Putin's Last Far Eastern Stop: Meeting Entrepreneurs in Khabarovsk

Not as big a crowd as most investment meetings. The talk lasted just over two hours.

Before At the beginning of the meeting, the President got acquainted with the presentation of the implementation of the long-term plans for the socio-economic development of the cities of the Far East, hosted by Pacific National University. Unfortunately, the photos accompanying that visit don’t show very much of the exhibits.

Pacific National University from overhead.

A portion of Khabarovsk. And another below.

In connection to the conversation the previous day, Putin visited an animation studio that produces Russian anime films, one being a celebrity within Russia, Nevelskoy, of which there’re photos but no conversational text or video. But the main business was to meet with the region’s entrepreneurs and the regional governor. The moderator of the meeting is Alexey Repik, Chairman of the All-Russian Public Organization "Business Russia."

Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon!

It's beautiful here, it's bright, the sun is shining, the weather is wonderful.

A. : This, Mr Putin, is because the year 2024 has arrived, and the bright holiday of Christmas has just passed in our country. I congratulate everyone – you, of course, and all our entrepreneurs.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

Alexey Repik: It's really bright, maybe because TOGU is an entrepreneurial type of university, and that's why entrepreneurs come here, and everything is somehow different here at once…

Vladimir Putin: They charge it.

A. Repik: They charge you with energy.

First of all, of course, I can't think about anything until I thank you for taking the time to meet us here today. Because 10 years have passed since the launch of the Far East development program, we are celebrating an anniversary year, and it is very great that its business agenda is, in fact, being opened by your visit.

Vladimir Putin: I'm sorry to interrupt. You know, I remember the beginning of these programs and I remember that the mood was sour, because we said: now we will do this, we will do this, we will develop shipbuilding there, this and that… But everything has such inertia, it was so hard to take the first steps. People have been waiting, and nothing seems to be happening, but still, the movement has already become noticeable in the Far East, and this is very encouraging, thanks primarily to people like you who are actively involved in this work.

Alexey Repik: Indeed, this is probably what happened in our minds, because in 2013 you said that the development of the Far East is our priority for the entire 21st century. Then, by the way, we spent the New Year here in Khabarovsk – for less pleasant reasons… But somehow after that, in 2024, everything was launched, and the program for advanced development of the Far East, which, of course, was created and implemented largely thanks to the fantastic work of the team of Yuri Petrovich [Trutnev]. Everyone knows this, I don't praise anyone here without doing something, but everyone present here said: what good guys they are.

Well done – everyone, it's true. Both those who made the program and those who began to participate in this program. Because up to this time, perhaps, the mood was not very good. Vladimir Vladimirovich, you are absolutely right to point out that if we also go back to the 90s, then in general, in principle, there was such a logic that there was nothing to do here, nothing to catch. Don't be offended, representatives of the fishing industry, everything was fine here even in the 90s, but some people went abroad, some went to central Russia, the most persistent ones passed a kind of positive selection and stayed here, and after the program started in 2014, many got a chance realize your dream, your ideas.

And today, of course, it is impossible to accommodate all those who participate in the development program and all entrepreneurs here, but each of the participants of today's meeting has something to be proud of.

Since we have 10 years, I believe that entrepreneurs can sum up such a small intermediate result for themselves, and for the seed, so that there is something to reflect on for the speakers, I would like to identify, as it seems to me, three leitmotivs of the next round of development of what will or may be in the next 10 years. It's literally quite short.

First, and this, I think, has become obvious to everyone that the Russian economy is a very, very resilient creature that can adapt, but most importantly, it is growing and developing at a speed that even surprises us. If you look at our preliminary forecast for this year, the growth [will be] 3.5 percent of GDP. This is significantly more than the global average. But analysts of Delovaya Rossiya, for example, believe that now we will calculate everything and by the end of the year it will definitely be more than four percent growth.

Vladimir Putin: More than four?

A. Repik: More than four. We'll see, of course, but…

Vladimir Putin: Maybe so. As Mikhail Vladimirovich [Mishustin] told me before leaving here, we always thought it would be 2.1 percent in 2022, but in fact it turned out to be 1.2 [percent]. So that…

A. Repik: Fear has big eyes.

Vladimir Putin: The bill goes on constantly, so maybe there will be more GDP growth.

A. Repik: Let's see. This is one time.

Now look, Mr President, what this leads to. We are the first economy in Europe in terms of purchasing power parity, we are the fifth economy in the world, and the gap between us and Japan is so small that if we maintain this growth rate or even, in principle, move smoothly forward, we will overtake Japan soon.

Vladimir Putin: Yes, this is an amazing result. It seems that we are being strangled and squeezed from all sides, and we have become the first in Europe in terms of the economy as a whole, we have overtaken Germany and taken the fifth place in the world: China, the United States, India, Japan, and Russia. In Europe-number one.

Alexey Repik: To be honest, I wouldn't bet on the Japanese right now, with any odds.

Vladimir Putin: Why not?

A. Repik: Because we will definitely overtake them.

Vladimir Putin: Japan, like many European economies, is a high-tech economy. In terms of purchasing power parity, we have overtaken the whole of Europe, but per capita we still have to try. Therefore, there is something to work on here.

Alexey Repik: The main thing is that we should have more people. Today, one of our speakers will definitely talk about this.

What does this mean for you, for your business? On the one hand, the economy is growing rapidly, on the other hand, the share of imports is still large, more than 20 percent of the economy – 21-22 [percent], I don't remember, but this is 33 trillion rubles, I remember the figure, this is import.

Vladimir Putin: 33 trillion rubles?

A. Repik: 33 trillion rubles. And now look, colleagues: 33 trillion rubles, and if you also look at how much the Far East buys in total from Central Russia, then the market capacity is very impressive. Undoubtedly, there is something to think about investing for.

Now the second leitmotif. Our foreign economic vector has actually turned to the east. This is no longer just a declaration, it just happened. And the growing economies of Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and, of course, our main foreign economic partner, the People's Republic of China, cannot be ignored.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, together with the President of the People's Republic of China, you set the goal of achieving a trade turnover of $ 200 billion.

Vladimir Putin: In 2024.

A. Repik: Yes. Last fall, we completed this task. I don't know how much there will actually be – 230-240 [billion], but it looks like something like that.

By the way, it is typical that out of these 240 billion rubles, I think that 90 percent plus of all trade takes place in national currencies. Therefore, these dollars are rather a historical vestige that we have kept for ourselves as a reference point, in fact, it is already the ruble, the yuan. That is why the volume of possible exports here is really so impressive.

And the third. Vladimir Vladimirovich, we were supposed to show the master plan of Khabarovsk right now. I don't know, did you show me?

Vladimir Putin: Yes, very interesting.

Alexey Repik: First of all, other Far Eastern cities represent not only a completely new quality of environment and quality of life for citizens, but also huge business opportunities. That's why we need to build all this stuff, then put it in order, and we need it to function beautifully.

I walked along the boulevards here and realized that the prospects even in Khabarovsk – oh, oh, oh! - very interesting.

Vladimir Putin: Why "even in Khabarovsk"? The first time, or what?

Alexey Repik: This is my first time in Khabarovsk. I usually fly to the Vladivostok Forum.

Vladimir Putin: To Vladivostok.

A. Repik: Everything seems to be clear there. Here in Khabarovsk – wow! In general, I liked it in Khabarovsk.

You know, Mr Putin, so these three points, these three blocks for everyone here, I think, will somehow be a new motive, a new idea, why to try to expand your investments. Because everyone here in the Far East is already investing, and everyone here is investing successfully. Many people are thinking about expanding their ambitions.

Vladimir Putin: and you? And your company?

Alexey Repik: Mr President, I'll tell you later if you have a moment, not in front of the camera.

You know, it's always nice to invest money at home, at home. Moreover, it seems to me that Russian business has received such a vaccination against investment abroad, and it will last for decades. I also say this from my own experience. That's why-at home, you said: at home, it should be done.

Vladimir Putin: I've been saying this for a long time.

Alexey Repik: We remember everything.

Therefore, our task now is to turn on an even higher speed, a higher gear, and accelerate. The time to be timid has already passed, you need to be brave, brave.

If you don't mind, I'd like to give our first bold speaker, the brave, the floor.

Vladimir Putin: Yes, I'm sorry. I know that entrepreneurs are specific, businesslike people, and I am interested in what is happening here and what will happen in the near future. But if you have any broader suggestions, please include ideas about how people who do business and live here, how your loved ones live, and so on. If you have any perspective, interesting suggestions, it would be very much in demand, I would be grateful to you for it. And, of course, current issues, of course, of course.

Alexey Repik: Colleagues, you have heard Vladimir Vladimirovich yourself, so now I think you should once again reassemble in your head what is so intimate that it is boiling and waiting to be voiced, put it all together and tell us about it.

And why Nikita starts, I can honestly say that, first of all, Nikita is always deprived of the alphabet. The surname is Yakovlev, so it's always the last one in the alphabet. I decided to correct this injustice, and then I also found out that Nikita was not only one of the first to visit us, the Technonicol Far East company went to the Khabarovsk TOP, and Nikita is also a graduate of the Pacific State University, so everything worked out, the stars are shining in this direction.

Please, Nikita.

Nikolai Yakovlev: Thank you very much. Very pleasant.

Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, Colleagues! Good afternoon!

I represent the company "Technonicol Far East", we are manufacturers of building materials, located in Khabarovsk, one of the first residents of the TOP "Khabarovsk" since 2016, members of the construction cluster. By the way, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the preferential treatment in the Far East.

Vladimir Putin: Do they really help?

N. Yakovlev: They help. Special thanks to you for supporting the initiative to create an industrial and construction cluster. In my opinion, I think everyone here will confirm that this has really accelerated the development of the economy of the Far East. We are already seeing more and more building materials manufacturers being localized here, and even here, at the meeting, I see colleagues: Artem Savchenko is the production of finishing panels, Lev Gorilovsky is the production of plastic pipes.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, I would like to support Alexey Repik in saying that the master plans for the development of cities in the Far East that have already been adopted really open up great prospects for the development of the construction industry. This means that we will need more quality materials and professional companies here in the Far East. There is still a lot of traffic coming from the central part of the country. Although it is expensive, there are traditionally problems with the capacity of the railway, and we, as local producers, feel this very well for ourselves. Therefore, the first suggestion, Mr Putin, is that we should take a comprehensive look at this situation and expand the scope of the industrial and construction cluster, in fact, to the entire construction industry-from designers and developers to manufacturers of components that are required for the production of building materials. In addition, as it was already correctly said, we have a huge Asian market nearby, and we can easily increase the share of non-primary exports due to the fact that we are localizing and will continue to localize production here.

However, this raises a big question of expensive logistics, which is always the case in the Far East. We have quite a lot of experience in export shipments, although the volumes are still far from our targets.

Let me give you one example. One of our materials – mineral thermal insulation-is better in quality than its Chinese counterparts, the cost is lower, but, unfortunately, expensive logistics "eats up" everything. To deliver from Khabarovsk to China, we need to make a detour to the border crossings of Primorsky Krai or to Blagoveshchensk – this is an additional 700 kilometers. This, of course, leads to a rise in price, especially this product, it is quite voluminous.

Yes, we have a Pokrovka – Zhaohe border crossing in the Far East, but it is not year-round, it operates seven to eight months a year (ferry crossing), and for logistics, rhythm is still very important. Therefore, the second suggestion, Vladimir Vladimirovich: I think it is very important to develop regional logistics to reduce the delivery shoulder, especially since we have such opportunities. I am convinced that this will allow regional businesses to be more competitive in the Chinese market.

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Alexey Yevgenyevich [Repik] has already outlined some things. What I would like to add to what you just said. First of all, construction materials in general are a very important industry for Russia as a whole, but for the Far East, with the pace of construction and construction plans, this is doubly or perhaps triple important.

That is why, in my opinion, at the Eastern Economic Forum in 2021, we decided to create this cluster for construction materials in Khabarovsk, taking into account the proposals of your colleagues. I am very pleased that it is developing. I believe that 19 enterprises are already registered and operating there, and some of them are represented here, as you said.

As for logistics,of course, this should definitely be done. Why take it somewhere out there in Primorsky Krai or Blagoveshchensk? Of course, it should be done. The Governor and I will discuss it now at a separate meeting. I won't go into details now, but I fully agree with you on exactly what you should do, especially since you have competitive advantages over our partners in China. I am sure that the people there are smart, they will take it if the product is of good quality, and even cheaper it turns out.

If there is a mark-up due to logistics, it should be removed. We need to talk about what areas can be used to expand these logistics points, checkpoints, and what can be done…

N. Yakovlev: That's a good suggestion.

Vladimir Putin: Yes, yes, yes. And develop accordingly. We also have corresponding benefits provided for logistics companies there, so all this needs to be done. I totally agree.

I know there are specific suggestions here. Now I just won't say it out loud, but they are available in specific areas, on specific points. We will do it, and we will definitely help you.

Alexey Repik: Mr President, in continuation of your response to Nikita's question. We have an expert here, probably the best, who is familiar with all the nuances of Far Eastern logistics, this is Vadim Filatov, founder of the "First Forwarding Company". Of course, the longer the shoulder, maybe the better, they carry-every kilometer is an extra ruble, as they say, but they are patriots and therefore understand that income is income, but the main thing is that the country competes successfully. And all the more so, the turnover, well, it's a sin to hide here, has begun, at least here, in the Far East, to grow very noticeably for our logisticians.

Vladimir Putin: Please. You are welcome.

Vladimir Filatov: Thank you.

Good afternoon, Vladimir Vladimirovich!

As Alexey has already said, the whole country has turned to the Eastern training Ground, the Far East is growing, and this determines the prospects for the development of our region.

The business atmosphere between Chinese and Russian entrepreneurs is growing, and we are building momentum. As we have already said today, we have exceeded the target of 200 billion set by you, and there are still great prospects ahead. We would like to increase the volume of exports, and preferably non-primary exports.

International logisticians and automobile companies that are currently working are always looking ahead and would not like to be a problem for our economy. We would not like to slow down cargo turnover between our countries, but we have some questions.

We have some infrastructure issues. The lack of multimodal storage facilities on the territory adjacent to international automobile checkpoints, and we have 24 checkpoints on the Russian-Chinese border – is a real deterrent. Outdated warehouse infrastructure means an immediate increase in delivery times, an immediate increase in the cost of transportation, and an inefficient use of insufficient human resources.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, to be honest, there are absolutely not enough warehouses in the surrounding areas. Not like the class "A" or "A+", the class " G " can not be found.

Vladimir Putin: Please tell us what you need to do. Let's do it together. I completely agree with you, this logistics is necessary. Here you say: "Extra kilometers – extra money." But they can also engage in this business, and their revenues will not fall, on the contrary, they will increase, because this is a better service, more comprehensive.

Let's. The governor where?

V. Filatov: We suggest considering the following options:…

Vladimir Putin: Of course, we will help, and I fully agree with you. Just as the previous speaker spoke about his problems, this is a very close topic.

Vladimir Filatov: We need to develop support measures for the construction of warehouse complexes on the territory adjacent to international checkpoints.

Vladimir Putin: But we have them, there is a whole chain there, there is a whole set. What exactly would you need to raise and develop this topic?

Vladimir Filatov: We want all transitions to be TORI.

Vladimir Putin: That is, give them such a regime, right? These are not crosswalks, but logistics centers.

Vladimir Filatov: Yes, yes, yes, international automobile checkpoints. So that there is preferential lending, if possible, as in hotels.

Vladimir Putin: I understand, I understand. But the hotels there are also changing something, let's talk more about it, but in general-why not, it's possible. It is clear that this will require additional decisions on the part of the Government and the Ministry of Finance. Let's agree, we have good contacts with you, so…

Vladimir Filatov: Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: But everything is good in moderation, of course. We need to look at what is the most promising priority. Why not? In principle, the set is clear, what and how, what tools can be used, what benefits are in the TORI, they are all registered there. Together with the governor, we will think about it and talk to the Government.

This is correct, I fully agree, and it is necessary to decide on checkpoints and logistics centers.

Vladimir Filatov: Thank you, Mr President.

A. Repik: The word "hotel" flashed through here, and I immediately saw Pavel Zalpin. Pavel invites us all to Sakhalin. There are already two hotels in this mountain fresh air, and now, as I understand it, Pavel is planning to launch a completely new project in the field of hospitality. If you tell us about it, it will be great.

Pavel Zalpin: Good afternoon, Mr Putin.

A few words about myself. I was born and raised in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, and went to study at the Moscow University of Civil Engineering. After graduation, I decided to return to Sakhalin, because there were many interesting tasks for self-realization and the opportunity to contribute to the development of my native region.

Separately, we would like to thank you for your large-scale, well-thought-out and timely support, which launched a real boom in the development of domestic tourism. Thanks to the mechanism of the territory of advanced development, the program of concessional lending to tourism, our family managed to build two hotels in the Sakhalin mountain air. I would like to take this opportunity to invite everyone present to visit us. Come, we are glad to see you.

Here in the mountains, you can breathe very easily, incredibly easily, and in the fresh mountain air, your appetite is whetted with a vengeance. I want not only to spend time on the slopes, but also to eat delicious food and have a good rest after skiing. That's why we decided to launch a large-scale investment project to create a modern gastronomic space. Imagine 21 culinary concepts, a wine shop with Russian wine, of course, a restaurant, a children's club. And all this right next to the entrance group of Mountain Air.

Vladimir Putin: Let's get ready and go right now.

Pavel Zalpin: Yes, I sell.

Vladimir Putin: That's what I figured out.

Pavel Zalpin: We would like to thank the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation and Maxim Reshetnikov: last year, a decision was taken on the 141st decree of the Government of the Russian Federation to include in the program of concessional lending not only hotels, but also objects related to the infrastructure of ski resorts with an annual attendance of at least 450 thousand people. Facilities like ours really increase the attractiveness of ski resorts. After all, people can't spend all their time on lifts and descents, so we believe that our object should also be classified as an infrastructure. In addition, it is an investment project that is not easy to implement.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, we ask you to instruct the Ministry of Economic Development not to ignore projects like ours. Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: First of all, it is great that you have returned to the Far East, Sakhalin, after studying in Moscow, and you are implementing yourself here. But as I understand it, you like what you do, and you are successful. Moscow is a good city, there are many opportunities there, but there are none, but here you have them, on Sakhalin, and you are doing well. Great. I congratulate you on this. First.

Second. This program for the development of domestic tourism, support for the construction of hotels, especially "three" and "four stars", it works and gives results. I understand you've already built two hotels, right?

Pavel Zalpin: Yes.

Vladimir Putin: Are these public catering facilities not included in the benefits system?

Pavel Zalpin: At this stage, there are no clear criteria set out in the resolution, so we will apply now.

Vladimir Putin: We have extended this to other sites, not only hotels, but also mountain tourism clusters, ski resorts, and so on. But if these benefits do not apply, and there is construction, in my opinion, from 3 to 5 percent (now the situation there has changed due to a change in the key rate, but still it can not exceed 30 percent of the key rate of the Central Bank), but if public catering facilities are not included in this system of benefits, then, of course, you need to "fasten" them there. You are absolutely right here, because this is certainly part of the whole complex, a significant part. I do not know whether they forgot or assumed that this is a profitable part, but I agree with you. We will definitely work in the Government, I will ask my colleagues to mark it, and we will work with the Government.

I am on your side, I believe that it is quite possible and necessary to do this, we need to support it, especially in the Far East, of course.

Pavel Zalpin: Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

How much does your stay cost per day?

P. Zalpin: At the hotel?

Vladimir Putin: At the hotel. You're inviting us, we have to count everything.

Pavel Zalpin: We have different segments. The most democratic – about four and a half thousand.

Vladimir Putin: Per day?

Pavel Zalpin: Yes.

Vladimir Putin: How does this compare to your other competitors?

P. Zalpin: This is a good suggestion. Yes, our workload is quite good, about 80 percent per year. People like it.

Vladimir Putin: And when is the peak season?

P. Zalpin: Right now, it's the ski season.

Vladimir Putin: Do they ride?

P. Zalpin: But we are striving, a strategic project, to make it all work for us all year round. We really hope that there will be smoothed peaks.

Vladimir Putin: Yes, yes, I see.

We will definitely work on it. The right suggestion and a reasonable one, I think. Let's work together.

Alexey Repik: I can say that it probably wasn't the Ministry of Economic Development that forgot. The point here is that I don't think there were any such projects on such a large scale that such a huge gastrocort could be made at a ski resort right away.

Vladimir Putin: No, of course not. They talked about what: there are no three-star hotels, that's what they don't have. They gave me benefits and money, that's all. And when the projects have started, the problems grow by themselves. Naturally, this is absolutely normal. We will work and do it.

Alexey Repik: I also brought my skis here just in case, so I'll try to fly to Sakhalin and see. In general, they say that Sochi is not inferior in any way. We will check what is called.

In fact, there was already one leitmotif from everyone, namely that subsidizing CAPEX, subsidizing the rate – in fact, the element that allows you to make bold investment decisions faster. And even if now, conditionally, the basic business plan does not beat, taking this into account... Here the figure "1818" sounds, I think, more often than any other figure-this is, in fact, a decree that helps subsidize loans, rates on loans for investment here in the Far East.

That is why we have here Andrey Bezverkhov from Nakhodka, from the south of the Far East. Tell us, Andrey, what is bothering you.

Alexander Bezverkhov: Hello, Mr President!

Thank you very much for the opportunity to speak here at our meeting.

Yes, I was born in Nakhodka, but I came to study in Khabarovsk and, like our first speaker Nikita, I graduated from the institute and stayed here in Khabarovsk for further work.

I represent the Avangard PLC company, which is a resident of the TOP, and we have been successfully implementing projects to create a production and logistics infrastructure since 2014.

One example is the Avangard private industrial park, where a Russian-Japanese greenhouse complex has been built, an industrial refrigerator for food storage, class A warehouses, and production workshops for small and medium-sized businesses have been built. A MegaFon data center is currently under construction.

I would like to express my deep gratitude to Yuri Petrovich and the Ministry for the Development of the Far East and the government of the Khabarovsk Territory for supporting our project from the very beginning of its implementation.

Last year, the Far East Development Corporation provided us with a plot of land for further development, and we, for our part, are ready to continue working on the creation of production and logistics infrastructure facilities. My proposal goes together with what Vadim said earlier – about subsidizing the interest rate.

Until recently, one of the most effective measures of state support for residents of the TOP and SPV was precisely subsidizing the interest rate on investment loans issued for the implementation of projects in the Far Eastern Federal District.

But due to the growth of the Bank of Russia's key rate, the limits under this preferential program, which is regulated by Government Decree No. 1818, were exhausted ahead of schedule, as Alexey Yevgenyevich said. I would like to ask you, Mr Putin, to consider increasing the limits of the preferential lending program for residents of the TOP and SPV in order to implement their projects here in the Far Eastern Federal District.

Vladimir Putin: The Central Bank's key rate in its current form is still temporary. Both the head of the Central Bank says this, and experts say: as issues related to inflation are resolved, with the suppression of inflation, I think this position will change.

But as for increasing the limits or funding banks additionally, this will reduce, if not negate, then reduce the effect of what the Central Bank is doing to suppress inflation. All you're proposing is an increase in the same money supply, so it's certainly theoretically possible to do this, but it goes against the purposes for which the Central Bank's key rate is raised. Let's think about it and talk to the Government about it.

In general, we still give money to the economy on a point-by-point basis at certain benefits. We need to see whether it would be reasonable, given the overall situation in the economy, to give additional funds here, either to increase funding or to increase the amount of subsidies. Nevertheless, we will think about it. OK, I'm not saying no, but I'm so very cautious about it.

Alexander Bezverkhov: Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: In general, the idea is correct, of course, that's clear. Here, a colleague talked about logistics, which is all related to the movement of goods. We understand that. Let's think about it, okay?

Alexander Bezverkhov: Thank you.

Alexey Repik: Mr President, the Russian Far East is a kind of boiling point, not only for volcanoes and geysers, but also for talents of all ages, of course.

Vladimir Putin: As expounds!

Alexey Repik: I tried and thought about it this morning.

I just talked to Alexander Anatolyevich Sapozhnikov, he told me the story of his life, and now, maybe, he will tell us a little bit. A new milestone in life can begin at a very mature age. Until the age of 66, as I understand it, Alexander Anatolyevich had nothing to do with the Far East, and then in one day he changed both his professional specialization and the place where he realized himself. I just moved here and devoted myself to the sea. Accordingly, he is now a fishman.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, will we give Alexander Anatolyevich the floor then?

Vladimir Putin: Of course, of course.

A. Repik: Let him tell us how the fishing industry lives.

Alexander Sapozhnikov: Thank you very much, dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, colleagues, for the opportunity to tell us about the problems and life of sailors of the Far East, fishermen of the Far East.

As Alexey Yevgenyevich said, I was 66 years old, I worked on the construction of the Power of Siberia and was going to have a rest, but I received an offer to go to the Far East, see what it is in general, and improve the state of affairs. Within 15 minutes, the decision was made, and I've been in the Far East for almost six years now.

We had a lot of problems and solved complex tasks. But we belong to the generation that does not know how to feel sorry for itself and for which the main thing is the result, not participation. Therefore, when I arrived here in 2018, there was a company with five vessels, and over the past years the company now has a fleet of forty vessels: nine new vessels have been laid down at Russian shipyards, and they are being built under investment obligations and will be built this year and next.

Vladimir Putin: Under quotas?

A. Sapozhnikov: Under quotas, yes. We are currently considering which shipyards to place six new vessels in. Among other things, our production volumes have now increased seven-fold, and we have grown ten-fold in people. From an ordinary company, we have become one of the industry leaders. It feels good. Therefore, the main thing is not the age, but how you feel and what goals you set.

Vladimir Putin: Gazprom is preparing such personnel!

A. Sapozhnikov: Yes, yes, I'm talking about myself. Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: I'm talking about you, too.

Alexey Sapozhnikov: Thank you very much for your high assessment.

For our part, Mr President, we would also like to thank you for your huge contribution to the development of the fishing industry, which is always on your radar. And this is confirmed by the fact that a large-scale renewal of the fishing fleet is underway, which launches several powerful vessels every year, and as a result, we, the Far Eastern fishermen, caught 4 million tons of fish this year. This is an indicator that did not exist, which is 20 percent more than in 2022. And the main thing that we want is to maintain this dynamic for 2024, including due to the fact that the new fleet that we are building in Russia, which is high-performance, high-tech, helps to solve such problems. That's what we're building it for. So thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: Do shipbuilders handle your orders?

Alexey Sapozhnikov: You know, of course, because of the sanctions, there was a time when we were unable to do anything.…

Vladimir Putin: You're defending them, aren't you?

Alexander Sapozhnikov: I don't defend them, I work with them. There was a moment when we all strained a little (a little – to put it mildly), but we found ways out, found replacements for the Japanese, Americans, and Europeans. I think that in 2024-2025 we will fulfill all our obligations.

There are two questions. The first question is about customs duties. Currently, the import duty on imported fish ranges from zero to 5 percent. Moreover, they bring us artificially grown fish: tilapia, Chilean salmon. And they set similar import duties on our fish in the amount of 10 to 35 percent. It doesn't seem very fair.

In addition, there is an export duty that we set for ourselves, which is 50 percent higher on our fish than the import duty on imported fish. It seems to us that this question is not entirely fair from the point of view of Far Eastern fishermen. We would like you to take a look and help us solve it.

Vladimir Putin: I'll definitely check it out, mark it for myself, and ask my colleagues to mark it. It is simply dangerous to sharply increase the import duty, because the price may jump in the domestic market.

Alexander Sapozhnikov: And here we will tell you more about it.

Vladimir Putin: Come on.

Alexander Sapozhnikov: We have opportunities.

Vladimir Putin: All right, tell me.

Alexander Sapozhnikov: We have the capacity and the volumes that fishermen from the Far East and all over Russia supply to Russian markets will allow us to feed fish to the entire population of Russia and even the neighboring countries, there is no doubt about that.

The only thing that needs to be done, or should be done first – is to reduce the cost of shipping fish from the Far East to Central Russia. Take this example: it costs $ 50 to bring one ton of fish to Europe from the Far East. It costs 150-180 dollars to bring the same fish to the center of the European part of Russia.

Vladimir Putin: But these are again budget expenditures related to subsidizing transportation.

A. Sapozhnikov: This is absolutely true, but if we want the fish on the shelves to "not bite"…

Vladimir Putin: That's why we keep the import duty low, so that we don't have to spend money on subsidizing transportation from the budget and at the same time provide our counters with fish products. But you are right all the same, we have introduced subsidies for the transport of pollock.

A. Sapozhnikov: Yes.

Vladimir Putin: The salmon industry was good, as far as I understand, so you are right in the sense that you should certainly still think about how to provide our stores with your own products, fish products. Let's figure it out, I'll put this question to the Government.

A. Sapozhnikov: You are probably deep in the topic and understand that now both Americans and Europeans do not buy our fillet. That's why we have enough fish.

Vladimir Putin: Yes, yes, I understand.

Alexey Sapozhnikov: These two questions are probably the most basic. I would like to say that we would like to ask you to help us solve these problems. For our part, we promise that this will increase the efficiency and efficiency of the industry.

Well, let me wish you a convincing victory in the elections.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much. Thank you.

thank you.

Alexander Sapozhnikov: Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: But as for your suggestions, you need to calculate everything. This is not the first time I have come across this question, and I have already been told about it in Moscow. I understand that it looks unfair, our import duty is five percent, and even to our friends in China, there are already ten-our products, I understand, but there are even more.

But your offer is all the more important, and you said that we are supplied with artificially grown fish. And this is a completely different quality of the product.

A. Sapozhnikov: Other health of the nation.

Vladimir Putin: I absolutely agree. So here you are right, we will definitely calculate it. I will ask the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Economic Development to do this. We'll definitely take a look.

It's just that we can't make any wrong steps here, because we need these transportation subsidies to work, and then the duties. Or simultaneously synchronize the increase in the duty, because the delivery of…

By the egg, do you see what happened here? They just didn't get their bearings in time. Our production volume has not decreased, but our consumption has increased. In connection with the real disposable income of the population, people's incomes have slightly increased, but still they have started to buy more eggs and chicken meat, and they didn't think about opening imports in time – boom! and prices flew. So you need to be very careful. But in general, you are absolutely right, we will definitely work on it. Okay?

Alexey Sapozhnikov: Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

A. Repik: I was so immersed in the fish, I also felt it so much, that I wanted some kind of wild fish.

Vladimir Putin: By the way, my colleague is right, the taste is completely different.

A. Repik: Absolutely different.

I just want to move on from the wild fish to the home speaker, our Khabarovsk entrepreneur – and, by the way, the coordinator of our "Business Russia" in the Far East, not only in Khabarovsk – Denis Grosu, who is a great patriot of the small motherland, knows everyone and everything here, I think.

Denis, come on. You just put it together.

Dmitry Gros: Alexey, thank you!

Vladimir Vladimirovich! Colleagues, friends, good afternoon!

As Alexey said, I am a native of the Far East, was born, as they say, was baptized, got married, and have lived in Khabarovsk all my life. My beloved wife and I had three children here. By the way, when they found out about our meeting – I can't just say that – they were very enthusiastic and asked me to say hello. So maybe I'll suffer for it, of course, but I'll pass it on.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much. Them, too.

Dmitry Grosz: Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Take the return puck.

Dmitry Grosz: Thank you very much.

Together with our partners, we are implementing projects for the development of the Far East, and I want the children to actually continue doing the same, stay here, maybe returning from some kind of study, like Pasha [Zalpin], but continue to develop the Far East.

As Alexey [Repik] mentioned in his opening speech, the development of the Far East was fraught with difficulties, but in principle, from the very beginning of the development of the Far East, it was the edge of opportunities. This was always clear, and some impulses were needed. Stolypin at one time gave these impulses.

For our generation, without exaggeration, such an impulse was the program of 2013. The entrepreneurs and colleagues present here – many of my friends, by the way-are living success stories that were made possible largely thanks (sometimes even exclusively thanks) to the Far Eastern preferential regimes and the position of the authorities and development institutions, because there is something to compare them with. Objectively, a position aimed at interaction and cooperation is a very effective position, and, colleagues, I would like to sincerely thank you for this, without any false compliments.

Vladimir Putin: It didn't just happen. I would also like to praise my colleagues, both those who have been working since 2013 and those who are now working here. Why, what am I talking about? After all, there is such a (I don't want to scold anyone, our liberals, they do their job, and qualitatively), but the general super-liberal approach: everyone should be put on an equal footing, and the Far East too, as well as the European part. But then the depopulation would have continued here, and nothing would have happened. The conditions are different. Here's a colleague talking about logistics, everything is more expensive, you have to think about it.

Stolypin did his job in those conditions, it was enough to move the peasants, give the land, and the matter is over, that's all. But now life is different, the conditions are different, we need to create them, work on them in a targeted manner. And in general, not everything, probably, but in general it turns out, you just noted it.

Therefore, this is a purposeful work, and not in connection with the latest events, including in the Ukrainian direction, no at all. In 2013, we started again. I am very pleased that step by step, gradually, gradually, but still we are moving in the right direction.

Sorry to interrupt.

Dmitry Grosz: Thank you really for developing your thoughts.

By the way, we met at the EEF in 2016, and it was a narrow meeting. I am very pleased that we can now say that the projects that we presented to you there have been implemented successfully to date, and we are ready to continue in principle.

In addition to entrepreneurship, I coordinate the activities of Delovaya Rossiya in the Far East, and therefore, it is probably logical that I would ask this question, which concerns all residents of the TOP and SPV. The fact is that in 2023, a draft law appeared that significantly reduces the possibilities of preferential Far Eastern regimes. We have a competitive situation, as you absolutely correctly noted about the inequality of conditions, they are quite tough, competitive conditions. In other words, both in terms of logistics and the cost of attracting and retaining qualified personnel, we are actively competing with China here with Central Russia, and especially with the Asia-Pacific region.

If you change the mode – it works well, but it works well, and we see results-then change it in the direction of improvement. Because, you know, economists say, " Predictability is the mother of investment." And I would like the predictable rules of the game – we have had them for ten years-to continue to exist in the same form or in a better one.

Therefore, on behalf of the business community of the Far East, I, Vladimir Vladimirovich, ask you to consider the possibility of preserving the rules of the game, so I will call it, in the Far Eastern preferential regimes without changes. Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: You are absolutely right. Keeping the rules of the game, as you said, stability is really the mother of investment. When people make plans, business plans, of course, they must assume that the situation is stable.

But, first of all, you have just said that we are talking only about the draft law, but there is no draft, there is only a discussion. What are the Government's proposals from the Ministry of Finance? Only in ensuring that the amount of benefits provided does not exceed the amount of capital investment and R & D funds, so that there is compliance. But I agree with you, here, just as when canceling import customs duties on certain groups of goods, especially food products, you also need to be very careful not to do any harm. It is true that government resources need to be saved, there is never any extra money, but here it is very important to preserve this regime as a whole, not to worsen it. We will definitely take a look at this, and we will definitely discuss it with our colleagues again.

Thank you for noticing this. Because one thing is the current bureaucracy and the search for optimization of budget expenditures, and on the other hand, the investment climate of a huge macroregion is in the balance. We'll think about it, okay?

Dmitry Grosz: Thank you very much.

Alexey Repik: I also wanted to support all my colleagues, because the Ministry of Finance speaks logically, but kapex is kapex, and opex is opex. There are operating expenses, which are higher here. But this also needs to be kept in mind all the time, because even when the capex is recaptured, in order to compete, for example, with China, you need to have normal costs.

Vladimir Putin: I understand. Stability and understanding of what will happen tomorrow are important here, if your colleague is right.

Alexey Repik: I can't get master plans out of my head, so Lev Gorilovsky answers us, he talks about housing and utilities all the time. But, really, it seems that when we look at the same Khabarovsk, this is a monument to Muravyov-Amursky, this is a new beautiful theater. But if we have, as they say, God forbid, something happens in the housing and utilities sector, we know that in Central Russia we are now faced with Siberian frosts, and then not everywhere, as they say, everything has passed…

Vladimir Putin: I was in Chukotka yesterday: it's not much different from Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Alexey Repik: In general, infrastructure is still a key factor in the implementation of all plans and master plans. So, Lev, please explain what you think is important to take into account in this process right now.

L. Gorilovsky: Good afternoon, Vladimir Vladimirovich!

Our company "Polyplastic" is the largest producer of polymer pipes, and it employs more than eight thousand people at 32 different production sites. We make pipes for water, gas, and heat not only for municipal infrastructure, but also for highways, airports, and various other projects. Therefore, we know exactly how fast the infrastructure has been developing over the past few years, especially here in the Far East.

I would like to note separately that this was made possible by infrastructure budget loans, infrastructure bonds and other infrastructure menu mechanisms, which have become a real platform for development throughout the country. Seeing this, we are actively investing in new production facilities. I told you at the last meeting that we have built a factory in TORA in Rakitnoye (this is just 20 kilometers from where we are now). The plant is actively working and developing, and we have recently introduced a new workshop, so we will continue to develop it.

But since the last meeting, we have managed to build the first stage in Nadezhdinsky TOR, this is in Vladivostok. Therefore, we are trying to develop and invest as actively as possible in the Far East, but it is very important for us to understand the development plans for updating the municipal infrastructure and building new facilities that will actually be implemented in order to properly prepare for this.

You have already said at the beginning of your speech that you managed to get acquainted with the master plan of the city of Khabarovsk, and it also includes measures worth about 15 billion rubles for the development of water supply and sanitation. We all understand that without building this infrastructure (it is also included in other master plans in significant volumes), we will not be able to do the rest of the activities, let's say. Unfortunately, so far the money for these communal facilities is not included in the budget. And it is also impossible to simply build them at the expense of private funds. I can speak confidently about this, because in addition to production here in Khabarovsk, we are now building a large-scale heat main under the [Far Eastern] concession. This is just such an object: a 1,200-millimeter, large-diameter pipe that will allow you to enter and provide more than 1.5 million square meters of housing. And it is very difficult to do this without state support, without the state together with business. I hope that this facility will be commissioned in 2024. And I can say for sure that seeing such projects and implementing them, we know exactly what the industry needs in order to update the housing and utilities system and build new facilities really actively.

Perhaps the most important thing I would like to mention is the opportunity to offer to copy the program that was once made in schools. This is the 247th decree of the Government, which allowed, as part of, let's say, determining subsidies for the budget cycle... The budget, as you know, is determined for three years, and this is the only program that has become 15 years after these three years. That is, for 18 years, I actually defined a budget spending plan, which allowed me to invest significant money. And yesterday, when you were in Anadyr, you talked about this, about the school construction program, and how successful it was. And, in my opinion, about a trillion rubles were spent on schools, and more than a thousand schools were built and attracted, respectively.

If these mechanisms could be replicated in the housing and utilities sector, I think we would do a lot. A similar mechanism exists in the person of the Far Eastern Concession, and it is actively developing today. This mechanism allows you to invest private funds and then compensate for the unpaid part from the budget. And of course, taking into account tariff restrictions, this is probably the most correct solution for the development of housing and communal services.

And, probably, the Ministry of Finance, maybe, is against these long financing mechanisms, which are stretched over time, but we understand that by stretching the construction program, the situation will not be better, due to inflation, an increase in the cost of construction itself. Therefore, I want to build and do as much as possible what is needed here and now. Therefore, I ask you to consider giving instructions to extend the practice that has already proven itself positively under the 247th Government decree and the Far Eastern Concession to public infrastructure facilities that need it very much. This will not only directly improve the quality of life of a large number of our compatriots, but also allow us as a production company to properly plan our resources, open new production facilities on time and provide these projects with Russian products. Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: The first thing I would like to draw your attention to. You said that it doesn't seem to get any better because of inflation. It will be better, because all the actions of the Central Bank and the Government – not all, but a significant part of them, the Central Bank for sure-are aimed at suppressing inflation. And I think that we will meet the target indicators.

L. Gorilovsky: I may have meant more here that construction, in any case, the later you build, the more expensive it is.

Vladimir Putin: I agree that you are absolutely right here. But since 2021, we have already made appropriate plans, and they are being built now and provided with funding. We will definitely see if you need to take any additional medications.

You mentioned compensation to builders for the construction of social facilities, but this decision has also been made, in fact, and money will be returned to private structures for the construction of communal infrastructure: kindergartens, schools, and so on. And we have made such decisions, and we will definitely do it.

And finally, the most important thing you mentioned is the development of this housing and utilities system. This year, we have provided 12 billion rubles, which is a small amount of money from the federal budget, but we discussed it with our colleagues last night: we probably would have given more if the construction industry had been particularly hard-pressed for it, but apparently it didn't fight very hard, because we don't know whether the construction complex itself is ready for such large-scale works. And there the money is provided for decent. Next year it's already 150 billion, and in 2026 it's also 150 billion. Plus from the National Welfare Fund somewhere 187 billion, in my opinion. That is, plus, as you have already mentioned, infrastructure loans and bonds are appropriate.

Therefore, the set is very large, it is basically the whole one, as you said yourself, there is such a menu. And we have no reason to believe that we will reduce anything here. Everyone criticizes the Ministry of Finance, and sometimes I do too, but in this case the accusations against the Ministry of Finance are unfair, because the Ministry of Finance supported all these long-term and rather large funds for financing the housing and utilities system. Here we have no contradictions within the Government. All this will be implemented.

Do I need to configure something else there? We'll take a look, okay? But in general, everything is spelled out, and funds are allocated.

L. Gorilovsky: We just use all these programs and see for sure that there is a fairly large layer that falls out. This is a new construction project, which will be part of the master plans, and it does not fall into the ICI, which you mentioned, or other programs. I would very much like to use the mechanism of the Far Eastern concession for this, because so far it is not used in this way for municipal infrastructure.

I think we will then formulate these proposals. Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: Fine. Necessarily. If you see a particular segment that you need to pay attention to, we'll do it and take a look.

Thank you.

Alexey Repik: Thank you very much.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, I tried to talk to all the speakers, to each of those present here. And the next speaker, I don't know, is probably the most important one for me today.

Firstly, it is not enough that we are flying to Buryatia for the first time, and secondly, Valentina Dorieva is a doctor, she has a large center. And they also made a reproductive center that helps in Buryatia, so that children appear there who are not very good at it. And for how many – 10 years, yes? 2700 children have appeared simply thanks to the work of Valentina's team.

I was wondering, so I asked: what are the kids called? She says the boys are Bair and the girls are Ayuna. I say: what do you mean? She says: joy... joy, right?

V. Dorieva: Yes.

A. Repik: And wisdom. We are together right now just before meeting you… Can you imagine how much joy and wisdom there is? 2700 there, even if the percentage is insignificant, this is Buryatia all joyful should be and eventually, in 20 years, very wise.

So, Valentina, please tell us how you are doing and what other good things you are building. Maybe there will be even more kids.

V. Doriyeva: Hello, dear Vladimir Vladimirovich.

Republic of Buryatia, Buryat Clinical Hospital.

Our company has been engaged in preserving and maintaining the health of our fellow countrymen for 19 years. From a small gynecologist's office with an area of 20 squares, we have grown into a multidisciplinary medical center and now provide both outpatient and inpatient care for adults and children.

Ten years ago, with the support of the Government of the Republic of Buryatia, we opened the only IVF center in the region. As Alexey Yevgenyevich [Repik] has already said, during this time, 2,700 children were born to us – that's 90 first-graders. We became the winners of the All-Russian competition " The best project of public-private partnership [in healthcare]".

Maintaining reproductive health is a priority task of our medical center. I want to say that on the scale of our republic…

Vladimir Putin: Do you cooperate with Moscow?

V. Dorieva: Of course.

Vladimir Putin: With the institute, right?

V. Dorieva: With the Institute of Perinatology [at ul.] Oparina, 4, we are working. Absolutely, of course.

As a mother, a grandmother of nine grandchildren, and a 40-year-old obstetrician-gynecologist, I attach more importance than anyone else to improving the reproductive health of Russian women and men. In general, I think that we need a separate program in this direction.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, we need squares for further development. We have already talked about the movement that began in the Far East. And thanks to the program of socio-economic development of the Far East, we took a chance and decided to build the first private hospital in Buryatia, where we will expand the volume of medical care, we will deal not only with IVF surgery, but also with rehabilitation.

Here I want to thank Yuri Petrovich [Trutnev], who helps us with TOP programs, because in private medicine, the economy of projects does not always develop. The MHI capital costs are not compensated, but we still took the risk, and I think that the gratitude of our fellow countrymen, parents, who found happiness…

Vladimir Putin: But still, do you have an MHI order?

V. Dorieva: Yes, we have it.

Vladimir Putin: That is, it is the basis of economic activity in fact.

V. Dorieva: We are the only ones in our region, we provide all the assistance under compulsory health insurance in reproductive medicine. I think that the gratitude of our parents will justify all our efforts.

This is what I want to focus on, Mr President. Building a hospital is not an easy task and will take many years. There are a lot of different regulatory mechanisms, problems, the investment phase can last for years, and the preferential rate on insurance premiums is not so important in the investment phase.

I believe that the business needs it more during the operational period when our projects are already at full capacity, when all the staff is sufficient. And recently, a three-year deferral of benefits for insurance premiums was introduced for new residents.

Vladimir Putin: There's seven-something – 7.6 percent?

V. Doriyeva: Yes, 7,2. And in order to support us, TOR residents, in the implementation of investment projects, I ask you to extend the regime of deferral of benefits for insurance premiums to those who became residents before January 1, 2023.

Vladimir Putin: That is, we are talking about shifting this period, during which these benefits are valid, to the right for a year, as they say, to stop construction for the time being?

V. Dorieva: Yes, at the investment level…

Vladimir Putin: Because at the first stage they are not really needed, and then the time is running out and the benefits are valid for too short a time, right?

V. Dorieva: Yes, everything is correct.

Vladimir Putin: You are right, we will do this, and we will definitely reach an agreement with the Government. This is the right approach, it is fair.

V. Dorieva: Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you for what you do and how you do it. Indeed, one of the most important areas is the reproductive health of the population, and ultimately this affects the number of children, citizens of the country. This is one of the key tasks for Russia, one of the key tasks absolutely, so we will do our best to support and help you.

V. Dorieva: Thank you very much. Very pleasant.

Alexander Repik: Mr President, where the population is growing, GDP is also growing. So the economy is about that.

Vladimir Putin: Not population for GDP, but GDP for population.

A. Repik: Of course.

In fact, what is a meeting without IT people? Sakhalin IT specialists, the IT sector, and high-tech companies in the region really surprised me, because I honestly didn't think that there was such a market for the competitiveness of their products here. And we asked specific questions, you know, everyone asks: "How can you help us? Inform them at the federal level, get through to Vladimir Vladimirovich." They say: "We want to help, but we can't help yet." We say, " Come on."

If you want to help, please tell us, Vitaly Vladimirovich.

Vladimir Zubalevich: Thank you, Mr President.

Our company is engaged in the development of domestic software. We work in various branches of business and the public sector. We are successfully coping with the task of import substitution, and we have already been able to replace such solutions as Microsoft Power BI, Qlik and others in this area.

You said last year that it would be good for schools to study artificial intelligence. We fully support this initiative.

Vladimir Putin: Your neighbors here have been studying artificial intelligence since high school, and textbooks have been released for lower grades on artificial intelligence.

Vladimir Zubalevich: That's right. And we fully support it. Moreover, we have created the "Cubisio for Schools" solution based on our Cubisio product, so that students can learn the basics of artificial intelligence from the very beginning and create ready-made solutions. That is, these are not programming languages, it is much easier.

The Government of the Sakhalin Region supports us. And we have already started implementing a pilot project, and at the end of the year we have already implemented our systems in some schools, in one of the schools, and we are starting to work.

There is a small task that we are facing. For example, the Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation has such an ecosystem as Gostech, it is efficient and cool, and we plan to get there with our new developments. But this is what it was created for, so that IT companies with newly developed information systems can enter it. And companies that already have some proven solutions created earlier, we could not find where they can be displayed as in a single information service, solution, platform, whatever, you can call it whatever you want.

We provide our solutions absolutely free of charge, that is, we do not earn money on this, the task here is different. And the question is this: so that our experience can be broadcast to other regions, other IT companies can look at our experience and also share their developments. So that institutions can enter the site, view the tools they are interested in, and use them for free in the social sphere.

Vladimir Putin: What's stopping you? I don't understand. And what do we need to do to help you?

Viktor Zubalevich: To create a single platform where we can…

Vladimir Putin: Is this a certified platform that guarantees the quality of the product offered?

Vladimir Zubalevich: That's right.

Vladimir Putin: This should be done by what department?

V. Zubalevich: Ministries of Digital Development.

Vladimir Putin: We will definitely talk to Shadaev. Good offer. We will definitely talk to the minister.

Vladimir Zubalevich: Thank you.

Alexey Repik: Mr Putin, our next speaker is a real kamchadal who has been living in the Far East for a long time. During this time, a real breakthrough in the quality of life happened, and Vladimir Rubakhin observed it with his own eyes. He works in the field of animal husbandry, in the field of agriculture. Everyone saw you go to the greenhouse in Chukotka yesterday. Everyone wanted basil right away.

Vladimir Putin: The grass is delicious, the smell is so pleasant.

Alexey Repik: I think fresh cucumbers and tomatoes are really important here. Vladimir Ilyich [Rubakhin] understands what needs to be done. Tell us.

Vladimir Rubakhin: Hello, dear Vladimir Vladimirovich. I was also lucky enough to talk to you on the eve of the project's launch in 2015 (we just started working). I work in the agricultural sector.

Vladimir Putin: At the forum?

Vladimir Rubakhin: Yes, at the forum, of course. Yuri Petrovich [Trutnev] was present, we discussed it, and there were difficulties with funding at that time, but after our meeting, they began to be smoothly resolved, as I understand it. But I don't think you've had any influence on this, I just have to say that the Government apparatus is working effectively.

Vladimir Putin: The car has been set up.

Vladimir Rubakhin: Absolutely.

Vladimir Putin: Of course.

Vladimir Rubakhin: And, you know, I will say more than that…

Vladimir Putin: But I also have something to do with it.

Vladimir Rubakhin: Mr President, the vector to the East is, you know, the very idea that has brought everyone together, and we have managed to create management teams that work well in the Far East in general and achieve results. There is a goal right here – we need to solve it. Thank you very much for this, Vladimir Vladimirovich.

I wanted to talk about it a little later, but if that's the case, then Yuri Petrovich Trutnev and his wonderful team and Alexey Olegovich [Chekunkov] are close by, because we also started everything and, as you said, did not understand how it would be? There were doubts, there was something else, but we overcame it, thank God, we are moving on.

I am a native of the Far East, and since the 30s of the last century, my family has been living in the Far East. My grandfather was one of the founders of the first dairy plant in Kamchatka – well, a state farm, as it was called-and I have the sixth generation, my grandson will go to school this year.

I remember well the times when we didn't have fresh food in the Far East. Anadyr, where you were yesterday, clearly feels this, and that greenhouse for them is generally a factor in the quality of life. When they went to the store for milk, they always asked: "And what kind of sour cream: reconstituted or whole?" Now it is less common to hear "restored", mostly whole sour cream in our country.

Fortunately, thanks to the implementation of some ideas, such as the territory of advanced development, comprehensive support for the industry that exists today, other projects began to appear – in the field of animal husbandry. And this is especially important for remote areas of the Far East.

We live in Kamchatka, and everything is different there, not like on the mainland. And I would like to say that thanks to your efforts, the situation has moved forward. We have started to create livestock complexes, poultry complexes, and there are more fresh products, but they are still not enough. And I will tell you why: competition, i.e. competition with the central regions of Russia, does not allow us to restrain further growth (which is partly a good thing, of course). Of course, frozen meat, powdered milk, and so on come to us (that is, powder, from which there is a temptation to make something later).

It may be more social than business, but I would like to ask you to pay attention to this. We have a large territory in Russia, which the Government supports well in terms of subsidies for rail transportation (we transport grain from the central regions closer here, to the Far East), and this was felt by entrepreneurs engaged in animal husbandry in Primorsky Krai and Khabarovsk. But we don't have a railway, as you know. We need to further develop what we grow in Primorye. By the way, thanks to the program, we also made a subsidiary farm in Primorsky Krai to grow leguminous crops and deliver them to Kamchatka for animal feed. To a large extent, today the Kamchatka livestock industry is fed at the expense of the Primorsky Territory, such interregional integration has developed over the years.

And it's important for us to be bought, but people say: "Expensive, prices are different in the central part [of the country]." But we are working, so to speak, at the limit of our capabilities in this sense: we earn just enough to pay off loans, something else, and somehow support the infrastructure.

We have the following proposal-to extend the benefits that exist for railway and sea transportation, specifically for enterprises engaged in food production, which is important for residents of remote areas, such as Magadan, Chukotka, Kamchatka, and the Sakhalin region. All this needs some form of support for logistics costs, and if you compare them, up to 40 percent increase in the cost of a kilogram of grain is due to the marine component. Everything is complicated there.

But nevertheless, of course, we try and work. But it's like a suggestion. Vladimir Vladimirovich, if it works out, it will be a great help and will significantly stabilize the prices of fresh products that I am talking about. Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: We should definitely think about it. If we subsidize transportation when exporting products, including agricultural products, then in order to stabilize prices within the country, we can also think about subsidizing coasting transportation. I totally agree with you.

Indeed, it is very difficult to say whether we will do this or that, but we will definitely work on it, and we will precisely formulate the relevant instructions to the Government. And the Ministry of Economic Development will work, and the Ministry of Transport will work, and the Ministry of Agriculture. We'll weigh it all up. Ok?

And the fact that you paid attention to it is great. Thank you very much, there is something to think about. And I think it's appropriate. I just don't want to give out commands right now, I need to count them. We will definitely calculate it. But I think it is advisable.

Vladimir Rubakhin: Thank you very much, Mr President.

Alexey Repik: We didn't have any questions from Amur or Blagoveshchensk. Then Artem Nikolaevich Savchenko. He is also a builder, but a slightly different builder.

Alexey Savchenko: Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich,

Dear guests,

As we have already said, I am from the city of Blagoveshchensk, and I wanted to continue the topic of development of the construction cluster that Nikita [Yakovlev] raised.

In the Amur Region, we produce finishing panels, which, in particular, are currently being used for a major reconstruction of the Amur regional hospital, where we successfully apply them. But we plan to open production in the Khabarovsk Territory, because there is a construction cluster here. We believe that it is very important to expand the boundaries of this cluster and make it interregional.

On the basis of this cluster, it is possible to produce various kinds of production facilities, so to speak, manufactories that can produce individual projects that are very necessary here in the territory. This includes modular hotels that have been subsidized for two years. However, to receive this subsidy, it is necessary that the modules are factory-made. This is acceptable for the Central part of Russia, where logistics is fairly inexpensive and fast, but for the Far East it is far and expensive.

As part of the construction cluster, we have already started making similar modules at the request of entrepreneurs. I would like to ask you to support us, so to speak, in setting up the production of these modules here, on the territory, and allow us, within the framework of this program, to probably give the opportunity to build these modules on the territories, possibly from house kits or using frame technology. All this will probably significantly accelerate the pace of development of tourist infrastructure here in the Far East.

Vladimir Putin: And what did you say, you can now receive subsidies only for what is produced in factories?

A. Savchenko: Yes, yes, only in factories.

Vladimir Putin: And you are not covered by such support measures?

Alexander Savchenko: No.

Vladimir Putin: I don't even understand why, what's the difference, in factories, not in factories.

A. Savchenko: Well, there was such a formulation, so that it was used in the factory version. Although here, for example, how to build modules in Khabarovsk and bring them to Sakhalin.

Vladimir Putin: You are absolutely right.

A. Savchenko: It is much easier to do this in the territories.

Vladimir Putin: I will definitely mark it and work with the Government. I believe that you are absolutely right, what a difference it makes. Moreover, why drag it from there, what kind of logistics, when it's better to do everything here, of course. Be sure to mark all this and work it out.

As for giving an interregional character to this construction cluster in Khabarovsk, it is already interregional. I just don't understand what needs to be added here, there are 19 businesses here, and this cluster is open to other participants as well. Please, I don't see any problems here. Are there any problems? In my opinion, there is nothing. So if you have encountered any problems that you can't log in here, then tell us, we will fix it.

And as for subsidizing these small facilities, you are right, we should definitely extend it to your production as well.

Alexey Savchenko: That's all, thank you.

A. Repik: We are rushing around the regions, and immediately there is a sense of some kind of globality. Of course, Russia is a huge country. But if the country is huge, then the main thing is connectivity, and logistics issues, logistics infrastructure issues, including airport infrastructure, for example, they are already vital issues.

That is why I ask Zhenya Stadnikov to take the floor. They are engaged in just ladders, all the other airport infrastructure, on which, apparently, we go.

Evgeny Stadnikov: Mr President, hello!

Yes, we represent the RTC company. We are a family-owned company, we are engaged in the production of airfield equipment and equipment. This year is the 15th anniversary of our company, 10 of which we are engaged in mechanical engineering.

Vladimir Putin: Do you also make lighting equipment?

Evgeny Stadnikov: No, we only provide ground equipment for servicing aircraft, passengers, and cargo: self-propelled ladders, autolifts, and so on. I know you came from Chukotka. Even in Anadyr, our equipment works at the Anadyr airport, and so on all over the country up to Simferopol. In other words, we are present at almost all airports.

First of all, I would like to thank not only those projects and the support provided to the Far Eastern region in terms of TORS, but also federal projects. Because we have recently taken advantage of the national project "International Cooperation and Export", within the framework of which the educational program at Skolkovo was held. A very useful thing that develops your business.

We were one of the first companies in the region to take advantage of an industrial mortgage, and now we are completing a workshop for assembling our airfield equipment. Naturally, businesses need such tools both in the Far Eastern region and throughout Russia. This is very cool and develops us.

But in any field, it is not without difficulties. We have a practically unsolvable problem, which we have already addressed to all departments: the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and the Ministry of Transport. There are government acts that are inconsistent with each other, so to speak. There is also Federal Law No. 297 on self-propelled vehicles, which clearly regulates that airfield equipment and equipment are not subject to state registration in the state technical supervision bodies as self-propelled vehicles. And then there is the order of the Ministry of Transport No. 142 that all units of ground equipment must be under state registration plates and only enter the controlled area of the airport in this way. That is, accordingly, such an inconsistency.

Vladimir Putin: And how are you still working now?

Evgeny Stadnikov: And it turns out that, first of all, we are hostages of this situation, and we are also facing this problem, in particular, due to the fact that we have adopted an electronic system for issuing passports for self-propelled vehicles since 2022. That is, if before it was a little easier, we as machine builders simply went to the state technical supervision bodies and received paper forms back then and issued passports for self-propelled vehicles, but now you can't just get into the register of the Ministry of Industry and Trade: you must comply with either technical regulations or mandatory certification. And this is a vicious circle that we go through, write everywhere, and this issue has not been resolved for three years.

Vladimir Putin: But how do you work? You supply the equipment, don't you?

Evgeny Stadnikov: Yes, the question is this: it's a double-edged sword. That is, we are in such a situation as machine builders, airports, and airlines, which, in fact,… We hand over our equipment and say: "There is federal Law No. 297, we should not provide you with anything." And they start to fight back: "And we have an order of the Ministry of Transport No. 142, which states that there should be vehicles with state registration plates. What should we do?" And in this situation, I do not urge: but let's make gostekhnadzor, everything should be regulated, but some decision should already be taken.

I understand that the field is very narrow, and there are not so many of us, machine builders, in this area, but transport accessibility is a priority for our country. Therefore, it would be very cool to take such a small step in our direction.

Vladimir Putin: How long do you think it will take to agree on all these issues and make a final decision?

Evgeny Stadnikov: The Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Eurasian Economic Union and the Ministry of Transport just need three people to call, make a decision and write a document.

Vladimir Putin: How long do you think it will take?

Evgeny Stadnikov: I think it will be within a few months, two or three months. They have been solved for several years.

Vladimir Putin: What a noble man, "within a few months." I think that we will complete this work within a month and a half. We will formulate the order and get it executed.

Evgeny Stadnikov: Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: This is certainly a very important issue, especially since this is our machine-building complex. Yes, this is a narrow strip of this mechanical engineering, but it is quite specific. And, indeed, than to buy somewhere… In the end, everything converges to the fact that something will be purchased somewhere. And why, when we can produce it ourselves? We will definitely do it.

Alexey Repik: Mr President, we are still working on issues. I just see that people's eyes are already burning. Maybe from the spot? Let's. Poultry breeder Kuznetsova, please, our responsible for egg prices practically.

L. Kuznetsova: Absolutely correct.

Good afternoon, Vladimir Vladimirovich! Welcome.

Vladimir Putin: Is this all your fault?

L. Kuznetsova: No, it's not our fault, we are in clear control of everything with Mikhail Vladimirovich.

Welcome to the best city in Russia, sunny, cozy, such a kind city Khabarovsk. Thank you to our explorers for choosing this place, which is located under a lucky star.

I am a shareholder of two poultry farms in the Khabarovsk Territory. These are the Khabarovsk breeding plant, the only breeding enterprise from Vladivostok to Novosibirsk, and the Komsomolsk Poultry Farm in the city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur. Komsomolsk Poultry Farm is a resident of the Komsomolsk Advanced Development Area. Both of our companies have joined the national project "Labor Productivity", we are constantly upgrading, because the enterprises are already so old, they are more than 50 years old. Last year was the anniversary of the Khabarovsk plemptitsezzavod.

Of course, our plans are big. A little over a year ago, the Komsomolsk poultry farm was in trouble, there was an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza. The livestock-more than half a million chickens - was destroyed, God forbid anyone to survive this. But, probably, with God's help, with the faith of Governor Mikhail Vladimirovich Degtyarev in us and with responsibility to the population that we feed, we still made it so that in December we produced 25 million eggs from two poultry farms, we have a calm situation and the lowest price in the region. We even managed to help our partners from Sakhalin and Primorsky Krai with eggs.

Vladimir Putin: Mikhail Vladimirovich, you have noticed that you are next to the Lord in the hierarchy.

L. Kuznetsova: So this year we plan to release 310 million eggs from two poultry farms, provide 85 percent of the population of the Khabarovsk Territory, and help our partners from other regions of the Far East, respectively.

My question is probably not about poultry farming, which is very relevant right now. After all, the soul aches in a feminine way, probably for our Far Eastern land, our wet nurse, mother.

10 years ago, you celebrated the New Year in the city of Khabarovsk, met with residents of those regions.

Vladimir Putin: After the flood, right?

L. Kuznetsova: Yes, after a large-scale flood in the Khabarovsk Territory. Of course, a lot of agricultural land was damaged.

Last year, before the Eastern Economic Forum in Primorsky Krai, heavy rains damaged a large amount of agricultural land. And in general, if you take out 100 percent of agricultural land, only 15 percent is used in the Far Eastern Federal District, and every year it is less and less.

Such a serious state program has been adopted, we understand that the state pays great attention to land reclamation and restoration of land in circulation, and we understand that the land feeds us all, and a state program has been adopted in 2021 to involve agricultural land and land reclamation in additional turnover. In the fifth chapter of this state program, a special place is given to our federal district. There is support, and it is significant in Russia, it is large. But the Far Eastern Federal District receives only 3 percent of state support. Understanding that this support provides for reimbursement of the costs incurred by agricultural producers in restoring the soil, this is such a small piece of land that is on a common point of the land of the Far Eastern Federal District, patching up, so to speak, a small, small hole.

We understand perfectly well that we are in different conditions with agricultural producers in other western regions, where almost all the land has already been restored, and we understand that the elements are winning in the Far East today. Annual floods, floods since 2013, and always the farmer loses his crop. We understand perfectly well that in an emergency situation, the state again spends money on restoring the crop that was not received.

We have such a proposal: whether it is possible to create a subprogram for this state program in the Far Eastern Federal District in those regions – the Amur Region, the Primorsky Territory,the Khabarovsk Territory, the Jewish Autonomous Region, in part, for those regions that are suffering, to make a subprogram and, probably, to change the mechanism itself a little.

Is it possible to make it so that the recipients of support are regional executive authorities – relevant ministries that will involve some kind of non-profit organization for restoration, and there will be a comprehensive uplift of our lands,and then we will be able to curb the elements? Mother Earth will be very grateful for that, really.

Vladimir Putin: I will definitely talk to Minister Patrushev and see. But here, a program or subprogram is a matter of budget financing: either redistribute what is available, or add it. That's all.

L. Kuznetsova: You can even partially solve it in a comprehensive way. A small hole can not be patched up, we want, of course, that at least a comprehensive approach in the region.

Vladimir Putin: I'll talk to him for sure.

L. Kuznetsova: This is an important task.Thank you so much.

Vladimir Putin: I understand.

Alexey Repik: Thank you, Lyudmila Nikolaevna.

Vladimir Putin: I will definitely talk to the minister.

But the issue is very important, I agree, and there is a good prospect for the Far East, especially for some products, such as soybeans, for example, in the Jewish Autonomous Region, in other regions, in the Amur Region. This is an endless market, and our partners tell me directly: "We will buy as much as you produce." Of course, this is a very important area. We'll definitely talk to you. Okay?

Please, someone else? I ask you to.

A. Menshchikova: Hello, Mr President!

My name is Anastasia, I represent the company "Kunashir Tour". We are developing tourism on Kunashir Island, the Kuril Islands. A wonderful, beautiful natural place, a place of power. We have already built one accommodation facility on the island, and the project includes the construction of two more. We are ready to invest and invest. Thanks to state and government support measures – subsidies, grants, preferential tax treatment-all this helps us a lot. The potential of the island itself, the demand of tourists, the demand of citizens for this tourist destination…

Vladimir Putin: How many people are coming now?

A. Menshchikova: There are quite a lot of visitors, and over the past year the number of tourists, at least registered in the reserve, has doubled. In other words, the demand exceeds the supply so much that we are ready to invest.

But there is a slight complication: these are flights that are canceled with an enviable frequency. We are faced with the fact that during the peak tourist season, flight cancellations reach about 45 percent.

Vladimir Putin: Why not?

A. Menshchikova: Because of the weather conditions, mostly because of fog. The location of the airport is…

Vladimir Putin: What is the proposal?

A. Menshchikova: What's the offer…

Vladimir Putin: Should I blow? What should I do?

A. Menshchikova: Redesign the runway.

Vladimir Putin: Oh, yes, that means making [the airport] more weather-friendly, right?

A. Menshchikova: Yes, and the issue will be resolved. We guarantee to raise the level of service on the island very high.

Vladimir Putin: And what is the band there, what is the length of the band?

A. Menshchikova: I won't say that.

Vladimir Putin: We'll see. I agree with you, we need to develop a tourist cluster of islands. It is very interesting there, they say, I have never been there, unfortunately, I will definitely come.

A. Menshchikova: Very interesting.

Vladimir Putin: And the underwater world is very... but dangerous, there are sharks and so on.

A. Menshchikova: All types of tourism on the island can be developed, including extreme tourism. We are ready to invest, to invest.

Vladimir Putin: We'll definitely take a look. Please mark it.

A. Menshchikova: Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Absolutely. This is a very correct direction, a very good one.

Alexey Repik:If you just ask me, Mr Putin, I think the fog will be 20, maybe even 15, not 45.

Vladimir Putin: I understand that the equipment is needed. I understand what my colleague is talking about.

N. Afrikanova: I understand that this is the last question, so I will be extremely brief. Thank you very much, Vladimir Vladimirovich, for the floor you gave me. I am Natalia Afrikanova, and as a colleague from Buryatia, I am also a medic and an active doctor, and in addition I am the owner of two more medical clinics that employ more than 200 people: doctors, nurses,and nurses. But just like a colleague from Buryatia, they have no chance of receiving a preferential pension, because the Pension Fund does not count the time that an employee works in a private clinic as working experience. I have a request, this is the pain of all private clinics. Is it still possible to equalize, at least in terms of insurance pensions, employees of private clinics and employees of public ones? All.

Vladimir Putin: We will definitely work on it. I don't see much difference in what's going on.

N. Afrikanova: I don't see it at all. If we talk about my clinic, then my doctors also go to remote areas as part of field teams.

Vladimir Putin: Well of course.

N. Afrikanova: We work under the compulsory health insurance, we treat children's teeth under anesthesia under the compulsory health insurance, but every time we have to defend the pension through the court.

Vladimir Putin: Strange, yes, I agree with you.

Natalia Afrikanova: Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: You should definitely mark it. It's unfair. I don't understand why. We'll finish right now. Please, please. Let's.

Elena Kuskova: Hello, Mr President, Business Innovations. We are engaged in the production of modular homes, metal structures, as well as the supply of equipment and materials for large infrastructure projects. Our biggest customers include Russian market leaders such as Russian Railways and RusHydro. These companies provide the everyday comfort of our lives. Our company's turnover is about 200 million rubles, so cooperation with such important and serious partners is very valuable for us. We take a very responsible approach to our work and have not let anyone down yet, but due to the sanctions, every time we sign a new state contract under the 44th or 223rd Federal Law, we are very afraid of being included in the register of unscrupulous suppliers due to circumstances beyond our control. Unfortunately, statistics show that this register has doubled in the number of such suppliers since 2020.

Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, I would like to ask you to look at the criteria for entering unfair suppliers in the register…

Vladimir Putin: Yes, yes, yes, if it is connected with some objective circumstances, so as not to automatically fly there. I understand.

Elena Kuskova: Yes, yes. It is within the framework of the 44th and 223rd Federal Laws, so that suppliers do not appear there due to circumstances beyond their control.

Vladimir Putin: Yes, I understand, I understand. But this criterion is so subtle, but we need to look at it, I agree.

E. Kuskova: On the one hand, competition at tenders becomes less in this regard. But in a human way, I feel very sorry for the companies that ended up there. If there is such an opportunity, it may be necessary to consider rehabilitating those companies that had a good business reputation and a successful supply experience before.

As a mother of two children who also carries out deliveries under state contracts, I would very much not want to get into an unpleasant situation due to the violation of delivery terms under state contracts.

Vladimir Putin: Are you ashamed in front of your children?

Elena Kuskova: Yes, I do. I just understand all the responsibility for working with government customers and, let's just say, how hard it is to get out of this register later…

Vladimir Putin: I understand, I understand.

E. Kuskova: ... get out.

Vladimir Putin: We'll definitely take a look. I heard it. I understand that there are objective circumstances that often, well, sometimes, in any case, do not allow us to fulfill our obligations. We'll see. But there is a fine line here, we need to work it out.

Elena Kuskova: Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: We will talk, we will definitely talk.

Elena Kuskova: Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: That's a fair point.

Yes, please, Yakutia.

A. Repik: Both there are Yakutia and there is Yakutia.

A. Postnikova: Good afternoon.

Vladimir Putin: Good.

A. Postnikova: Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich,

Of course, I would like to thank you for paying attention to us. I am Anna Postnikova-an individual entrepreneur, head of the network of private licensed kindergartens "Pozvayka" in the city of Yakutsk. And today I represent the field of private education here. And I was also asked by colleagues of private medical clinics to voice our questions, as they are similar.

We have a state license, we work according to state standards, meet all the requirements, and pass the necessary inspections of supervisory authorities. We have the same teachers as in municipal state educational institutions.

But I would like to draw your attention to the unequal conditions of our employees. They cannot take advantage of the Far Eastern preferential mortgage, as the program stipulates that this mortgage can be used by teachers and medical employees of state and municipal educational and medical institutions.

Vladimir Putin: How many of you are there?"

A. Postnikova: I talked to my colleagues here today, not only in Yakutia, but also in the Far East. There are many licensed private medical clinics and educational organizations.

Vladimir Putin: I would say little, on the contrary, it is easier to allocate money from the budget.

A. Postnikova: We don't have much in Yakutsk, we have 43 entrepreneurs who work in the field of preschool education.

Vladimir Putin: We'll definitely take a look. I don't really think there are that many people there. You should also mark it as a must. Maxim, please make sure to mark it. How many people are there? Of course, everyone should be treated equally. The job is actually the same, and I don't think the difference in income level is significant.

A. Postnikova: Yes. Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: Please.

Just as with the pension cases (who said that here?), you are absolutely right, we will definitely return to this and decide on it.

F.Gabbasova: I'm Flida, from Yakutia. I had a bridge issue, but Alexey told me that it was resolved.

Vladimir Putin: In the city?

F.Gabbasova: Yes, the Lena Bridge. I thank you on behalf of all entrepreneurs. But if, Alexey, you laughed so much, if this is not true, then you will have to finish it.

Vladimir Putin: Let him build then.

F.Gabbasova: Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, I am very kind today, and I think that there really should be a bridge. But it will probably take more than a day for the bridge to be completed.

A. Repik: I wanted to go to the resort to ski, now I'm going to build a bridge.

Vladimir Putin: There is a big problem for Yakutsk. This has been discussed there for so many years, 10-15 years already.

F.Gabbasova: We need a bridge, Vladimir Vladimirovich.

Vladimir Putin: I see.

F.Gabbasova: And it's not just for one day, but probably for five or eight years. Since you are already here in the Far East ,then (it is probably unfair to ask for a promise) please take it under your wing. You need a bridge.

Vladimir Putin: I understand, yes.

F.Gabbasova: Thank you. Since I've already been given a microphone, can I raise another question?

Vladimir Putin: Of course.

F.Gabbasova: I have been living in the Far East for 45 years, in Yakutia. Still, the Far East hardens people, but in any case, the distance, 7-8 days by train to Vladivostok, plus cargo 40-50 days, is a very long time. It is necessary to include the topic of accelerated civil trains and accelerated freight in the next five years. Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: One of the main tasks of RAO Russian Railways is to increase the speed of transportation, so this is a general task, and they are working on it and will continue to work on it. It is still more difficult to get to the Far East, and we will develop high-speed traffic first in the European part, then we will go to the Urals and look further. With such a territory, high-speed, high-speed passenger traffic is in demand. And of course, we need to increase the speed of cargo transportation, that's for sure.

One task will be solved together with the other, because the track will be released, and this is especially important for the Eastern Polygon given the growth in traffic volumes. Here you can talk separately, and we can talk about this topic until morning. There are still tasks, funds are allocated, and we are constantly adjusting all these plans, but they will certainly be implemented.

F.Gabbasova: Thank you.

Alexey Repik: Mr President, I started the conversation here, and you've drawn me like a magnet somewhere. This is all, apparently, why? Because I'm trying to block you out, to protect myself, so that Flida won't send me to build a bridge over the Lena. (Laughter.)

Vladimir Putin: You said that this is why we must do it.

A. Repik: I'm just afraid that further requests will be even more ambitious, maybe we should slowly complete them?

Vladimir Putin: Yes, we will be completing it. If there is something that needs to be discussed, then please, if not, then we will wrap it up.

Please, please.

Alexey Tenyakov: Good afternoon, Vladimir Vladimirovich!

My name is Andrey Tenyakov, Vladivostok city. I am the founder and head of the Russian Carbon Group of Companies. We are residents of SPV, and only thanks to this preferential treatment did we manage to launch the production of technical rehabilitation equipment from innovative materials with high rehabilitation potential. I would like to thank you, Yuri Petrovich, Oleg Nikolaevich, Vera Georgievna for such participation in the lives of people with disabilities.

Vladimir Putin: Do you manage to sell these products? And where do you see implementation difficulties?

Alexander Tenyakov: The biggest challenges are probably many of them, starting with the engineering staff and ending with the technical staff.…

Vladimir Putin: I'm talking about implementation right now.

A. Tenyakov: About sales – we sell products, people need our products, the price is quite high for products, since they are still carbon fiber. But since we…

Vladimir Putin: It is even more expensive for imported products.

Alexey Tenyakov: Imported products are at least twice as expensive, or even four times as expensive as carbon fiber products. The price of our stroller is 250 thousand rubles for the basic model, but when we reach a higher volume of productivity, we will be able to reduce this cost, the serial number always decreases.

Of course, there are difficulties, you need high-precision equipment, you need digitalization, you need automation of processes. And we are solving these issues in stages, we have purchased a large amount of equipment and are now looking for a site.

This year, by September, we plan to launch a new production facility by 25-30 percent and produce not only wheelchairs, but also a whole line of technical rehabilitation equipment made of innovative materials, including aluminum, only using such technological lines as hydroforming, which has never been used in technical rehabilitation equipment. There is no mass production of carbon fiber in Russia. Even within the framework of the plant that produces clubs, there are certain difficulties in mass production.

We have studied all the technology that is available in Russia, and there are developments from Moscow, Novosibirsk, and China. We collected the entire database, all the materials, analyzed everything and found a way to mass-produce products.

Vladimir Putin: That's great.

Do you have any questions?

Alexey Tenyakov: As you know, we discussed all the issues and resolved them in principle. Colleagues from the Ministry of Industry and Trade and from other departments meet us halfway and constantly support and advise us.

Of course, there are difficulties, and the main one, probably, is with Roszdravnadzor. It is not possible to quickly get a registration certificate. But this is due to the only laboratory in the country that can perform these tests, and increased requirements for technical rehabilitation facilities.

Vladimir Putin: Nevertheless, it is necessary to pay attention to this.

Alexander Tenyakov: If there is such a possibility, then yes. If it were possible to do this at the regional level and pass tests and laboratory tests at the stage not after submitting the application to Roszdravnadzor, but before submitting the application, so that we could independently control the process, suddenly something did not fit.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you for suggesting this. This is a very important nuance.

Alexey Tenyakov: This is the practice of foreign manufacturers: they pass tests themselves and at the design stage they can already conduct these tests, complete the package of documents with all the expertise, and then submit the finished package to Roszdravnadzor.

Vladimir Putin: We need to improve this mechanism. This is a good hint.

A. Tenyakov: And we submit an application to Roszdravnadzor, then Roszdravnadzor goes to the Institute of Medical Materials, they request samples from us according to the technical conditions, often without even seeing our products, they do an expert examination, then something goes wrong for us or they close this application and it drags on for years.

Vladimir Putin: You see, and you say that everything is fine. It's no coincidence that I got this out of you. I see that there are problems there, and we should definitely fix this, because we probably have a protocol in place. This is a very important thing.

Alexander Tenyakov: The laboratory of the Russian Academy of Sciences is not accredited by Roszdravnadzor, but they are well represented in every region and could at least do such laboratory tests for non-invasive rehabilitation equipment, because there is a reduced risk.

Vladimir Putin: I understand that.

Alexey Tenyakov: This would give us a lot of free rein: me, Roman Aranin, and other producers.

Vladimir Putin: Okay, I heard you. We will definitely work on this. Thank you for your suggestion. Good luck to you.

Alexey Tenyakov: Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: Are we finishing up?

Question: Hello, Mr Putin.

We produce attack and reconnaissance drones for the needs of our military. Our drones are already successfully used in the area of special military operations. Production capacity – 1000 units per month. The infrastructure has been prepared for the production of 10,000 units per month.

I have a question about localization of production of components for UAVs in Russia. Today, a large percentage of electronics that are used in production facilities in Russia are produced abroad. Of course, we are working on this issue, there are instructions from Denis Manturov and Yuri Trutnev to assist in this issue, but we understand that the issue is not quick to resolve, it takes time. And you need to act now.

Therefore, we offer a prompt solution. Our engineers have developed and successfully tested a modular platform for UAVs in the free zone, having received more than a hundred positive reviews from specialists.

What is the essence of the idea? The community of engineers and programmers is currently developing unique solutions in the field of UAVs in order to quickly respond to technical challenges in the free zone. But instead of focusing on their narrow specialized tasks, they are forced to develop the entire system, that is, turnkey drones. And at the output we get a large number of various equipment, which is something for a fighter in the trench to understand.

Everything that will be created new can be integrated into this platform. In addition, it is one hundred percent Russian. From the idea and drawings to the last cog in the design.

Thanks to additive technologies, 3D printing, the speed of creation, implementation of new developments and the appearance of a ready-made solution in the special military operation zone is a day. For example, this morning a new module (video transmitter, electronic intelligence device, flight controller) appeared, in the afternoon our engineers prepared a module that is put on 3D printing on the second line (there are already 3D printers almost everywhere), and the next morning they receive ready-made solutions at the front. Please support this concept as a whole.

Vladimir Putin: Can you give it to me in writing, pass it on?

Remark: Yes, of course.

Vladimir Putin: Please do this.

In our Government, Denis Valentinovich Manturov is engaged, and Andrey Belousov is engaged, and in the Ministry of Defense, of course. The products that you and your colleagues produce, as everyone knows very well, are in high demand: both attack drones and reconnaissance ones, and they are very effectively used.

I met with the guys on January 1, but they came to me on January 1 directly from the front line, from the entire length of the contact line. One of them is just engaged in the use of drones. They work very efficiently. Now we will not go into details, because you are professionally engaged in this, you understand how important it is. This is one of the modern methods of conducting armed struggle, which corrects all the others in interaction with the types and genera of the Armed Forces, connects many things, makes them more effective: both counter – battery warfare and intelligence-there is a lot of everything there.

There are a lot of tasks, so it is very important to stay ahead of the enemy, to be one step ahead. Both you and your colleagues are doing it today.

Replica: We can do this.

Vladimir Putin: Yes, yes, and you are doing it, already doing it. This is very cool. But if there is an opportunity to improve the very procedure of making decisions and bringing them to the final product, then this is very cool.

Please give it to me, okay?

Remark: Let's do it.

And I have a short second question. We need a scientific production center for a systematic approach to production, pilot training, and UAS development. The military of the Eastern District is waiting for new developments from us, for which we need specialized equipment and a staff of specialists. As I have already said, we basically have all the infrastructure prepared.

Vladimir Putin: My colleagues from the Government, I have named two of them, the First Deputy Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister, Manturov and Belousov, they will work, I will tell them-they will definitely contact you, okay?

Replica: Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: So, that's it, are we finishing up?

Thank you very much.

Since we are meeting in the new year, and these events have only recently taken place, I would like to congratulate you on the upcoming New Year. I would like to wish everyone success, health, prosperity and, of course, industrial success in the truest sense of the word.

You are generally doing well. For our part, we will do everything in our power to support you.

All the best to you! Thank you very much.

Solving problems; greasing wheels; but not saying an unqualifies Yes! to everything. Great to be able to directly lobby your president. The logistics issue is familiar and will become more so going forward. Putin’s comment about “artificially grown fish” was significant. Quite a jocular talk, the emcee doing an excellent job.

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