Putin Visits Beslan and its Region

City of Angels Memorial Cemetery in Beslan

On his way North from Azerbaijan, President Putin made several stops before finally landing in Chechnya. The first stop was the Agro 07 horticultural farm in the village of Germenchik in Kabardino-Balkaria, where he and portions of his staff were given a tour of the production and processing part of the facility.

Here’s the Kremlin’s readout:

LLC "Agro 07" Founded in 2007 and specialized in the production and processing of fruits and vegetables, primarily apples. The gardens of the agricultural enterprise are located in two municipal districts of Kabardino-Balkaria on an area of about 200 hectares, the farm It has modern fruit storage facilities. Since 2020, the company has been specializing in and in the cultivation of blueberries, and also produces natural fruit pastila without Sahara.

On a trip The President is accompanied by Head of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic Kazbek Kokov, Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the North Caucasus Federal District Yury Chaika and Minister of Agriculture Oksana Lut. During the visit The agricultural enterprise was explained by its founder Rashid Tumov.

I find it of interest (my ancestors were called citrus ranchers in Southern California) that groves and orchard operations are termed horticultural farms in Russia. There’re more photos of the visit at the above link. The woman accompanying Putin is the current Minister of Agriculture. Putin then met with the Head of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic Kazbek Kokov, who also toured the facility.

There’ve been several meetings of this sort with regional heads that I didn’t report on, but this one is fairly typical:

Vladimir Putin: Kazbek Valeryevich, we met exactly three months ago, and I can imagine what is going on here, how the republic is doing, what it is doing, and what issues you are solving.

But you invited me, I came. First of all, I would like to congratulate you on what is happening in the field of agriculture. Of course, these are very good indicators, a good example for other regions. We have increased the production of fruit and vegetable products by more than eight times, and everything is high-tech: you produce your own storage facilities and packaging. In general, everything is on a full cycle, great.

There are probably some additional questions that we would like to raise or discuss. I ask you to.

To. Kokov: Thank you.

Mr President, first of all, I would like to thank you for your visit today. For the opportunity to once again show how the republic is developing, and for all-round support.

I would like to briefly inform you about the main indicators for the first half of 2024.

If we take industrial production - 115.9, agriculture-103.9, construction-103.8. The volume of investment in fixed assets amounted to 19.6 billion rubles, or 133 percent compared to the same period last year.

Vladimir Putin: It's quite decent, yes, the growth is good.

To. Kokov: And the trends continue.

In the first half of the year, 794,000 tourists visited the republic, or 27.8 percent compared to last year.

Vladimir Putin: That is, an increase of almost 30 percent. Great.

To. Kokov: We are seriously growing thanks to all the programs that are available. Trends in the growth of own income continue. In just seven months of tax and non-tax revenues, we have collected more than 1.8 billion rubles from the plan, or 117 percent of the plan. This is exactly what allows us to solve many social issues.

Of course, the catalyst for economic development is national projects and, accordingly, support for all sectors of the economy. Once again, I would like to express my gratitude for your recent assignments in various fields on the eve of your visit. Thank you.

I would also like to express my gratitude to the Government for its prompt decision-making.

I would particularly like to focus here on the implementation of your decrees on national development goals.

In terms of the dynamics of natural population growth, we are currently ranked seventh. Life expectancy last year was 77.1; this is the fourth indicator in the Russian Federation. We want to reach the target of 80 years by 2030.

In the first five months of this year, the natural increase, if we take it, was 1,167 people. Last year, the birth rate per thousand population was 11. If we take 87% for the Russian Federation, then we also have a positive trend here.

Reduced mortality. Last year, it decreased by 18 percent. Infant mortality also decreased from 4 to 3.6 per thousand people.

What is very positive and pleasing to us is the absence of maternal mortality. This was made possible by the creation of a perinatal center and the organization of the entire maternity care system in general. Every year, thanks to our programs, we make qualitative changes in the provision of medical services.

Of course, our special focus remains on improving people's well-being. Starting from 2021, we will provide an annual increase of 10 percent in public sector pay starting from August 1. Also, since August 1, an increase has been made.

The trend has continued over the past three years to increase real incomes of the population. In the first quarter, real incomes of the population increased by 106.5 percent.

At your initiative, the system of support for families with children is working today. In our republic, these measures cover 150 thousand children today from birth to 17 years. This is a very serious support.

In addition, we have developed our own support measures on your behalf. For the birth of the fifth child, we also provide 500 thousand rubles for improving housing conditions. And more relevant: from September 1, 2024, all large families will be reimbursed for payment in preschool institutions, the so-called parental payment. If you take it in money, it turns out from 1,500 rubles (depending on the municipality) to 1,700 rubles per month for a child. We are also taking other measures to strengthen support for families with children.

As the most important resource for sustainable development in the republic, we see the realization of human potential through the education system, through the upbringing of a socially responsible individual. As I said, we assign a key role to education. Today, the republic is working very hard to improve the infrastructure of educational institutions. Only on September 1, children will go to new schools, six new schools, and six have been completely renovated. If we take students, this is 41 thousand, and in general, 123 thousand children will go to school in the republic on September 1, 13,700 of which are first – graders. This is 1.5 thousand more than last year.

There were questions about the personnel of teachers. Taking into account, let's say, the aging staff, we need 150 teachers annually, but together with the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, a program has been developed, and today we are working hard in this area, and we already have the first results. For the first time this year, we have more teachers under the age of 30 than teachers over 65, and the work continues here. And we provide regional payments to teachers who have prepared prize-winners, winners of various competitions, from 100 to 200 thousand, that is, we also try to make our contribution here.

And, as already mentioned earlier, as Oksana Nikolaevna [Ag Minister] said, not only for agriculture, but in general, working professions have become very popular today. Here, too, we pay special attention to secondary vocational education.

We are currently working on 20 educational institutions of this type, 10 of which are regional. In our country, if we take the ninth grade, half of the ninth grade students chose working professions, and if the eleventh, then every third. We are increasing our targets by 5 percent annually, but we believe that we need to be a little more active here.

We have prepared a project, we have certain areas that are not used today, and we wanted to create a serious campus there specifically for special professional education – we want to have about 5 institutions under one roof, let's say, under a common infrastructure, where more than 5 thousand children will study. We are currently working on these issues with the Ministry of Education.

I would also like to ask you here, Mr President, to give instructions to work out this issue, if there are such opportunities.

In general, I would like to say once again that we have a positive trend in all areas, but once again I would like to sincerely thank you for today's visit and for the support that you are giving me. Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Kazbek Valeryevich, you just spoke about social and demographic issues. I know that you have a pleasant and joyful event in your family – a grandson was born. I would like to congratulate you and wish all the best, health and well-being to all your loved ones and, of course, to your mother and child. I am sure that this will further strengthen your family, and your example, the example of your loved ones, will also influence all this important component in the republic and in our country.

It is good that our demography sphere is developing. We will continue to work on maternity, maternity, and childhood issues, and we will continue the program of building modern medical institutions in this area.

So I congratulate you. All the best."

To. Kokov: Thank you very much. [My Emphasis]

And so it is everywhere in Russia—it’s patriotic to have sex and children—and the benefits for those most productive are quite tangible and noteworthy. It’s not just the national projects either as its the people who make attaining those projects possible.

From that meeting, Putin didn’t need to travel very far to get to Beslan arriving first

at the City of Angels Memorial Cemetery to lay flowers at its two monuments. Here’s another photo of the grounds and the Monument to the fallen soldiers of the special forces of the Alpha and Vympel units:

Yes, Putin’s been doing a lot of wreath laying and church visiting recently. For those unaware, Putin and Russia have directly accused the Outlaw US Empire of being the main “customer” behind the terrorist attack at Beslan school #1 and the entire Chechen conflict. From the memorial cemetery, the next stop was school #1. Here’s the Kremlin’s readout:

At the present time, the school is a memorial complex. On the walls of the gymnasium, where the militants held hostages, photos of the dead were posted. Every year in the first three days of September, the Memory Watch is held here. Around the building erected a frame that protects it from further destruction. On the street there is a memorial plaque with the names of all the victims of the terrorist attack.

Inside the building school is an international cultural and patriotic center for the prevention of Terrorism.

In the course of The President's visits were accompanied by the Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy in the North Caucasus Federal District Yury Chaika, Head of the Republic North Ossetia – Alania Sergey Menyailo. Explanations were given by the head of the municipal of Education "Pravoberezhny District" Soslan Fraev.

Altogether there’re ten photos of Putin’s visit that can be found at the above link.

This year marks the attack’s 20th anniversary. Putin made a stop to inspect the Centre for the Development of Abilities Altair, which is a multidisciplinary children's creativity center opened in Beslan in 2022. The center organizes additional training for children and adolescents from five years to 18 years old. The Kremlin tells us:

Classes are held in three areas: engineering and technical (circles on aircraft modeling, industrial design, IT technologies, Robotics), Natural Science (basics of biology, ecology, agricultural technology) and art (pottery, making national dolls, wood carving).

There’s a three-photo shoot at the above link. Vladimir Putin then met with representatives of the committee of the North Ossetian regional public organization "Association of Victims of Terrorist Acts "Mothers of Beslan" where Putin made a short set of remarks then listened to what the three mother representatives had to say, the latter’s words remaining private.

Vladimir Putin: We are meeting on the eve of the anniversary of a great tragedy for our country, for you personally, and for the families of the victims. In a few days – 20 years of tragic events here in Beslan.

A horrific terrorist attack that claimed the lives of 334 people, including 136 children. It's hard to imagine.

Among our people, you know, they sometimes say these words: you can't wish on the enemy. But our enemy is different, he is not like us, although they seem to have a head and hands. We are well aware that they tried not only to justify this terrible crime from abroad, but also provided all possible assistance to the terrorists: moral, political, informational, financial, and military.

When I talk about the moral and moral side, these people, of course, have no morals or morals – and we are seeing this now, in my opinion, in real life, we can see from the outside what they themselves are doing there. But these people don't really have any morals or morals. There are only their interests. We seem to have known about this for decades and centuries, but it is impossible to get used to it.

Of course, this tragedy will remain an unhealed wound in the historical memory of all of Russia. And for those who have suffered, for you, for your families, for those who have lost the most precious thing that a person has-children-this will be a wound that will bleed all their lives. First of all, I would like to express my condolences once again.

Of course, these days we also remember the soldiers of the special services, the soldiers of the FSB special forces who covered children with their bodies, we remember our dead comrades from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

In previous years, we have tried to help Beslan, we have built a whole program to support the city and the people who live here, and we will certainly continue to do so. I would like to talk to you about what needs to be done in addition.

As for those of our opponents and enemies that I mentioned, they continue this work with an attempt to shake up our country. This is obvious. And just as we fought against terrorists, today we have to fight against those who commit crimes in the Kursk region, in the Donbass, in Novorossiya. But just as we have achieved our goals in the fight against terrorism, we will also achieve these goals in this area, in the fight against neo-Nazism and, of course, punish the criminals. There can be no doubt about that.

As for Beslan, as I have already said, we have built a whole program to support Beslan and the residents of North Ossetia in general. I know that there are some issues that require additional attention. This applies in particular to spa treatment. As far as I understood from the documents that I read when I was on my way to meet you, there are problems related to the fact that women who have children, small children still, cannot use free spa treatment due to the fact that their children do not enjoy the same right, and if they leave their children, they will not be able to do so. if they are not with someone, then the woman herself does not go. We will definitely fix this. [My Emphasis]

IMO, the following words said by Putin don’t get enough amplification by all media:

But our enemy is different, he is not like us, although they seem to have a head and hands. We are well aware that they tried not only to justify this terrible crime from abroad, but also provided all possible assistance to the terrorists: moral, political, informational, financial, and military.

[T]hese people, of course, have no morals or morals – and we are seeing this now, in my opinion, in real life, we can see from the outside what they themselves are doing there … There are only their interests. We seem to have known about this for decades and centuries, but it is impossible to get used to it.

Once Putin makes a point or says something of importance, he doesn’t like to repeat himself, which is why one needs to listen or read very closely to what he says. And that’s completely different from the Western way which is to hammer a soundbite until it screams or pursue a narrative until it’s so disproven it finally collapses on its own. So, Team Putin members find themselves with the task of reiterating Putin. And of course, the people needing to hear the two paragraphs above are those held hostage by Russia’s enemies—the Western public that’s lied to 24/7/365.

The brief conversation with the head of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania Sergey Menyailo at Vladikavkaz centered on the continuing provision of aid to Beslan and the promotion of education within the Republic. And from there, onward via helicopter to Chechnya, first to the Russian University of Special Forces where its Open Championship in tactical shooting among law enforcement units in memory of the First President of the Chechen Republic, Hero of Russia Akhmat-Khadzhi Kadyrov, is soon to begin. Yes, Spetsnaz University is unique as it’s private and is now named after VV Putin. It’s located at Gudermes, about 35Km east of Grozny in Chechnya. Here’s what the Kremlin says about it:

University (Autonomous non-profit organization of additional professional education) It was founded in 2013. This is the first and currently the only private educational institution in Russia for the training of personnel for special forces. The work of the organization is also aimed at the development of high-performance sports and the implementation of programs for military-patriotic and physical education of citizens.

RUS prepares specialists in various disciplines of tactical and special training (fire, tactical-special, airborne, mountain, diver, security, military medical, cynological, engineering, auto training, IT training and military journalism).

The university occupies territory of more than 400 hectares and is a multifunctional complex of 95 buildings and structures, including a tactical city, a shooting complex, a reservoir with an area of two hectares and a depth of ten meters, a runway with a length of 1600 meters.

Since 2022, more than 47 thousand specialists have been trained at the university, who took part in or take part in a special military operation. Of these, almost 19 thousand are volunteers.

Before his short six-minute chat with those assembled, Putin inspected the training complex, watched the classes, and briefly talked with the commanders of special forces, instructors and volunteers who are training here:

Vladimir Putin: Fellow officers!

I know that there are some of you who have come to this center for the first time and will go to the war zone for the first time. There are those who have already been there several times and have state awards. Such medals are equivalent to a star. [Medal] "For bravery" – this medal is given for personal courage.

You know what I want to tell you. Of course, unique conditions have been created here [at the Spetsnaz University] thanks to the head of the Chechen Republic. He is a warrior and a fighter who knows what we live for. We live for the sake of our Motherland – both our small homeland and our big, huge country.

We live in order for it to be strong, for our children and grandchildren to feel confident in their own land, for them to look forward with confidence and always, at all times – despite the fact that our country is complex, multi-religious, multi-ethnic, as Ramzan and I have just traveled and talked about it-but all the peoples of Russia, representatives of different religions and confessions have always had and still have something in common. This is our moral foundation and love for the Fatherland, respect for the elders, for the older generation, respect for our history and our faith in our future.

At different times-the times today are not the best, not the easiest-but at different times, even the most difficult, there were people like you who did not spare themselves for the sake of their Homeland and for the future of our people.

It's very nice to meet you. You are making a difficult decision for yourself. It's one thing to shoot here in a shooting gallery, but it's another thing to put your life and health in danger. But you have an inner need to defend the Fatherland and the courage to make such a decision. If you have made this decision, then you have already won. You've crossed a certain threshold. I would like to congratulate you on this, thank you for your decision of this kind, and wish you good luck from the bottom of my heart.

And as long as we have men like you, we are definitely absolutely invincible.

I wish you the best of luck. [My Emphasis]

There’s no transcript of the conversation (s) between Kadyrov and Putin, although Putin admitted they did talk. And they certainly conversed some more as they then departed for the village of Akhmat-Yurt, Kurchaloi district, to lay flowers at the grave of Akhmat Kadyrov, the first president of the Chechen Republic. The tombs are of a sort I’ve never seen before. There’re more photos here. The man in the white robe is Akhmat Kadyrov's cousin Khozh-Akhmed Kadyrov.

And so a very busy day for President Putin and staff comes to a conclusion in Chechnya’s friendly confines. I don’t recall having reported so many events happening in a single day. Nor do I recall Putin visiting as many memorials in one day—three altogether. Meanwhile, the combat rages on in the SMO and ATO zones. At some point, those without morals will finally be defeated and Humanity can get on with living and developing in peace—may it come sooner rather than later.

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