation for both the current six months and the previous ones.

This rule is already being implemented in the Ministry of Defense. I am in regular contact with the guys and by phone, and as you have seen, I visited the hospital after the New Year, met with officers and soldiers on January 1, and invited them directly from the front line. I often talk at awards shows.

The problem sounded, but as far as I understand, it is being solved now. Nevertheless, I will still pay attention to this and talk about it. This is as far as vacations are concerned, so that everything here is regular.

Now payouts and terms of these payments. Do you specifically have a problem with payments? You or one of your colleagues?

Dmitry Yudin: In principle, yes. I got my payment in about four or five months.

Vladimir Putin: There was just a delay.

Dmitry Yudin: The delay, yes.

And there are people who, since the beginning of February 2023 – after being injured-have not yet received it.

Vladimir Putin: Are you in contact with these people?

Dmitry Yudin: Yes, in contact.

Vladimir Putin: Can you give me information about them?

Dmitry Yudin: Yes, I can.

Vladimir Putin: Please pass it on. Okay?

Dmitry Yudin: All right.

Vladimir Putin: Then I will instruct the leadership of the Ministry of Defense to use specific examples to understand where the failure occurs.

Dmitry Yudin: All right.

Vladimir Putin: As you understand, there are no issues with material and financial support for everything that happens in the free zone. Everything is fully funded, everything. If something doesn't arrive on time, with delays, it's just a manifestation in the worst sense of the word of some bureaucratic failures-that's all. But you need to understand exactly where what is happening. Give me these examples, will you?

Dmitry Yudin: All right.

Vladimir Putin: You are in contact with them, with these people. Write to me right now and give it to me.

Dmitry Yudin: I just don't have my phone with me right now.

Vladimir Putin: Fine. My colleagues will still be here – please tell them, okay?

Dmitry Yudin: All right.

Vladimir Putin: Agreed.

Now VVC. I was in the hospital just now, I went specially after the "Direct Line". On the "Direct Line" there were questions of the same nature-that in order to get VVC certificates, you need to go somewhere from hospitals.

I met with the guys. VVC points are deployed right at the treatment sites, and issues are being resolved there – both VVC, and even providing housing, and even professional retraining, if people want to remain in the Armed Forces. Even after serious injuries, they are left – in military enlistment offices, somewhere else to serve.

There is a purely legal problem here. In accordance with the current law, people who have received a corresponding injury cannot serve in the Armed Forces, and we will change this now. The Ministry of Defense came out with such a proposal. Of course, we will support this. Yes, a person was injured, but he may well serve, say, in a military enlistment office or perform similar functions. We will change this law.

But as I see it now, and I've talked to the guys, passing the All-Russian Military Training Center itself is no longer such a problem. Do you think it still exists? Then give me these examples so that I can also work out this issue with the Ministry of Defense using concrete examples. If it still exists, give me these examples. Okay?

Dmitry Yudin: All right. To date, of course, I haven't had any such examples recently, but when will we…

Vladimir Putin: Give us what we had.

D. Yudin: For example, we didn't have a military industrial complex at all. We were told that you all worked out…

Vladimir Putin: Write it all down for me, okay?

Dmitry Yudin: All right.

Vladimir Putin: I need to really understand what is happening in life on each specific occasion. And if there are any failures, we need to clean them up.

Dmitry Yudin: All right, thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Agreed.

Now the transport map. This, of course, needs to be worked out so that there are no failures here either. And if things objectively arise when a serviceman cannot return on time due to objective circumstances related to difficulties in the transport scheme, then this should easily be confirmed by appropriate documents – non-flying weather, for example.

I was going to fly to Yakutia now, but the plane can't land there – I had to cancel my trip to Yakutia. I'll go anyway, but now there's a specific glitch due to the transport scheme. And with an ordinary person, this can happen all the more often, especially at such distances and in such zones.

So also write to me – when, what happened. And then the ministry itself should work out the appropriate scheme for obtaining, and the appropriate person – providing the necessary documents, which should solve this issue automatically, and not by suspending payments.

Give me that too, okay?

Dmitry Yudin: Very well, Mr Putin.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

Dmitry Yudin: Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Please move on.

I ask you to.

G. Kosov: Hello! Kosov Georgy Aleksandrovich, computer science teacher of the Chukotka district profile lyceum.

In 2021, as part of the national project "Education", our lyceum, as well as all educational institutions in Chukotka, received modern computer equipment: 3D printers, quadrocopters, and robotics kits. But over time, equipment becomes outdated, something breaks down, and some new areas in the IT sphere appear that are also interesting for children.

My question is: is it possible to extend such a program for the introduction of such modern teaching equipment in educational institutions?

Vladimir Putin: Of course, it is possible and necessary. Not even what to extend, it should be a permanent process.

We have started repairing schools, as you know. I guess your schools are being renovated here, too, right? How much was repaired?

Vladimir Kuznetsov: Mr President, the renovation of a school in Anadyr, plus the construction of a school in Anadyr. We have 42 schools – about a third of them have been renovated.

Vladimir Putin: A third. Not bad.

And in the course of repairs and the corresponding equipment is purchased. But in addition to purchasing equipment as part of the renovation, we also deal with the equipment of schools. I assume that we provide funds from the federal budget, but regional budgets should meet a certain level of equipment. And of course, the equipment is updated quickly enough, the main thing is not to delay anything. My colleagues and I talk about this all the time. The main thing is not to start the problem, but to deal with it regularly.

Just like, say, in the housing and utilities system. If you have any questions, we'll talk about it again. Just now, the Minister [of Housing and Utilities Irek Fayzullin] reported: last year, we spent 337 billion rubles from various sources on the housing and utilities system. The same applies to schools in this case: school maintenance, equipment. The main thing is to do everything on time so that there are no failures, because when a failure occurs, then later: guard, where to get the money?

And if you do it regularly, systematically, then there will be no such problems. I very much hope that this will continue to happen in the regions. These programs should be implemented on an ongoing basis.

It's good that you paid attention to this. We will also talk to the Government and the regions. Not only in the Far East, but in the whole country.

(To M. Oreshkin.) How much have we repaired? We just looked at the help form.

M. Oreshkin: Three thousand.

Vladimir Putin: Three thousand schools have already been repaired across the country. And we will develop this further.

G. Kosov: Thank you.

Irina Gabidullina: Hello, Mr President! Ilmira Rimovna Gabidullina, chemistry teacher at school No. 1 in Anadyr.

I want to ask you a question about the Zemsky Uchitel program. It is known that this program helps to effectively solve the issues of personnel rotation, and also makes it possible to attract highly professional teachers. Is it possible to extend this program for the next years?

Vladimir Putin: Yes, we have it, in my opinion, until 2025 is valid.

Irina Gabidullina: Until 2023, in my opinion.

Vladimir Putin: Until 2025. The year 2024 is still valid and ends, until 2025.

Irina Gabidullina: 2025 is ending, yes.

Vladimir Putin: Please sit down.

And it is financed a little better than the national average, more, bearing in mind that life is more expensive here. We pay two million rubles to Zemsky Uchitel under this program, Zemsky Uchitel. Of course, it needs to be extended, and we will extend it until 2030.

Irina Gabidullina: Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: This program is in high demand, and I won't repeat the figures right now. It works efficiently in the whole country and in the Far East, and people are coming.

I really hope and expect that apart from these 2 million rubles, this is actually not such a big amount of money. As the first, starting capital for a young person – not bad. But here you need to help – help with housing, help solve everyday issues. There are a lot of problems that need to be solved from the regional level.

As for the federal budget, we will extend the program until 2030.

Irina Gabidullina: Thank you.

L. Lyubushkina: Hello.

Vladimir Putin: Good morning.

L. Lyubushkina: Lyubov Lyubushkina is a teacher of Russian language and literature at secondary School No. 1 in Anadyr.

Just now this issue has been raised. Funding from the federal budget for school repairs is very helpful. I would like to ask: is it possible to include kindergartens, colleges, boarding schools, and technical schools in this program? Now they are undergoing repairs at the expense of the district budget, but these funds are not enough to carry out these events quickly and en masse.

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: First of all. There is always a shortage of funds.

The most important questions for which there are not enough funds are innumerable, there are always a lot of them. You should always be guided by considerations of priorities when dealing with issues of this kind. The greatest importance is here and now.

That is why we decided to start major repairs and construction of schools at the federal level, although this is the level of responsibility of regions and municipalities. However, taking into account the importance of the tasks that are being solved in schools, and the state of the material base of schools, we decided that at the first stage it is necessary to help schools. This is what we are doing, this is what we have allocated funds for, I don't remember how much, more than 12 thousand should be repaired, right? (To M. Oreshkin.) Do you remember how much? About 13 thousand should be repaired across the country. And we need to finish this program, we need to do it.

Of course, the problems of kindergartens are very close to this, because especially the older groups should then smoothly develop into school. Here is such a bundle should be, and this is the next stage, in my opinion.

As for technical schools and colleges, this is very important, I will not hide it. This is also an important task, taking into account the huge needs of the labor market today. We have an unemployment rate of 2.9 percent, which has never been the case in the history of the Russian Federation, and, in my opinion, it has never been the case in the Soviet Union. True, they thought differently there, but it doesn't matter. It is important that we have a large shortage of personnel, and first of all, of course, highly qualified workers. The number of working personnel includes a whole set of such specialties, in which until recently it was believed that they could be engaged only after receiving a higher education. They sound so hard to pronounce right away.

Therefore, this is a very important area of activity, but it is being solved today – at least at the moment we want to solve it within the framework of the so-called "Specialty" program together with representatives of businesses that are interested in obtaining well-trained personnel. And in general, this process is running. Probably, from some point, from some stage, additional support from the Federation will be required, we know about this.

L. Lyubushkina: Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: Please.

Natalia Efimova: Hello, Vladimir Vladimirovich!

Nadezhda Efimova. I have such a question. At the very beginning of our meeting, you mentioned our road from the airport to Anadyr. We all know that Anadyr and the airport are located on different banks of the Anadyr estuary.

Vladimir Putin: It's weird, isn't it?

N. Yefimova: This is such a historical fact, because the city, its administrative center was built on this side, and on the other side – the airport, it was a military one.

Vladimir Putin: That's what I say, weird.

Natalia Efimova: For the safety of the residents, the city was built here, and there the military airfield worked. And historically, we are forced to experience difficulties on the ferry all year round. In other words, it turns out that in winter we go on a winter holiday – this is the period from January…

Vladimir Putin: As I just passed.

Natalia Yefimova: Yes, but the federal road is not yet open, you were driving SUVs. Opens later.

Vladimir Putin: On what?

N. Yefimova: On off-road vehicles, probably, yes?

Vladimir Putin: Like an off-road vehicle?

N. Yefimova: "TRACKOL", "Predator".

Vladimir Putin: "Predator"?

N. Yefimova: Special names, yes.

Later they will open [the road], ordinary cars will be launched later, somewhere in February, maybe closer to March. This story will end in April. We will start the off-season. This is the most problematic time for crossings, because we move at this time either by helicopter or by skimmer-these are reinforced trains.…

Vladimir Putin: On the pillow.

Natalia Efimova: Yes, on an air cushion.

Of course, this off-season gives us all extreme sports, even those who do not want it, and in this part I would like to ask if it is possible to improve the comfort of movement of the population at all. In the off-season, these shipments are much more expensive than summer and winter ones, that is, they can be reduced somehow… Maybe the possibility of subsidizing these moves. Such a question.

Vladimir Putin: Increase subsidies.

Natalia Efimova: Increase subsidies, reduce costs.

Vladimir Putin: Otherwise, now the authorities will hear and reduce your subsidies.

Natalia Efimova: No, first of all, reduce the cost for passengers.

Vladimir Putin: At the request of the workers – once.

Natalia Efimova: No, our leadership will not do that.

That is, you want comfort, and inexpensive.

Vladimir Putin: I understand. What do you need? What exactly should I add?

Natalia Efimova: Let's look at the management and say that we would probably like to increase the fleet, add helicopters and maybe more professional "pillows", gliders, not the ones that we currently have, small, private ones.

Vladimir Putin: Helicopters… You see, I have just arrived – helicopters don't fly: "milk", you can't see anything three meters away.

N. Yefimova: We always experience this firsthand, yes. Now these are light crossings when there is already a road.

Vladimir Putin: What should I do? What needs to be done to improve these services?

Vladimir Kuznetsov: Mr President, when you were already defending the Anadyr agglomeration plan, you ordered the purchase of five airships.

Vladimir Putin: 117 million.

Vladimir Kuznetsov: Yes, it is true.

This will take the crossing to a whole new level - both in terms of safety, speed, and price. We will then stabilize the price.

Vladimir Putin: I just wanted the manager to speak out, and so it is known, even the numbers are known. First it was 70 million, then 117 million. It always happens that way. Let it be 117, but there will be five boats. Will this solve the problem?

Vladimir Kuznetsov: Mr President, this partially solves the problem. But, unfortunately, this type of equipment still cannot be constantly used, because there are restrictions on wind load and storm load. That is, there will still be some moments when it will be impossible to exploit raw materials and it will be difficult to cross.

Vladimir Putin: What should I do?

Vladimir Kuznetsov:Vladimir Vladimirovich, as an option, consider the possibility of engineering and technical construction across the Anadyr Estuary.

Vladimir Putin: How long is it, and what is the distance?

Vladimir Kuznetsov: About five kilometers in the narrowest part of the road – about where we were traveling.

Vladimir Putin: How many billions will it be?

Vladimir Kuznetsov: Mr President, there are a lot of them, because you need to get a technical solution first, and it can be very different.

Vladimir Putin: We need to calculate and look at it. A lot. How much is a lot? In the Tatar-Mongol army, everything was packed for dozens, for hundreds, for thousands, and then-darkness. So the army was called – darkness.

Yu.Trutnev: Mr President, various options for the construction of a cable car have been worked out. Unfortunately, the project is not fully implemented today. It is also very important to know what will happen if there is an increased wind load, and, God forbid, it stops. We will finalize it together with the chapter and submit suggestions.

Vladimir Putin: Yes, you need to look at all sorts of modern vehicles that are…

Yu.Trutnev: There is.

Vladimir Putin: And the ferry? Does the ferry run?

Vladimir Kuznetsov: Yes, but unfortunately the ferry can't move in the off – season because there is ice and the ferry can't be operated.

Vladimir Putin:You have to think about it, ferries are also different. I need to think about it.

N. Makatrova: It's cheaper to move the city to the other side. (Laughter in the audience.)

Vladimir Putin: What about greenhouses? Where are your greenhouses going? (Laughter in the audience.)

You see, this is also a question. Not everything is so simple.

Natalia Makatrova: Then come here to work.

Vladimir Putin: Let's think about it. You see, the options have already gone, there are already different options.

N. Makatrova: It's cheaper than a cable car.

Vladimir Putin: Your greenhouses are gorgeous, you can't just leave them. You grow such cucumbers and tomatoes. I congratulate you on this result. However, I already say without irony, great. In such conditions, everyone did it, a family business.

N. Makatrova: We will expand.

Vladimir Putin: Yes, I heard it when you told me. We will try to help you, and the bank will also support you.

Please, please.

Maria Orosova: Hello!

Maria Orosova, doctor, obstetrician-gynecologist of the Chukotka District Hospital.

There is such a problem on the territory of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug: we do not have a perinatal center. Given the specifics of our region, and this is a small population, less than 50 thousand people, complex logistics, a shortage of personnel – doctors, nurses, the creation of regional medical centers is impractical.

In this regard, in order to provide high-quality specialized, including highly specialized, medical care to women during pregnancy, childbirth, the postpartum period, as well as newborns, is it possible to attach Chukotka to the nearest perinatal centers in cities such as Vladivostok or Khabarovsk? Or on a larger scale: create intersubject medical centers in the Far Eastern Federal District?

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: I will definitely talk to Murashko and the Minister of Health. Yesterday was his birthday, let's congratulate him on his birthday.

Maria Orosova: Congratulations!

Vladimir Putin: We can probably do both, but first of all we need to think about what we can do here, on the spot.

Maria Orosova: Mr President, we are actively working through telemedicine communications and consultations.

Vladimir Putin: It's telemedicine, right?

Maria Orosova: Yes, telemedicine.

Vladimir Putin: This is well established, isn't it?

Maria Orosova: It is well established, yes, we are actively working. When we have cases that require emergency care, or, for example, there are any suspicions of fetal malformations, we cannot provide specialized assistance here. Then we send requests to the Kulakovsky Medical Center for Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Vladimir Putin: Where is it located?

M. Orosova: In Moscow. This is the main center.

Vladimir Putin: Understood. I thought maybe there were some branches here.

M. Orosova: We are always advised that, of course, it is necessary to send women to a nearby center – they write to us so, everything is officially registered. To fly, for example, to Khabarovsk, Vladivostok – about four hours, to send a pregnant woman to Moscow…

Vladimir Putin: Three thousand plus kilometers to Khabarovsk.

Maria Orosova: Yes. It's a longer flight to Moscow, nine hours. So, accordingly, they recommend the nearest centers, but at this stage we have problems, because we do not have a pin.

Vladimir Putin: And what will pinning do?

Maria Orosova: Routing will be set up. In other words, if such a case occurs, we will immediately issue the following documents:…

Vladimir Putin: And now you're just on your own?

Maria Orosova: Yes, we are on our own.

Vladimir Putin: We'll decide.

Maria Orosova: It's very difficult. In 2023, we had only one such case. Often it is necessary to provide assistance to premature babies. In the perinatal center, of course, the service is more well-established, and the help will be qualified.

Vladimir Putin: Yes, of course.

Maria Orosova: When we sent women, for example, we received approvals: please send them. But, since we live very far away, when women went into labor or needed emergency help, then, of course, we helped women ourselves. And then there were also problems with newborns: how can the children continue to be transported there and to which center, who will take them?

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Fine. This is an administrative issue, and we will definitely resolve it.

Maria Orosova: Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: We need to look at the retrofitting of your medical facilities in this area.

M. Orosova: I want to say that our service is fully equipped. I repeat once again, the whole problem is in helping children.

As for us, obstetricians and gynecologists, we will always provide emergency care to our pregnant women, we will deliver them. But in order to continue to have a better prognosis for children in their later life, of course, it is better that they are delivered in the perinatal center and then nursed.

Vladimir Putin: Yes, but if childbirth is happening here, you also need to have something that would help.

Maria Orosova: Of course. By the way, we also have neonatologists. We had cases of birth and 800 grams, and 900 grams – the children were nursed, we had cases.

Vladimir Putin: It's just that I have a request for additional equipment in my directory – I read all sorts of pieces of paper when I'm driving.

Vladimir Kuznetsov: Yes, Mr President, there is a request for additional equipment, including in Bilibino.

Vladimir Putin: There will be a small amount, under 50 million.

Vladimir Kuznetsov: Yes, 50 million rubles.

Vladimir Putin: 47, to be more precise.

Vladimir Kuznetsov: Up to 50, yes.

Vladimir Putin: We will resolve this issue.

Vladimir Kuznetsov: Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: We'll add more equipment for you.

Maria Orosova: Thank you very much, we will not refuse.

Vladimir Putin: And this routing, of course, must be provided. I do not doubt for a second: we will decide as soon as possible.

M. Orosova: I'm very grateful. Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: I wish you every success. You have a very noble line of work.

Maria Orosova: Thank you. We will try to work well.

Vladimir Putin: Please.

Sergey Kutegina: Mr President, you have already been greeted in the Eskimo language. I want to say hello to you in Chukchi: "Etti".

Vladimir Putin: Eat?

S. Kutegina: Etti. Translated literally, I asked you: "Did you come?" You should answer: "AI".

Vladimir Putin: Ai. (Laughter.)

S. Kutegina: Yes. And if there are a lot of us, I say hello to everyone: "Ettyk". And they all say, " AI."

Vladimir Putin: Do women and men respond equally?

S. Kutegina: Yes, the answer is the same, but we have differences: the Chukchi language has a male dialect and a female dialect.

Vladimir Putin: That's what I'm asking.

S. Kutegina: Yes, in our country, for example, men all say the sound "che" – "chad", and women say "garden" – "s", so they have, to put it mildly.

Vladimir Putin: This is why I ask these questions, because in some languages the answers and questions of women and men sound different. Therefore, when a man suddenly answers in a feminine way, they say: "Yeah, it's clear who taught you the language." (Laughter.)

S. Kutegina: Yes, yes.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, we have a lot of people who study the languages of small indigenous peoples of the North, history, and those who teach, but we do not have enough of such efforts of enthusiasts. Please tell me, will a program of support and preservation of our culture be created at the state level?

Vladimir Putin: We have a plan, we have a plan. There is a program and a plan for its implementation.

S. Kutegina: We have a program for the development of culture, namely small indigenous peoples…

Vladimir Putin: It is the small indigenous population. And now, in my opinion, we should start creating a corresponding register starting this year. And within the framework of this register, record objects of intangible culture.

S. Kutegina: Yes, this is probably the most important thing. There are very few of us.

Vladimir Putin: I understand. Therefore, this requires special attention, you are absolutely right. But here it is very important to involve our leading libraries, and they are actively engaged in this, and the Ministry of Culture should also carry out the most active work through theaters to maintain the cultures and languages of indigenous small-numbered peoples.

S. Kutegina: You know, if the language disappears, then the people will disappear. Just 20 years ago, I still remembered my grandmother Katya Khatkanu and grandfather Kolya Etynkeu, who spoke the Kerek language. Unfortunately, this language is no longer available.

Vladimir Putin: What I said exists. But if you still raise these questions, it means that it exists in such a form and in such a quality that it is not enough. You will write down-you are working on the spot-how you see it, what should be done right here in addition to the task that you are now talking about, which you are formulating, was solved effectively. Just write it down. After all, this issue is not even a question of financing, it is a penny in fact, we will all do it. We need to organize this work properly.

S. Kutegina:We have it here [in our head].

Vladimir Putin: Here [it is], but transfer it here [on paper].

S. Kutegina: Yes, we need to move all this and fix it.

Vladimir Putin: Move it, put it on paper, and give it to me. I will give relevant instructions to departments, starting from the Ministry of Finance, because everything relies on money. But the money there is small, we will do it all, especially since it is allocated. We need to see how they stand out, where exactly they go, and what the result is. Maybe something needs to be reformatted in this work. I have already repeated that the register of intangible culture will be created now, and we have a program in place, but I don't remember what year it is, and we will extend it. But we need to look at it from the point of view that it all works, bringing concrete results. The result is the preservation of the culture and languages of the small-numbered peoples of the North.

S. Kutegina: Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: Please write it down and give it to me. Okay?

S. Kutegina: All right. Will do.

Vladimir Putin: That is, formally everything exists. We need to see how it works and what is missing there.

S. Kutegina: Yes. Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you for doing this. Thank you.

Because it is one of the greatest assets of Russia – the diversity of its culture. And the diversity of culture without language is already an inferior culture, it is already some fragments of culture. I totally agree.

After all, even in Soviet times, both magazines were published and books were printed. Let's do it all.

S. Kutegina: Our regional newspaper was published in three languages, with inserts in three languages: Even, Eskimo, and Chukchi. Now, unfortunately, only in Chukotka.

Vladimir Putin: And where is the Even language? You should ask your superiors. It's all worth a penny.

S. Kutegina: The Even, Eskimo, Yukaghir, and Koryak languages are all represented here.

Vladimir Putin: Write to me, all right.

S. Kutegina: Everything. Fine.

Vladimir Putin: Please, please.

Tatyana Dvortsova: Good evening, Vladimir Vladimirovich! Dvortsova Tatiana. I am an individual entrepreneur, Osanka wellness fitness studio – that's the name. But my question concerns a slightly different industry-tourism.

As you have noticed, our region is very interesting, unique both in climate and in nature, but traveling – we have just noted a lot of questions about movement-including even moving from the airport here, to the city of Anadyr, is quite expensive. And not everyone can afford to travel in our region, in our Chukotka. We really have a lot of local nationalities represented here, and if you want to see them, you need to see them. Traveling in Chukotka, probably, only adventurers, at the moment come, watch, can enjoy.

Please tell me if there is such an opportunity to develop a federal program for the development of tourism specifically and create a tourist infrastructure in the Far North regions?

Vladimir Putin: We have a program – the federal program for the development of domestic tourism. It works quite actively, I won't give any figures now, but the growth is very large. By the way, the growth in the Far North regions is also very significant: in 2022 there was an increase of plus 15 percent, and last year – 41 percent, that is, the growth is serious.

But it has its own specifics. I must say it bluntly: a favorable time for tourism is probably about two or three months. As my colleague just said about the perinatal center, she doesn't even raise the issue of a perinatal center, because she understands that the number of births in Chukotka is minimal. The number of families with children is large, but the number of births is small. Therefore, we need to build this work accordingly. She says everything correctly, the sentences are correct.

The same goes for tourism: two months, well, three – an active time for tourism. In accordance with this, it is necessary to build work on domestic tourism. I don't think there is a need to create a special federal program, but it is certainly necessary to include in the existing federal program tasks in the field of domestic tourism development, taking into account the peculiarities of the northern regions. We are doing this, meaning easily constructed tourist housing, subsidizing these programs. It all exists. Maybe you need to set it up for the north somehow.

Tatyana Dvortsova: There are just some nuances that we have a distribution of subsidies, but subsidies are distributed according to Rosstat data and subsidies are distributed as follows: there is a number of accommodation places, so the region receives funding – in accordance with the number of tourist accommodation places. In order to build accommodation and tourist infrastructure, this again requires funding. That is, you know, such a vicious circle turns out.

Vladimir Putin: Yes. Even, you know, now it just occurred to me that you need to count it not for all 12 months, but count these figures…

T. Dvortsova: According to the seasons.

Vladimir Putin: Seasonally, yes. And then it will be other numbers that will help to do it, right?

Tatyana Dvortsova: It seems to me that we may not have tourism for two or three months. I probably disagree with you here.

Vladimir Putin: You know better, really.

Tatyana Dvortsova: Yes. I think that if our infrastructure is developed, then tourism may not be all year round, not 12 months, but in most of the year it will be.

Vladimir Putin: Let me definitely talk to Deputy Prime Minister Chernyshenko to set him up specifically for the north, for the Arctic.

Tatyana Dvortsova: Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: I understand what you are talking about, but we need to calculate these subsidies based on their specific features.

Replica: There may be other formats.

Vladimir Putin: There may be other formats, yes, of course. Let's work together. Thank you.

Please, please.

Irina Borunova: Hello, Mr President!

Vladimir Putin: Hello!

Irina Borunova: My name is Irina Borunova, I am a mother of six children, a primary school teacher.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, we have really remarkable measures in our country to support motherhood, childhood, large and low-income families, families with children. And one of the most remarkable decisions I think is that not so long ago the medal and the order of "Parental Glory" were awarded to both parents – both mother and father. This is actually great.

But mothers with many children also have social guarantees, such as retirement before the deadline set by the state. And this is very correct, because we give our health to children. But fathers with many children, they work hard, you know? In all the families I know, our dads work two or three jobs, very often without days off, and even often they send the family on vacation, but they do not go themselves, because they want to provide for their children with dignity, so that they do not differ from families with one or two children.

At the beginning of our conversation, you said that, according to surveys, 70 percent of women, and 60 percent of men – less by ten percent [would like to have two or more children]. I believe that if men also had similar social guarantees or at least some kind of separate public encouragement, in order to increase the status of fatherhood, to make the title of a father with many children more prestigious… I think that some measures can be taken. What do you think?

Vladimir Putin: But you yourself have just noted that now both mothers and fathers are also assigned the appropriate rights.…

I. Borunova: An award. Anything else?" And then not all of them, maybe. We have really different fathers-conscientiously fulfilling their duties or, perhaps, not so much.

Vladimir Putin: But in large families, all fathers are strong, really the head of the family.

Irina Borunova: In large families, most often they have no choice. Maybe it is possible to consider some measures at the state level specifically for dads?

Vladimir Putin: We will definitely see.

Still, the main burden of the birth, upbringing, and raising of a child is borne by a woman. This is primarily her work. Everything happens in life, but in general, in our society, the cult of mom is very high – and justifiably high.

But, of course, I agree with you that the influence and importance of a man in the family is extremely important. I've already said the same thing, and I'll repeat it again. When I meet families with many children, I am always touched – in the best sense of the word – and impressed by the men who lead such families: kind people, efficient, active and very modestly behaving. Surprisingly simple! So gentle towards children, the perfect example of a real man: confident, calm, hardworking and loving. Of course, such men, such fathers deserve increased attention from the state.

But in general, the state's attitude to large families: all sorts of benefits, mortgages, tax exemptions, and so on – all this generally works for the family, which means it also works for the head of the family. Nevertheless, you are right: the state should pay more attention to the men who head such families. Let's work on this issue.

Irina Borunova: Thank you.

Alexander Borunov: Good evening, Mr President.

I am Irina Borunova's husband-modest, quiet. (Laughter.)

Vladimir Putin: So this is addressed to you.

Alexander Borunov: Yes, thank you. But I won't raise such heavy questions.

Vladimir Putin: You've already done everything – she picked it up.

Alexander Borunov: I wanted to ask you something. In fact, we met 20 years ago at a service in the city of Suzdal for Christmas, this is a memorable meeting. And so many years passed. We didn't even think then that we would end up here in Chukotka. And now…

Vladimir Putin: How did you get to Chukotka from there?

A. Borunov: Fate. We have been working and living here for many years now, and we have had six children since that meeting.

Vladimir Putin: It was a good meeting. The momentum was good.

A. Borunov: Yes. My question is for you. I know what it's like to be the father of a large family. And here you are: under your leadership, a large, multi-million-strong country, which must be monitored, protected, provided for, and in general this is a very important responsibility. How do you manage? Maybe you have some secret?

That's my question. Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: You know, since we look at these important issues from this point of view – from a family point of view, I've caught myself on you know what several times? I am already an adult, although I feel the strength and energy to work, to solve the problems facing the country. But what is interesting is if you stay within the discussion of a large family. When I look at our people achieving some results in science, culture, education, medicine, and sports, I look at these young, beautiful, energetic, and talented people, and you know, I often get the feeling that they are my children, this is our family, you know? I am so happy for them-just their success, their well-being, their potential. This is the potential of Russia. When we all work together to solve specific issues and tasks, as we do now, and we do it in a calm, businesslike, friendly rhythm, in a systematic way, success is guaranteed.

Alexander Borunov: Thank you very much.

G. Prytkova: Good evening, Vladimir Vladimirovich!

Gayane Prytkova, entrepreneur.

But I'm not talking about finances. I work in the food retail industry-we feed our beloved Chukchi people. I also study, practice and teach yoga in Anadyr.

Therefore, the question is sporty. We know that you were professionally engaged in judo, sambo, and karate. Q: Do you currently have time in your busy schedule to find time to exercise?

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Yes, of course. I do this every day for at least two hours.

G. Prytkova: Quite a lot.

Vladimir Putin: Yes, well, approximately, a little more happens. Because there's a gym, a swimming pool, a shower, all this together – two and a half hours.

You just need to make it a part of your life. Not necessarily two hours, but at least an hour, at least half an hour is necessary, of course. But everyone should know that they should take the time to do this.

We have certain indicators of what we should achieve in the country: how many people in the country should engage in physical culture and sports. And this is one of the most important social indicators of the development of society.

G. Prytkova: In Chukotka, in Anadyr, a lot of people are engaged in sports.

Vladimir Putin: Very good. But in general, the number of people engaged in physical education and sports on a permanent basis is growing in our country, but we have not yet reached the necessary indicators. We will strive for this thanks to people like you.

G. Prytkova: We will strive.

Vladimir Putin: True, true. This is very important-it is also important from an economic point of view: the more sports, the fewer pills. And you should say "thank you to charging", and not "thank you to tablets".

G. Prytkova: Pharmacology will be dissatisfied.

Vladimir Putin: Nothing, nothing, they will have enough. Pharmacology is an industry that has profit margins similar to drugs. Therefore, they will not be impoverished, everything will be fine – they have something to do.

You are welcome.

Evgeny Vereshchagin: Mr President, the issue of preserving the native languages of the indigenous peoples of Chukotka has already been raised here. We also have a proposal that can be resolved at the federal level. I'm going to read it out now, because I'm afraid I'll miss a word.

Vladimir Putin: Please.

Evgeny Vereshchagin: We believe that it is necessary to simplify the procedure for including textbooks on the native languages of small peoples of the North in the list of textbooks recommended for teaching by the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, since the preparation of textbooks stretches for years, and during this time federal educational standards are changing, and all work must begin again. This is the first one.

And the second. At the federal level, we have a state-funded institution called the Federal Institute of Native Languages of the Peoples of the Russian Federation. I would like to involve the institute, so that the institute pays attention to preserving the native languages of Chukotka. We really need methodological and scientific help in preserving our native languages.

Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: Well, thank you. This is a concrete proposal – we will definitely work on it. I will definitely talk to Sergey Kravtsov. I think that these technical issues are quite solvable.

Evgeny Vereshchagin: Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: Please, please.

Dmitry Yudin: Mr President, I'm talking about the members of the Free Trade Association again. At the very least, I have two comrades who can't get the [ID] of a combat veteran. One friend who voluntarily went there in 2021, before the start of the SVO…

Vladimir Putin: To the Donbas?

Dmitry Yudin: Yes.

Vladimir Putin:Did you fight in the 1st and 2nd corps? Where?

Dmitry Yudin: I honestly don't know where, but he came back with a shell-shocked wound…

Vladimir Putin: I understand.

Dmitry Yudin: He has many awards, but they don't give him a combat veteran.

Vladimir Putin: Because he got these injuries before the start of the CW, right?

Dmitry Yudin: Yes, in 2021.

Vladimir Putin: This is the first one. And secondly, he was not a member of the Armed Forces – he was a volunteer.

Dmitry Yudin: Yes, he was a volunteer.

Vladimir Putin: That's why it doesn't fall into these categories. They should all be equated with those people who defend the interests of the Motherland with weapons in their hands even now. I have already given such an instruction to the Ministry of Defense, and they should finalize it. If you haven't finalized it, they will definitely update it. And for a specific person, give me their details.

Dmitry Yudin: All right.

And I have another friend – they practically left with us, returned later-who also can't get a combat veteran. For some reason, they keep refusing him.

Vladimir Putin: It's not clear. I have to look at a specific case. Okay? Just give me the data. We will definitely solve everything.

Dmitry Yudin: All right. Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: And your first comrade – in-arms falls into the category when the SVO did not start-it did not start, so there were no benefits at that time. And when he got injured, it all started, they started giving him benefits, and he was no longer there.

All the same: all people who defend Russia with weapons in their hands should be put on an equal footing. We will finalize this without fail. Give me specific data on it.

Dmitry Yudin: All right. Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: This also applies to the first two corps of the LPR, DPR, and the guys who fought there, I know. Recently, I spoke only with their leadership, with the command.

You are welcome.

R. Salashny: Hello, Vladimir Vladimirovich!

My name is Salashny Roman, I am a physical education teacher at school.

I have such a question. You recently said that as a 4th-class carpenter, you know how to make windows. My question is: what other professions do you have?

Vladimir Putin: Look, I got this 4th grade in the student squad when I was working in the Komi ASSR. Everything was very simple there: in order to pay us a certain amount of money – and at that time it was decent, we earned somewhere under a thousand rubles-we had to charge this money, and in order to receive it, we had to have a rank. So we were assigned the corresponding categories. I can't say that I got a very serious qualification there, but formally I had such a category.

And so, in my life everything is simple, my biography is well known: school, university, law, Leningrad State University, today-St. Petersburg State University. Then a special school of the KGB of the USSR, then special training in the line of illegal intelligence, then a special school in the line of legal intelligence. It is now called the university, or Academy of Intelligence. Then he defended his dissertation, when he was already working as a citizen, in economics, candidate of Economic Sciences.

R. Salashny: Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Please.

D. Kloss: Denis Kloss, Head of the Trauma Department, District Hospital.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, professional activity is sometimes so draining that it can completely empty a person. I will tell you sincerely, without any irony: I can't even imagine what kind of responsibility and burden you sometimes carry.

I can't even imagine that you usually rest, as you say, just a few days a year. To recover in these few days… I know that you do not do this fully, as we all rest for the full duration of our vacation. At the same time, you look great, you are active, you have completely adequate and understandable thoughts.

How do you recover? Do you have a personal methodology? I understand – sports, I understand – people inspire you in our country, but I think there is still some personal secret of yours.

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: You know the famous joke about this: "How do you relax?" "I don't strain myself." (Laughter.)

But this, of course, is not true, because life makes you tense up. You know, I rarely, but still meet with my classmates, classmates, and they often look at me and say: "I don't believe it's you or not you?" Do you know what's going on? A person himself does not always understand how he will behave when he finds himself at a certain level of responsibility.

You've just performed, but we don't know you. But how would you personally behave if you found yourself, I don't know, at the level of the general director of a large enterprise, or the head of a region, or at the level of the head of a representative office somewhere? Of course, a lot depends on the society where each person grew up, on the family first of all-everything depends on the family. There are people sitting next to you, they have six children. What is the atmosphere in which these children live and are brought up? What do they put in their children? And this happens from generation to generation.

Now I won't go into details, but I remember my mother's stories, for example, about how her mother, my grandmother, reacted to certain of her actions when she was still a little girl, she was seven years old. When she drove the beggar away, and the grandmother says: "You what? Catch up, bring it back, feed it." They put me to bed, fed me in the morning – and sent me away. Do you understand? And we have it from generation to generation, it is our genetic code of our multinational people. So it develops over the years.

Or I've read my grandfather's letters, and I've already talked about it. He wrote a letter to his son in the active army. A simple Russian person, a peasant-writes with errors, but addresses his son as "you". Do you understand the level of internal culture? There he tells how his grandmother died, his wife, the bullet hit, how she died in his arms and how he punishes his son to beat the Nazis. This is a household letter. Reading this, I realized that it is impossible to defeat such a people. This is a household item. And we have it from generation to generation, from generation to generation.

Of course, there are specific features of each person: psychological features, health features, and so on. But in general, when a person gets to a certain level of responsibility – he, of course, either copes or does not, but in general-when a person gets to this level, he opens up certain opportunities that were not seen before, and no one saw them, but they are there. I am sure that you and everyone here have it, the vast majority of people do, if it is not connected with certain health restrictions, but even people who have health restrictions, their internal creative potential can be enormous.

You need to love what you're doing. I love.

D. Kloss: Thank you.

S. Kutegina: I forgot to introduce myself. Svetlana Kutegina, Museum Center "Heritage of Chukotka".

When was the last time you visited the museum?

Vladimir Putin: Not so long ago.

S. Kutegina: And what is it?

Vladimir Putin: I'll tell you now.

S. Kutegina: And what is your favorite Russian museum?

Vladimir Putin: These are my relatives – the Hermitage, the Russian Museum. I was born there, grew up there, and spent quite a lot of time in these interiors. The advantages of Soviet schools were that they still gave children the opportunity to get acquainted en masse with works of art in our collections.

The last time I visited the museums of Pavlovsk, Pushkin, eto Tsarskoe Selo, and Petrodvorets together with my colleagues from the CIS was just recently, before the New Year.

S. Kutegina: Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: That's it, shall we finish it? Yes, please.

G. Kosov: Hello again! I already told you.

Now in Russia, in Chukotka, there are a lot of volunteer groups and volunteers. We weave networks, raise funds, and produce 3D-printed products for the front. Please tell me, is it possible to take any measures on a national scale to support volunteers, because they really do a lot of important work?

Vladimir Putin: We're doing this. Don't you think it's enough? Let's strengthen it. Volunteers perform an extremely important task. It is, of course, very important in the material sense: nets are woven, socks are knitted, and so on. Now I was also told at a meeting with family members of our guys who, unfortunately, were killed in the course of solving combat tasks. I met them at Christmas: my children, their wives, their widows.

What do the participants in this process say? "We have a lot of women," they say, " who are already of retirement age, who work with children, knit nets, and do other things. Do you know, "they say," what's interesting?" I say: "What?" – " They sit, these grandmothers, they say: it is necessary that, of course, everything ends, our victory ends, but this community remains, when we feel that we are in demand, we work with children, they need us, they look at us, we tell them knowledge – and not only knowledge, but also your life experience."

You see, this deep Russia, it is so stirred up, and it is yielding results, not least thanks to the work of volunteers. We will do everything we can to support them.

G. Kosov: My colleagues from the Ueltsy – Frontu group also wanted to mention that some group administrators sometimes receive threats. And volunteers also ask that the help of industrial enterprises also sometimes be provided.

Vladimir Putin: Fine. I will also see how to help from this side. I heard it. Fine.

G. Kosov: Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: As for threats, they are sitting there, behind the cordon, but they work widely, often sending everything to everyone through automatic systems. It doesn't scare us. Let them think about themselves there, what they will eat tomorrow, what to wear, what to eat and what to move around on. They all have problems through the roof, not even comparable to our problems. Even Europe's leading economies are going through hard times. We have an increase, and they have a fall. Let's not talk about it now, these are the details. We do not rejoice, do not scoff, but the fact remains. And he's like this: it turned out that their dependence on us is greater than ours on them.

And most importantly, what we have shown to ourselves and the whole world is also important, that Russia is a self-sufficient country in every sense of the word, strong and moving forward, confidently looking forward. This is the most important result of last year.

You are welcome. Finishing up?

Alexander Borunov: One more question.

Vladimir Putin: Please, please.

Alexander Borunov: Thank you.

The question actually came up all of a sudden, but I've been thinking about it for a long time. The fact is that now we have a lot of good films being made in Russia, which is probably due to the state's message in educating generations, and in addition to films, since I have many children, of course, there are a lot of good cartoons being made.

But the question is this. We were all born here in the Soviet Union, I think, and there are so many beautiful Soviet cartoons, so many Soviet films, that we watch them every New Year a million times and cry. I want these films and cartoons to be freely available to people. Because now there is a situation that it is not always possible to find Soviet films or cartoons in good quality. That is, they are not restored, only the most famous ones appear in the CD, and there are a lot of films and cartoons.

Vladimir Putin: Well, the Ministry of Culture is working on this. I will definitely talk to the Minister, Olga Borisovna [Lyubimova].

We are doing this, we support Soyuzmultfilm actively, and we support animation in general. Several times and a few years ago I met with people who are now actively engaged in this. Of course, we need to support them, and we will continue to do so.

But as for the availability of Soviet cartoons, this is somewhat unexpected for me. I thought that there were no problems here at all, now it's all so developed on the Internet. I think I pressed the button and got everything I needed. I don't even understand what the problem is. However, if you're talking about it, it means it exists.

A. Borunov: Yes, there is a problem with the quality of cartoons that are freely available. Modern children love a beautiful picture, bright. Therefore, all these foreign blockbusters, foreign cartoons are very attractive, and they take away children's attention.

Vladimir Putin: I understood.

A. Borunov: You can make and restore old Soviet cartoons very efficiently, and they will be better.

Vladimir Putin: Fine. They're better as it is. True, you watch modern cartoons of Western production, everything is shooting, jumping, running, and in half an hour the head falls off from this film. How do children survive this alone?

Our Soviet cartoons, of course, are of a completely different quality, they have a completely different emotional and aesthetic impact on the emerging person, you are absolutely right. I'll take a look, and we'll definitely talk to Olga Borisovna.

All. I want to thank you. I want to wish you all the best. I want to congratulate you on the upcoming New Year.

And all the questions that we discussed with you, they will all be marked, we will work on all of them. And now we will have a separate conversation with the head of the region, we will look more specifically, in a generalized order, in a generalized sense.

Thank you very much. Enjoy the day.

Some excellent autobiographical information provided by Mr. Putin is one of the surprises I mentioned above. The others have surfaced before, the president getting personally involved in solving citizen’s problems being one. There were some important revelations regarding Russianness. The talk with the region’s head and some looks at Anadyr will be continued in part two of this since there’s not enough room remaining to accommodate it all.

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