Putin's Meeting with Members of the Civic Chamber

Within Moscow’s Victory Museum

National Unity Day or just Unity Day is a very old holiday that was reinstituted by Putin in 2005. 4 November is also the feast day of the Russian Orthodox icon of Our Lady of Kazan. Here’s Wiki’s description:

It commemorates the popular uprising which expelled Polish–Lithuanian occupation forces from Moscow by a militia from Nizhny Novgorod in November 1612, and more generally the end of the Time of Troubles and turning point of the Polish-Russian War (1605–1618).

The day's name alludes to the idea that all classes of Russian society united to preserve Russian statehood when there was neither a tsar nor a patriarch to guide them. In 1613 tsar Mikhail Romanov instituted a holiday named Day of Moscow’s Liberation from Polish Invaders.

Putin has an affinity for tying patriotic events of the past that were once celebrated and revitalizing them as he reconstitutes Russia’s civic ethos and rebuilds its sense of itself, much of which was crushed during the Yeltsin decade and deliberately omitted during the Soviet period when other ideas were promoted. One comment before moving to Putin’s opening remarks where he says only a few generations have passed in the 400+ years since the event that spawned the holiday occurred. Historians, sociologists, anthropologists, etc., consider a generation to consist of twenty year periods. So, please do keep that in mind as Putin tries to make the past seem not so distant as it actually is—400 years would be 20 generations. After Putin’s opening remarks is a discussion between him and Chamber members, which as readers of this substack are learning is Putin’s style of making citizens feel they’re involved in the governing process and that the government listens to them. Such behavior easily disproves the West’s attempts to paint Putin as an authoritarian dictator and makes one wonder why the West persists in its lies, which only serve to destroy its last bits of credibility. Yes, as usual the read is long but also educational as usual.

Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, dear friends and colleagues!

Our meeting with you is taking place on the eve of a holiday that is of great importance for our country, and the very name of this holiday contains its deep meaning – National Unity Day. First of all, I congratulate all of you on this holiday – and all the citizens of our country.

This holiday is timed to coincide with events that occurred relatively recently – some four hundred and a little years ago. What is 400 years-this is for five or six generations, time flies very quickly. Five or six generations in all, and how many events have happened in the history of our country during this time, and at all its crucial stages, the unity of the people has always been a key component of Russia's entry into new frontiers.

It has always been so. Let's remember what happened in the time of, say, Alexander Nevsky. After all, he went to the Horde, bowed to the Horde khans, received a label for reigning, including and primarily in order to effectively resist the invasion of the West. Why? Because the Horde behaved brazenly, cruelly, but they did not touch the main thing-our language, traditions, culture, which the Western conquerors claimed. And this is the most important thing, because if the culture, traditions, and history of a people are destroyed, then the people gradually begin to disappear as an ethnic group, to dissolve like snow in late spring.

Why do we revere Alexander Nevsky so much as a saint? It is for this choice. He thought about preserving the Russian people, and then all the peoples living on the territory of our vast country.

Much the same thing is happening today when we say that we are defending our moral values, our history, our culture, and our language, including by helping our brothers and sisters in the Donbas and Novorossiya to do so. This is the key to what is happening today.

I am very grateful to the members of the Public Chamber for taking such a civil position and understanding what is happening. I know that many members of the Public Chamber are under sanctions – this is a sign that the enemy really appreciates what you are doing for Russia. I want to thank you for that.

There are a lot of things going on in our work and in your work that at first glance are so formal, but they are of great importance. I mean, for example, working with presidential grants in various areas: after all, 125 billion [rubles] in recent years... If you combine what was done directly through the state and what various public organizations have attracted for the implementation of their projects, this is 125 billion rubles, which in one way or another affected the lives of 15 million citizens of the country. This is what is in demand, what people see, feel, and what is needed today for our society. I am sure that even more will be done.

I would especially like to thank you for the work that you are doing together with the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation in caring for the families of our servicemen, in caring for people who were injured during a special military operation. This is an extremely important area of activity in order to emphasize the deep respect with which we treat people who are not afraid to act in extremely difficult and difficult military conditions and risk their lives and health for the interests of Russia.

I ask you, of course, to continue this work, including with local and regional authorities, which I always talk about when I meet with colleagues working in different areas of activity.

In general, there is a lot of work, it is generally well established, but, of course, in the course of such a large and multifaceted activity, there are probably issues that require special attention. Let's discuss them.

Thank you so much for your attention.

L. Mikheeva: Hello, Vladimir Vladimirovich!

Secretary of the Public Chamber Mikheeva [Lidia Yurievna].

If possible, I will represent my colleagues.

Members of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation and representatives of public chambers of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation are present here. Each of them has its own interesting story, and many are eager to share their projects and suggestions. I must say that over the past three years, since the previous meeting, many such interesting projects have been implemented.

The Civic Chamber considers this very forum "Community" as its flagship project, its motto is "A forum for those who act".

Throughout the year, we hold meetings with all enterprising, energetic people who live in different regions. We present this forum at various sites in the federal districts and collect a lot of new fresh ideas and find great social projects initiated by the residents of these territories themselves.

For example, our Community Award ceremony will take place tonight, which is awarded to the best and most interesting projects we found during this forum campaign.

Of course, this is not our only job. The chamber does a lot. And, probably, among its important initiatives is the idea of sending funds to support children with severe orphan diseases. We participate in the work of the Circle of Good Foundation, work closely with it throughout its existence, monitor the results of this work and still believe that this is indeed one of our important tasks.

We also exercise public control. This, you know, in our opinion, is not some kind of standard word form, it is really very interesting and informative work. For example, a public fee forms the POC. To date, we have sent more than 1,200 people in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation as public observers to places of deprivation of liberty, where their main task, of course, is to monitor compliance with legislation in this area.

Our colleagues who monitor electoral procedures also take care of compliance with the law. For more than 10 years, the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation and the public chambers of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation have been engaged in election observation. The most important thing is that this observation is completely independent and unbiased.

Due to the fact that the legislation was amended several years ago, we have a full legal basis for forming a pool of public observers. When we communicate with political parties on this issue before election procedures, for example, we always emphasize that our observers are fully impartial and equidistant from all candidates, from all parties, and our task is primarily to ensure legitimacy by observing all these legislative procedures.

I'd like to say one more word, if I may. We also have something to be proud of on the international agenda. The Public Chamber has expanded its scope of activity, and we have succeeded in doing so. During the previous two years, we served as chairman of an international association that unites economic and social councils, analogs of public chambers and trade unions.

What is unique about this association? It includes more than 70 countries, and it is not in the UN system. We were nominated two years ago for the role of chairman, and we took on this function with honor. But about a year ago, at the initiative of a number of our European partners, the question was raised, if not about completely excluding us from this association, then at least about freezing our membership.

I am proud that my colleagues and I were able to convince our partners not to do such a stupid thing during one meeting, because it is extremely important to maintain a simple human dialogue between ordinary people at all times. A year ago, we were supported in this by our colleagues from different countries: Latin America, the East and, by the way, from Europe-Greece, Monaco, Serbia. As a result, we have completed this work. Recently, Russia's chairmanship in this association was transferred to another country.

Why am I talking about this? Because, quite unexpectedly, during the transfer of the mandate, we heard from our former European opponents an apology for the excessive harshness with which they treated the Russians, and gratitude for the important work that Russia has done over these two years, as we tried to bring the social agenda, everything that ordinary people around the world care about, to bear to the international platform. By the way, we managed to promote our ideas and proposals on the UN platform this year.

Now we have a large army of friends and partners. Of course, it inspires and gives strength.

I am sure that our colleagues may have more comments on other projects and some interesting ideas. So if you'll excuse me, I'll just ask…

Vladimir Putin: Yes, of course, with pleasure.

L. Mikheeva: Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Let's also talk about the internal agenda.

Everything that concerns our international activities is important. You just said that someone wanted to expel us from another organization, but then they didn't expel us. You know, the stronger we are economically, militarily, and domestically, the less willing we will be to exclude anyone from any country.

They excluded us, gave up something, and gave up our energy resources. So what's the result? This year's GDP growth will be 2.8–2.9, or even three percent, and in the leading European economies-a small minus, but a minus. And they suffer when real problems arise. We are not happy about this, but simply state the fact itself.

And in military terms, too: "We must defeat Russia on the battlefield." Now they sing differently, speak differently. This does not mean that we should behave aggressively. This means that we must be sovereign and independent in every sense of the word.

This means that the economy and real production, which should be linked to the world economy-of course, there is no other way in the modern world, but it [the economy] should be self-sufficient in key components, one that allows the country not only to survive, but also to move forward.

That's when we are turning into a country where we already have 43 percent of the economic growth structure-this is processing production, when we stop [being] - as we were once told, pointed out that we are a "gas station", and not an economy-when all this changes when we become self-sufficient, then there will be fewer people who want to exclude us from some organizations, and there will be more and more people who want to apologize and invite us to work together in various areas of activity.

Therefore, we need to focus on the domestic agenda, solve the challenges we face, move forward, develop, strengthen demographics and, of course, strengthen ourselves domestically.

Therefore, this holiday-the national unity day - is very appropriate. This is one of the key elements.

Let's talk about our questions.

L. Mikheeva: We have just reached the domestic political agenda. I would like to introduce Vladimir Rogov, chairman of the public movement "We are Together with Russia".

Vladimir Rogov: Hello, Mr President!

First of all, I would like to thank you for the historic decision you made to give us the opportunity to return home. We, the residents of historical Novorossiya, are overwhelmed with emotions that are even difficult to convey, because we waited for a long time, we fought, we wanted to return home, because for 30 years the separatists separated us from greater Russia and did not ask if we wanted to live abroad from our relatives and friends, in greater Russia.

You know, when my fellow countrymen found out... the fact is that I myself come from the city of Zaporizhia, which is still temporarily occupied by a gang of drug addicts and Nazis, and when people found out that I would be at a meeting with you and theoretically there would be an opportunity to apply, they wanted to convey just one phrase, which, of course, is prohibited in the current However, it warms the soul of many people: "From Peski to Osipka, we are waiting for Russian troops." This is what the Cossacks say.

It is clear that it is not quite possible to act actively with them, but nevertheless, in the liberated part of the Zaporozhye region, my fellow countrymen immediately actively joined in the work, supporting the army, supporting each other, acting according to the formula "Russian help the Russian" and "Everything for the front, everything for Victory".

Our scientific community has joined the same development of electronic warfare tools and directly plant the same drones, kamikaze drones with explosives and other things.

Ordinary women sew disguises, sew nets, and so on, in order to bring victory closer and liberate their native land faster.

You know, the region began to transform with the return home, it immediately became clear: the roads have become such as we have not seen. People who return home years later say: is this exactly the Zaporizhia region? There are no holes, nothing – just drive fast and well. People understand what Russia is and what opportunities it offers. We are working with our fellow countrymen.

I would also like to thank you for opening the Russia-My History center. This is really very important. You were talking about history. For us, history is a hard-won science, because we were told for a long time about the ancient Ukrovs, about the excavated Black Sea and other things – all the nonsense that they tried to brainwash us with for many years.

This is a very important point of interaction with people, this open dialogue, which, thank God, we are getting on the platform of the Public Chamber of both the Russian Federation and the regional Public Chamber.

We have also created a Coordination Council for the integration of new Regions, which means that it is not limited to any particular region. Our problems are more or less similar and close. This coordination council is also responsible for monitoring prices and tariffs.

What a sin to hide, it is clear that business sometimes has some desire to earn somewhere more. So that businesses remember that this is still a two-way road – not only for profit, but also with social responsibility, we are monitoring and raising questions. In the same cooperation with the government, we managed to reduce fuel prices. Even the highest fuel prices at the peak of prices were two and a half times lower than, for example, in the city of Zaporozhye, which is still controlled by Kiev.

I would like to address you here, Mr President, if possible, to give instructions or consent so that we can prepare, working in the field, working directly with people on the ground, a comprehensive monitoring, for example, quarterly, if possible, of the situation on the ground from the society, that is, compliance with civil rights. rights, respect for the same social aspects – - to work actively in the field of education, in the field of education. Because there is a large amount of work that we, as a society, are ready to undertake and help regional authorities and federal authorities to quickly establish a peaceful life.

As a citizen of Zaporizhia, I feel a huge responsibility when the whole of greater Russia helps us. I want all this help to be used as efficiently as possible, and we will move closer to our common victory as quickly as possible.

One more point, I also want to thank you for this. You are familiar with the works of Nikolai Yakovlevich Danilevsky, our great Russian scientist, and you have quoted him many times. By the way, every time you quote it, believe me, it sends a very big message to many people to turn to its scientific potential.

This man in his book "Russia and Europe" 150 years ago described the events that are taking place in our country now. Look, for 30 years we were crushed, strangled, banned from our native Russian language, and tried to explain to us that we are not Russian people. That is, speaking according to Danilevsky, we were turned into such ethnographic material, from which you can make anything you want and say that everything, you are not Russian. Nevertheless, we have remained true to our memory and the memory of our ancestors, and we know very well that we are Russian people.

Here, by communicating with a large number of people, we help them rehabilitate themselves from this sect of political Ukrainism. It's really such a psychiatric illness, when people are forced to believe in something that is not really there.

I want to make a suggestion. We have an idea – a large team of colleagues and people who care about the future of our great Motherland-to create the Danilevsky Center on the basis of the same center "Russia – my History". Because we have already worked out a lot of experience, namely the applied experience of returning brain activity to people, when they, crushed, turned into ethnographic material, when they tried to turn them, take up their minds, start creating and create. Because a creative person is a natural state of the Russian person.

Believe me, we, the southern Russian part, which was cut off for 30 years, are, in fact, such a storehouse of the historical forces of the Russian people, which was preserved and could not make efforts to recreate our great Russia.

I would like to take this opportunity to present you with a book, we have published the first volume-the collected works of Nikolai Yakovlevich Danilevsky. But this is not just a reissue – it is with a creative reinterpretation of the mass of people who work with it as an applied material.

Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much. Thank you for the book.

You know where I would like to start in response to your suggestion and your presentation. First: we all know very well – these are historical facts-that all the Southern Russian lands, as you said, were transferred during the formation of Soviet Ukraine during the creation of the USSR.

There was no Ukraine as part of the empire, there were regions, and it itself came in the XVI century, Ukraine, consisted of three regions: Kiev and the Kiev region, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv-that's all. It came from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, from Poland voluntarily. We have in our archives, as I have already said – a letter: we, Russian Orthodox people, appeal to Moscow, to the tsar, and so on. Trying to defend their rights, they turned to Warsaw with the same request: we, Russian Orthodox people, ask to preserve this and that, demand and so on.

Then what happened happened. They began to form the Soviet Union and formed a huge Ukraine, and first of all and to a large extent at the expense of the southern Russian lands – the entire Black Sea region and so on, although all these cities, as we know, were founded by Catherine II after a series of wars with the Ottoman Empire.

Well, it just so happens that modern Russia came to terms with this after the collapse of the Soviet Union. But when they began to exterminate everything Russian there-these are, of course, exorbitant things. And in the end, they announced that the Russians are not an indigenous nation on these lands – this is generally a complete mess, you know? And in parallel, they also began to exterminate Russians in the Donbass-to the applause of the West.

As it turned out, having signed the so – called Minsk agreements on a peaceful settlement with us, they were not going to implement them, as it turned out later, and moreover, they refused to implement them publicly at all. Moreover, they began to drag all this territory to NATO-brazenly, without paying attention to any of our protests, without paying attention to our position, as if we do not exist at all. This is what lies at the heart of the conflict that is taking place today. This is what causes this conflict.

Of course, if we had developed relations with fraternal Ukraine – and I still say "fraternal", meaning that our ethnic composition is fraternal in the literal sense of the word-normally, in a modern, friendly way, it would not occur to anyone to commit actions, for example, related to Crimea.

How? If everything had been fine there, if the Russian people, the Russian language and culture had been treated normally, there would not have been these coups d'etat, would it have occurred to anyone in Russia to act in Crimea in the same way as we did? Of course not, it was necessary to protect people from this Nazi scum. What should we do? They simply gave us a choice in which we could do nothing else but stand up for the people who live there. The same thing then went with the Donbass and with Novorossiya.

Of course, we need to do everything possible to ensure that the entry of these territories is smooth and natural, and that people feel the result as quickly as possible.

You know, we have a lot of problems in Russia as well. We in Russia – and all over the world – are fighting corruption. But the way Ukraine lived in the framework of Ukrainian corruption, there is no such thing in the world, I assure you. Not in the world! Believe me, I've been in close contact with former executives. "Bet" on everything: on a vote in the Supreme Court, on a vote in the Constitutional Court. "Bid"! Moreover, when we were discussing what to do: "We will decide this, it will cost so much." This is what the top officials of the state told me. My jaw just dropped. I say, " What, you have it like this?" - "Well, yes, we have it like this."

Now they say that weapons appear in the Middle East from Ukraine. Of course, it appears. Sell because. And they sell it to the Taliban, and from there it goes anywhere else. Everything is bought and sold.

I'm not saying this by accident. Because people both in Novorossiya and in the Donbas lived in such conditions, everything there is saturated with it. We need to respect society and the people who live here, and implement our standards in a calm manner. Of course, I repeat, we have enough of these problems ourselves. But it's just that the level is quite different. There, this corruption is actually legalized. Why do the Americans try to fight this corruption and nothing happens? I think it won't work. They are now planning a change of elites – both economic and political. Everything will be the same.

And we don't have to be like this. Yes, there are problems, but we must overcome them together and implement them gradually, including Russian legal standards – just as we did in Crimea gradually. This is not easy to do. It is also not easy to switch to the Russian regulatory framework. But we will gradually do this, and we are already doing it.

You said that something is changing outwardly. Yes, it is changing, and we have a program for the development of these territories, and significant funds have been allocated.

What I would like to say to all the citizens of Russia – who live in the new territories, as we are now saying, and in the territories that form the basis of the Russian Federation. Of course, all of us in any part of the country have the right to expect the state to act effectively and people will see the results of the country's work.

But it must be a two-way road. And people should also understand everything, including in the new territories, which, of course, is necessary, necessary, and they have the right to expect results, but we must work together to ensure that the country as a whole actively develops in the right direction and at the pace that we expect. In other words, we need to work together effectively.

I certainly support you in this regard. In what? The fact that you said that you, for example, in Zaporozhye, in the Kherson region, in Donetsk intend to control the actions of the authorities. It is absolutely necessary to do this, it is absolutely necessary to fit in with this work.

You said: we're going to do this, that. I'm even asking you to do it. Because control by public organizations is extremely important, including what I said above. Because all the established schemes do not go away from the fact that the referendum took place. You know what I mean.

That is why we are sending funds, and we will send even more. The main thing is that, thank God, our economy is functioning rhythmically, everything is working out. We do not change any of our plans, we do not abandon any of our plans – neither in the social sphere, nor in terms of infrastructure development, in other areas: support for industry, security, and so on. But there are also additional resources for the development of these territories, and they are large. Of course, you need to control every step. I will definitely ask you to do this.

Regarding the creation of the Danilevsky Center – a good idea. Let's do this.

Thank you.

L. Mikheeva: Natalia Kravchenko, Education Commission.

Natalia Kravchenko: Hello, dear Vladimir Vladimirovich!

Natalia Kravchenko, Commission on Education and Upbringing.

First of all, I would like to thank you for the "reset" of the state's system of work with non-profit organizations. In your speech today, you have already mentioned the activities of the Presidential Grants Foundation. Indeed, huge funds are allocated to support social and educational projects. A large number of them are sold in the regions.

But in addition to the Presidential Grants Fund, starting from 2021, there is also the Cultural Initiatives Fund, which today supports creative projects, creative projects, and the Internet Development Institute, which also allows commercial organizations to create content that translates our values and culture.

In the development of the topic of creative industries – we remember that in May of this year, when you met with representatives of the creative sector, you gave instructions to fix the concept of "creative industry" and "creative economy"at the legislative and federal level.

I want to tell you that just yesterday, at the Community Forum, we held public hearings on the draft law that was prepared by a group of deputies and senators and submitted to the State Duma this week.

The project has satisfied all representatives of the creative industries, it is very much expected, it is expected in the regions to provide support for this fast-growing, fast-growing sector of the Russian economy. We would like to take this opportunity to ask you to support the priority consideration of this draft law in the State Duma.

Yesterday, when we discussed creative industries, we realized that they, like digital technologies, permeate all areas of our lives, including education, which is very close to me.

By exercising public control over the school renovation program, we saw an opportunity to attract the creative resources of our youth, future architects and designers, to work on school spaces.

This idea was also suggested to us by those schools that, as we see today, are being repaired in new regions and territories. They are already created based on modern design projects. But we want the renovated school to become a dream school in every region, so that, as you asked at the start of this program, both schoolchildren and teachers work together on design projects, with the involvement of parents. It seems to us that it is very valuable, including for the children and students themselves, to participate in such socially significant and socially significant projects as part of their ministry training.

Today we have tested this idea and enlisted the support of relevant ministries. A third of the regions responded to our idea to involve students in working with schools, and 500 children and 500 students have already started their work.

We would like to ask you here to support the idea of scaling up this project, relying on the resource of the Znanie society, on the platforms that have been created today for the education and development of our youth, on the Mashuk knowledge center, on the Meganom Institute of Creative Industries, and on the well-known Senezh.

It would be great if we could really make sure that all schools are dream schools, make the most of the possibilities of the federal renovation project, so that not only the windows are not blown out and the walls are freshly painted, but the school environment is transformed, which greatly affects both the psycho-emotional climate and the quality of educational results in our country. country.

I would appreciate your support.

Vladimir Putin: So let's do it.

As for the new territories you mentioned, of course, there is a unique opportunity here. Everything is in such a very serious condition there.

Sergey Vladilenovich [Kiriyenko] told me yesterday: when he came to the library, the women were sitting there, stroking the new arrivals of books, and tears were flowing. I say: why? He says: there has never been such a thing. It's just that people live this job, they love it, they've devoted their whole lives to it. It's been a long time since they've been treated like this, and for them it's strange to the point of tears. This is not a made-up story.

So, of course, we need to do everything possible to meet the expectations of such people, and we will continue to do so. In this sense, everything that concerns the so-called creative industries, small and medium-sized businesses that do this is extremely important for the whole country and for these territories, especially because they are filled with meaning. Of course, we will try to do this.

I will definitely talk to Sergey Sergeyevich [Kravtsov], the Minister of Education, who is in control of this situation related to repairs and construction of schools, and we will try to breathe this spirit of novelty and meaning not only into the walls, but also into everything related to school, pedagogy, and education.

And as for the draft law on creative industries – of course, we will support it, I will definitely talk to my colleagues in the Duma, with [Vyacheslav] I'll talk to Volodin. We will do everything and support you.

L. Mikheeva: Mr President, we have representatives of all traditional confessions in the Public Chamber, which are traditional in Russia.

If possible, I would now ask Albir Rifkatovich Krganov, the mufti of the Spiritual Assembly of Muslims of Russia, to speak.

Alexander Krganov: Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, As-salamu alaikum!

Vladimir Putin: Wa-alaikum al-salam.

Alexander Krganov: Dear colleagues, Dear brothers and sisters,

First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the opportunity to address this important meeting of ours on the eve of our common holiday – National Unity Day.

Just recently, we have witnessed how easily the flames of an external conflict can spread to our land.

Of course, we are deeply concerned about what is happening in the Middle East. Our Muslim Ummah of millions prays in mosques for the restoration of justice.

But on October 29, Makhachkala was shaken by a cynical provocation by accomplices of inciting ethnic hatred, apparently organized from outside by the enemies of Russia and the enemies of Islam.

We responded immediately and on October 30 held an extended meeting of the Presidium of the Spiritual Assembly of Muslims of Russia with the participation of spiritual leaders from almost 30 regions of Russia, including Dagestan. As a result, they issued a statement unequivocally condemning the reckless actions of ignoramuses in the first place and also called for an immediate end to the bloodshed in the Middle East.

The country's Muslims fully support the state's efforts in this area. Muslims in Russia have been living side by side with Christians, Buddhists and Jews for more than a thousand years. They share their grief and joy, raise their children and pray, and now they are defending their Homeland from our common enemy.

Just today I spoke with the Mufti of Dagestan Akhmat-Haji [Abdulaev]. He told me that more than 35,000 true Muslim patriots from Dagestan are fighting on the front line. Together with other representatives of the peoples of Russia, they are fighting there against the "spider" that you spoke about recently, which also ignited the fire of war in Palestine.

I do not presume to state, of course, the number of our servicemen from Dagestan. But I would like to inform you that we actively support the Muslim fighters who are currently fighting in the Northern Military District, and we continue to step up our work together with the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation for the rehabilitation of fighters returning from the front.

When Korans were burned in Europe and caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad were produced, representatives of all Russian faiths in Russia supported us, Muslims. And when the outrages against the Orthodox Church in Ukraine began, we all united and also raised our voices. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: everything changes for the better for those who put their trust in God and do good.

In this sense, we would like to note that today we have no right to allow attempts to sway the country along national or religious lines.

Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, Dear colleagues!

I would like to share just a few words about our joint efforts in this regard.

An interfaith center is planned to be built in New Moscow, which will become a unique platform for dialogue in its potential and capabilities. This project will unite the temples of four traditional religions of Russia: christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, and Islam. On the territory of the complex will be: an educational center, museums, exhibition sites and intellectual laboratories of each of our religions, special spaces for youth leisure, creativity, gardening and sports.

The Moscow Architectural Institute and I have made all this part of the concept, taking into account our meeting with you last year, Vladimir Vladimirovich, where you pointed out that it is very important for us to work with young people.

Representatives of all religions unanimously support this wonderful project. The concept with mock-ups will be shown at the exhibition "Russia" at VDNH. Step by step, slowly, for 11 years, we have been working carefully, taking into account public opinion, to solve this God-pleasing case, and at the beginning of the year, thanks to the decision of Sergei Semenovich [Sobyanin], we received documents for the land plots. We plan to start construction in 2024.

We believe that this project will be an important contribution to strengthening interethnic and interreligious harmony, as well as the embodiment of the civilizational path of our country. We count on your support for this initiative, Mr President.

May the Almighty strengthen our unity in the face of these great common challenges.

Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: As for mosques, temples, synagogues, datsans, and so on, we have built as many similar institutions in recent Russian times as we have never built in Soviet times.

Thousands of mosques have been built.

A. Krganov: Eight thousand.

Vladimir Putin: Eight thousand mosques across the country. To be honest, when I talk to my friends and colleagues from, say, Arab countries, they don't even believe me: "How much?!" They don't even believe these numbers... well, they do, of course, when I say it. (Laughter.) But in general, it looks, of course, fantastically simple.

Nevertheless, this process continues, and it will continue for all our traditional faiths first of all, because this is where people receive spiritual support. This is important for the state, and we will support it.

You will discuss specific things with the Mayor of Moscow. He knows my position.

As for these events in Makhachkala, which you mentioned. You know, it's easy to throw a spark, very easy, of course, against the background of the horrors that are happening there [in the Gaza Strip], it's easy to do. Because, as I said at the meeting with my colleagues during the Security Council, when you look at the suffering children covered in blood, your fists clench and tears come to your eyes. This, I think, is the reaction of any normal person. If there is no such reaction, then a person does not have a heart, it is simply made of stone.

But, of course, at the same time, we must perceive all these events with a clear head, understand where the root of evil is, where it comes from. Of course, what are the Tats to blame for what's happening? Tats, by the way, are an indigenous people in the Caucasus. Mountain Jews lived there for how long? Hundreds of years, maybe a thousand years, and they live there. So you just need to understand what's going on.

And of course, we know that people who live abroad, including in Ukraine, have been thrown in through social networks.

In this regard, of course, I am surprised by the position of overseas "figures": they seem to support the Jews of Israel, and with the hands of their agents from Ukraine they are trying to organize Jewish pogroms in our country. It's just unbelievable filth. And this is no longer a double standard, I don't even know what to call it, a perversion of consciousness of some kind. This suggests that in reality they are more likely to pursue their own interests than the interests of some third nations and third countries, and in this case, the interest of fighting Russia and rocking Russia from within. This is absolutely unacceptable in our multinational country.

As for the guys from the Caucasus who are fighting in the special military operation zone, there are a lot of them, and they are fighting perfectly, heroically. Moreover, people from the Caucasus do not just fight in ordinary positions, but, believe me, I know what I'm saying, they occupy the highest command positions in the Russian army right in the area of the operation and fight brilliantly.

What happened, happened. The clergy's response was swift and convincing. I want to thank you for that. Moreover, for Dagestan, my beloved Dagestan, this is not a major trend, but an event that we should pay attention to and respond properly in accordance with Russian laws. We will do it, of course.

L. Mikheeva: There are a lot of creative people in the Public Chamber, for example, the poet Anna Revyakina.

Anna Revyakina: Hello, Mr President!

Anna Revyakina, poet, member of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, teacher, editor.

I would like to tell you about a unique phenomenon that we can all observe today. This is a new explosion of Russian patriotic poetry, not only poetry, but also songs.

Relatively speaking, now we are witnessing a new "Silver Age" - only without a name, the name will later be given by literary critics and literary critics. In addition to the fact that poetry gathers full halls, songs also gather full halls.

I will give just a few examples, literally two or three, because there are a huge number of them. For example, our stars-Leps, Rastorguev-sang a song based on the poems of Andrey Starintsev, who died in December 2022 in Donetsk. And Natalia Kachura and Victoria Daineko sang a song based on poems by Masha Pirogova, my friend. She, too, was killed by a "Grad", a "Grad" shell literally fell under her feet. It was in the center of Donetsk, not far from the Central Department Store.

Today, poetry really gathers full halls, gives answers to the most important questions, because poetry is a string that stretches from heart to heart, from the heart of the poet to the heart of the reader.

I would like to give you a book today. At the end of last year, in December 2022, it was collected and published, and at the end of summer 2023 it received one of the most prestigious awards in the category "Poetry" – "Book of the Year – 2023". This book is called The Great Roadblock. It collected a corpus of texts by 45 poets: 37 – civil, according to the number of years of Alexander Pushkin, and eight-warrior poets. "Great Roadblock" is the Donbass text, of course, today the Russian text, partly including centered on the Donbass text. This is what this book looks like.

I would like, if I may, to read a short poem dedicated to my hometown, I am a Donchanka.

I love this city –

The Promised Steppe,

There's gunpowder on his face,

He had seen death firsthand.

He's mad as a hatter,

Accidentally spilled mercury.

This city is sudden,

And I have nothing to reproach him with.

It stands on the border –

The forces of light and the forces of darkness.

He's a bit of a knight,

Its mountains are just hills.

His veins, tired veins –

Darkened asphalt roads.

Everyone accuses him of treason,

They write his obituary.

I love him like a child,

Is he ill or cold?

How subtle everything about him is, so subtle,

But you can't talk about that right now.

However, subtlety is also a strength,

Also truth and grace.

I forgave him in advance,

If there is something to forgive.

(Applause.)

Thank you. Of course, love consists of forgiveness as well.

I wanted to say that Donetsk, Donbasovtsy, Donetsk residents-we used to be a working city, the capital of an old industrial region – that's what the economy called us. Now we are a hero city, a symbol city, a warrior city.

I would like to say that the residents of Donetsk-of course, if we think strategically and look into the distance - we are ready to work for the benefit of our entire country, we are really happy to return to our native harbor.

You know, they often say: new territories, new regions. But I want to suggest: let's say "new old regions", because after all, when there was the Ekaterinoslav province and the lands of the All-Great Don Army-this is our history, with which we are growing up.

I think that the Donbass will have a bright future as part of Russia. I'm sure of it.

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: First of all, the poems are so wonderful and poignant. thank you very much. It's really heartwarming, thank you.

You [said in the poem] about "asphalt", about "gray" – and here your colleague said – now it will sound prosaically-we will make a new asphalt.

You are right, I would like to add something: they are not new to us, they are Russian territories. But "new old" – somehow too… What are the old ones? We can simply say: our historical territories. Let's think about it.

L. Mikheeva: We have another wonderful creative person and a person who is not indifferent, Diana Gudaevna Gurtskaya. Diana works for a commission that focuses on inclusive practices.

Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, Diana.

D. Gurtskaya: Good afternoon! Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, dear Lidia Yurievna, thank you so much for the opportunity to speak.

Since 2018, we have opened the Diana Gurtskaya Center for Social Integration with the support of the Moscow Government and our Mayor Sergey Sobyanin. The center is unique in that we have 15 rehabilitation programs aimed at developing the creative potential of people with disabilities and children with disabilities. Our students and visitors are children with disabilities, people with disabilities aged from five to 35 years.

The motto of our center is "Everything starts with a dream". On behalf of the center's team, on behalf of our students, our children, and our parents, Vladimir Vladimirovich, we invite you to our Diana Gurtskaya Social Integration Center, where everything starts with a dream. If you come to visit us, it will be a great honor for us, for our children.

Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much, Diana, for doing this, not only for your creative work, but also for such important and delicate social work. I'll try, of course.

I know that everything you do always works out for you. I will try to come to visit you.

Thank you very much.

L. Mikheeva: The All-Russian Student Rescue Corps will be represented by our colleague Evgeny Kozeev.

Yevgeny Kozeyev: Good afternoon, Mr President!

It is quite difficult for me to perform in public, it is much easier for me to work in the field somewhere, on the ground, but I will try.

On February 18, 2022, we called Mikhail Mikhailovich Kuznetsov, the head of the [executive committee] All-Russian Popular Front. We decided that our teams should immediately go to the Rostov region in order to help people who left their homes as a result of the aggression from Ukraine.

Already on February 19, we opened a headquarters and a humanitarian center at the Don State Technical University. The entire volunteer community joined the work of this headquarters almost immediately.

We went to temporary accommodation centers. At first there were not so many of them, then there were hundreds of them. We had a sufficient number of volunteers so that we could close almost all these temporary accommodation points on our own and help special services. We delivered humanitarian aid there and worked with people.

We paid special attention to working with children. We conducted classes and master classes for them in almost all the volunteer areas that we have in the Russian Federation. We worked shifts around the clock. And this work continues to this day.

In March 2022, together with the Ministry of Defense and the Russian Emergencies Ministry, we started traveling to the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics.

We have been and continue to deliver humanitarian aid. To date, we have already carried out more than a thousand trips. We deliver food, water, and basic necessities, as well as specialized equipment, machinery, and equipment through the Vse Dlya Pobedy Foundation.

For us, the most important, most valuable thing is people, it is working with young people. Thanks to the support of the Presidential Grants Fund, we have opened a resource center in Luhansk to support volunteerism in emergency situations. We are currently opening a similar center in Donetsk, and we are working on creating one in Zaporizhia region and Kherson region.

Students, children, and young people now have equipment for carrying out emergency rescue and recovery operations, as well as vehicles for delivering humanitarian aid.

In June 2022, we went with the guys to carry out emergency recovery work in the city of Volnovakha. There we had an interesting case when our team went to the church on the seventh or eighth day of emergency recovery work, and about an hour, twenty hours later, a shell flew to where they lived, that is, they miraculously survived.

This year we also worked for about three weeks in the Kherson region to eliminate the consequences of the explosion of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station.

Also, members of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation cannot stand aside. Sometimes we see them there much more often than in the Public Chamber here in Moscow.

I would like to express my gratitude to you, Vladimir Vladimirovich, from the entire volunteer community for supporting volunteerism in Russia as a whole, and convey my gratitude to the young people from the new regions.

Our team is growing, our team is growing, there are more of us, and we will cope with any task set. We are all forming a real civil society together, and the victory will be ours.

thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much and thank all those who work alongside you and fulfill this important mission and function. Please be careful, be careful. I also appeal to the members of the Public Chamber. You need to be extremely careful when you visit combat areas or areas close to them. Unfortunately, this is not yet safe. There is a time for everything. I hope that it will not be so distant, but for now we need to be more careful.

As for the support of volunteers, we have always done this. How can we not support those people who voluntarily take on such an important mission as the implementation of the most important tasks facing the state and society, and directly help people? We have helped and will continue to do so.

As for the volunteer centers you mentioned. If there is a need to support the creation of these centers, let's do it too. I will definitely tell my colleagues both in the Government and in the Presidential Administration.

Thank you very much.

L. Mikheeva: I am addressing my colleagues now. Friends, I am very embarrassed, but if you can, please speak a little shorter. There were a lot of people who wanted to speak out.

From the Commission on Culture-Irina Yakovlevna Velikanova.

Irina Velikanova: My name is Irina Velikanova, I am the chairman of the Commission for Culture and the Preservation of Spiritual Heritage, and I am also the director of the Museum of Modern History of Russia. You were here once, Mr Putin.

First of all, I would like to say that the instructions you gave following your last meeting with members of the Public Chamber have been fulfilled. We talked about the need to create historical schools for students and postgraduates from abroad who study in Russia. During this time, in less than two years, about a thousand people from more than 40 countries have passed through these winter and summer schools.

These schools are held under the auspices of the Russian Historical Society together with the Public Chamber with the support of the Ministry of Higher Education and Science. And it is important that the geography of these schools is our whole huge, beautiful country.

We have already been with the guys in Tatarstan-in Yelabuga and Bolgar, we have been in Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Vyborg, Arkhangelsk. Imagine the geography, how many natural resources and historical sites they can see. Moreover, these schools are already known, so not only those who study, but also those who are young scientists and live permanently there, also come to these schools.

Next year we plan to continue all this and want to go to one of the cities of the North Caucasus Federal District. We think this is very important today.

As you said correctly, let's talk about what helps us move forward. Our culture is also helping us to move forward, that's for sure. Indeed, a lot has been done recently for the development of infrastructure in our regions. Thanks to the national project, model libraries have been created, and our small towns are being electrified, new clubs are being created, children's theaters are being supported, and so on.

This is a real breakthrough, as we have already mentioned here, in the production of our domestic high-quality content. Remember, just recently we talked about what we would like to achieve, and how we would do it, so that our film distribution would be 25 percent of domestic cinema, and now it is almost 85 [percent]. After the start of the special military operation, there were so many complaints from our film distributors that everything, everything was lost, we will probably sell fur coats in cinemas again, as we once did there in the 90s, and so on.

But no. Revenue, for example, from film distribution in August exceeded revenue for the same period in 2019, that is, an additional premium level. What are these movies? This is our beautiful "Cheburashka". I wrote out a figure for myself: 6.8 billion "Cheburashka" collected, 22.5 million people watched it. "Challenge" – 2.1 billion collected, 6.7 million viewers. This is fine, we can, and this is done by our Film Foundation with the support of the state.

The Internet Development Institute has helped support our excellent teams that produce high-quality audiovisual content. I can't even tell you all the companies that are currently doing this right now. It's hard to believe, Mr Putin, I do not know whether you know this figure or not, but we now produce almost 300 TV shows a year. That is, the series is released almost every day. This is such a huge job. You can argue about them: some are stronger, some are weaker, but this is a good movie that is interesting to different segments of the population.

But now I would like to raise one very systemic issue, in my opinion, especially since you once gave instructions in 2021 that it should be resolved. The assignment was to the Ministry of Culture. The problem concerns our small towns, our hinterland. A third of the population of our country lives in them, and we say from year to year that there is simply a catastrophic shortage of people, cultural workers.

According to the latest monitoring of the Ministry of Culture in 2023, for the period 2024-2029, the shortage of personnel in the field of culture in the regions will be about 19 thousand people. That's a lot. Even now, people of pre-retirement, retirement and far "beyond" age are already working there. These are all energetic people, but I really want to attract young people there.

There are programs "Zemsky doctor", "Zemsky teacher". We believe that the program "Zemsky Worker of Culture" should finally appear. We are asked this question year after year. Just yesterday, also on our site, guys from the regions came up to us and said: when will it finally be? But we feel that without your special instructions, we will not be able to move this problem forward, because the figures that the Ministry of Culture has recalculated and presented again were not approved. Therefore, we ask for your instructions.

Vladimir Putin: Of course, the work carried out by local cultural workers is very important. I won't describe it now, we all understand what it means to work with people directly.

These are precisely the people who cultivate and bring to people the very moral values that we talk about all the time and that we are all trying to defend. These are, of course, the people who do this locally, on the ground, as they say.

We'll see. We are currently working on the budget for next year, but we also have additional revenues. We'll see. We need to calculate how much it costs. The offer itself is very correct and noble.

Irina Velikanova: About 18 billion rubles.

Vladimir Putin: 18 billion rubles. Good. I will give the Government such an assignment.

I suggest you know what: let me just ask you to raise your hands, and we'll... only I beg your pardon, but three or four questions, and we'll be done. Okay?

You are welcome.

A. Malkevich: Alexander Malkevich, I am the head of the Department of Journalism at the Kherson [State] Pedagogical University. As Lydia Yurievna said, I am on eight sanctions lists. For some reason, in the US – twice, but seeing the state of Biden…

Vladimir Putin: They don't count well.

Alexander Malkevich: He simply forgot. We can see what condition it is in.

Seriously, I am a native Leningrader and more than a year and a half ago I went with my team to our ancestral historical lands to train personnel there, but first of all there will be real normal journalists whose minds will be cleared of this ukrofascist propaganda.

We have organized a journalism department at Kherson State University, and this year 180 people have entered our specialty alone.

We started a media school last year, and 15 of its graduates work in local media in our new regions. On March 8, in the Kremlin, you presented the Order of Courage to my student, 16 – year-old Vlada from Kherson, who was wounded last year when Ukrofashists shot at our column.

In general, the core of young journalists aged 16 to 21 is absolutely amazing, very bright guys.

I would like to say a few words about educational platforms. Amazing "Tavrida" - an educational center. There, creative teams from new regions receive such training, then they return and become our messengers of enlightenment, including lecturers of the Znanie society.

So it turned out, I'm in the Kherson region and the society "Knowledge" lead. We are fifth in the country in terms of the number of performances, and the first are Donetsk and Luhansk. That is, people under fire there go for knowledge, they have such a thirst.

"Mashuk". It's cool that they teach those who teach there.

Actually, one of my suggestions boils down to the fact that we have amazing public opinion leaders in the new regions, dozens of brave, courageous people. Vladimir Antonovich Ovcharenko, who will be 84 in a few days, is from the Kherson region, and he is like a lion, so to speak, fighting on the information front. Vladimir Rogov, Alexey Karyakin-one of the founders of the Luhansk People's Republic, Alexander Kofman from Donetsk with amazing educational projects.

We would like to create an educational center where we would help the growing so-called LOMs, leaders of public opinion, train them in the media, help them "pack" the meanings with which they go out to people to fight on the information front with fakes, with lies that our enemies attack us with. This site could be built, for example, in Mariupol, logically convenient.

Vladimir Putin: I wrote it for myself: "Where?" And you immediately say to me:"In Mariupol."

Alexander Malkevich: Yes, logically.

Vladimir Putin: Are you a mind reader or something?

Alexey Malkevich: But in general, Mr President, Mariupol is a city of great importance.…

Vladimir Putin: My word of honor. You see, it says, " Where?"

Alexander Malkevich: Mr President, it's just that Mariupol is a sister city of our native Saint Petersburg.

I have one more thought to say here. Next year is a very important date for all Leningrad residents – the 80th anniversary of the complete lifting of the blockade. My team and I think that, you know, the time has come, perhaps, to return some kind of moral duty to the city where the person who led Leningrad not only during the siege was born. We think that maybe, if you support us, it will not require the financial participation of the federal center, to recreate the Zhdanov House – museum in Mariupol.

But we perceive it as a moral duty, so to speak: the city of Leningrad, the sister city of Mariupol, returns thanks.

Vladimir Rogov, with whom we created and manage the Coordination Council for the Integration of new [Russian] regions, said about the parks "Russia is my history". It's amazing, I was in Lugansk and Melitopol last week, where the apple is nowhere to fall: the guys walk around with their mouths open, because this is, on the one hand, a verified history of our country, but it is presented creatively and fascinatingly.

Please, of course, both in the DPR and in the Kherson region to make such parks. In general, the dream, of course, is that such centers should appear in each of our regions, in each capital of the subjects, because we have a great history, amazing, and it should be interesting to tell about it.

Colleagues, and finally, this is very important, I think, because our friend, my friend, colleague, fellow countryman Maxim Grigoriev today is in a good sense the final day of work with us, because he signed a contract with the volunteer unit "Bars" and tomorrow goes to the zone of special military operation. I think it would be right if we sent it, so to speak.

I finished my report. Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: You just need to get the appropriate training.

Mikhail Grigoriev: I passed everything.

Vladimir Putin: No, you don't have to break into cities with a watering can and a notebook.

Mikhail Grigoriev: I've already had some training, thank God.

Vladimir Putin: No, we don't need a "certain" one, we need a good one.

Mikhail Grigoriev: The correct one.

Over the years, an international public Tribunal for the Crimes of Ukrainian Neo-Nazis has been created, representatives of civil society from more than 30 countries participate, and during this time we have collected more than 700 testimonies in combat areas and during ongoing battles, including interviews with people.

I have just published my book "Ukrainian Crimes against Humanity", which Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov handed over to the UN Secretary General. We know and understand what it is, just keep it going at a new level.

If you'll excuse me, I may also have such a request. If this book were to end up in libraries, universities, and schools, too, because it is not us who say this, but the women and children we interviewed who were killed, shot, and tortured during this time, it would be very important.

And now, at a new stage… All these people just passed through me, and I made a personal decision for myself – just to fight this evil with weapons in my hands.

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

This is a man's choice. But preparation is necessary, be careful.

(To A. Malkevich.) As for your suggestions. We should also take a look at the Andrey Zhdanov House-museum. There are different ways to relate to his activities, but he made a significant contribution to the defense of Leningrad, that's for sure.

And about the creation of an educational center in Mariupol. We will definitely work on it, and I will definitely formulate such an instruction to both the Government and the Administration.

thank you very much.

Evgeny Agranovich: Hello!

Ekaterina Agranovich, media manager, blogger, member of the Public Chamber.

I have already been to a meeting with war correspondents with you in June. I was embarrassed then, I think I won't arrange a" Field of Miracles", a serious meeting, but then I really regretted it. So I will do it now: I would like to give you a book that my own brother wrote.

This book is called "Call sign "Sailor", about the feat of our father and uncle, they have been fighting since 2014, and my brother described their fighting path. Now, unfortunately, my uncle is dead, my father is also wounded a lot, but he continues [to fight], he is right now near Avdiivka, everything is relatively normal for him. So in general, when you are in Donetsk, come to visit us. I'll give you the book via protocol.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

Evgeny Agranovich: And now about the work.

P. Pozhigailo: Can I ask a question from people with many children?

Vladimir Putin: Just a second.

Yevgeny Agranovich: We have members of the Public Chamber here who are from new regions in general, or who have already literally settled there. Anna Revyakina is a poet, publishes her own collections, publishes collections of military authors, and they all disperse with a bang. Pyotr Lundström is a violinist who has given 115 concerts on the front line, that is, right on the line of contact. I've been to several of them myself. This, of course, raises the morale of military personnel.

Vladimir Putin: Where's the violinist?

(Turning to E. Agranovich) Excuse me, please, you will definitely finish, for God's sake, don't be offended.

What kind of music do you play for the kids?

Pavel Lundström: Vladimir Vladimirovich, Bach is mostly Paganini. And if we talk about military songs, then I also own an artistic whistle. I really like it. In general, I play Bach. Yes, it would seem, what does the German composer who lived so many years ago have to do with this?

Vladimir Putin: You can perform with an artistic whistle on the other side of the front line. They are great specialists in artistic whistling.

P. Lundstrom: You know, I also spoke to the special forces "Akhmat". Everyone liked it, everything is fine. It's an art form.

Vladimir Putin: I'm still curious. Bach play, Paganini – how does the audience perceive it?

P. Lundstrom: Absolutely amazing. I played my first concert in April last year, and I had my doubts. But after that, there was no concert. Moreover, I gave concerts with Yulia Chicherina, Alexey Poddubny – Django, you know, rock artists, and I was interested in how it would sound. But no, the guys react just fine.

One more important thing. We arrive, make eye contact, and talk: you and I are of the same blood. The creative intelligentsia – God forgive me, this word has already been discredited-is actually a creative class, it should be just as close to its people as any other class, and we are trying to prove this in this way.

Vladimir Putin: I think that for people who live in very difficult conditions, when every day before their eyes or injuries occur, or people die, and they themselves are in mortal danger in the truest sense of the word, probably what you do is that you play these world-famous works of art (and music is a special art form, you can't see it, you can't say it, you can't touch it, it goes straight to the heart), so I think that what you do is very important for the guys you work for.

Thank you very much.

Pavel Lundström: Thank you, Mr President.

No question, I just wanted to quickly send you greetings from the front. I started to help, focused on helping the battalion of the mobile reserve of the DPR army, which is now part of the Russian army, and they began to take on the names of Orthodox saints a year and a half ago. It all started with the battalion "Rus", then the battalion "Alexander Nevsky", "Dmitry Donskoy" and so on, and now there are more than 20 such units.

I am authorized to convey my gratitude and full, unconditional support to you as the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.

And if I'm talking about Orthodox units, then one more greeting from the Hero of Russia, Major General Apti Aronovich Alaudinov, commander of the special forces "Akhmat". I think you also spoke about him when you spoke about the Caucasians who hold high positions. I also played with them, you know what "Akhmat" is. Also huge words of gratitude and, once again, sorry, full and unconditional support.

Thank you very much.

Elena Agranovich: Petr also makes festivals for children called "Donbass Express". Children are taught musical art.

My brother, who is the author of the book, is a creative person, and I are shooting a TV series in the Donbas. We shot the first series about the SVO "Mobilization" about the events of February 2022, and now we are shooting the second, big [series]. That is, the first one was a debut, it may be technically imperfect, but it is very soulful.

The second series is Reservists. The script is based on the stories of demobilized students. These are the Donbass guys who went to war, being absolutely civilian students. We invited some of them to play supporting roles, because, frankly, there are few actors in the DPR, especially in the conditions of military operations.

I generally talk about projects, there is a logic here. We are also working together with the Ministry of Youth Policy in the DPR on the Infoshkola project. We just went to all the schools that were opened in the DPR and gave lectures about our work there. I'm a media person, and my media employees told me that we create creatives, create slogans, and create symbols. All the children who also wanted to do this, we organized and teach our profession online. And since the third month-for me it is phenomenal how talented children are – they show results in working at the same level with market specialists. It is very important.

While doing all this, I understand that it's all about the creative industries. We discussed this a lot at the Community Forum, including during the Russian Creative Week. There was even a session called "New Regions-drivers of the country's creative Economy development".

While researching this topic "in the fields", I understand that this is indeed the case. In my opinion, it is time to create centers for the development of creative industries in new regions.

It is clear that now one of the conditions for the development of the creative economy in general is space, that is, places where residents can "land". Now, as if there is no time to build space, there are military operations. But in principle, you can start this work – what kind of work: building communities, supervising specialists, introducing people, helping them develop-right now. In principle, we are already doing this, but it just seems to me that we need to scale it up, and we need the support of system partners.

Vladimir Putin: We were just talking about creative industries. We will do this, of course, and with your submission, too.

Elena Agranovich: Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you. Thank you very much for the book.

They raised their hands in the distance. There was a question or suggestion about large families. You are welcome.

Pavel Pozhigailo: Mr President, good afternoon!

Yesterday, Sergei Sobyanin awarded me and my wife the Order of Parental Glory from you.

thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you for treating children this way. How many children do you have?

P. Pozhigailo: Eight.

Vladimir Putin: Eight. Great.

P. Pozhigailo: We know each other.

Vladimir Putin: Are they all your own or are they still there?…

P. Pozhigailo: All my own, from one wife.

Vladimir Putin: Big ones?

P. Pozhigailo: The eldest is 22.

Vladimir Putin: We don't ask: with one, not with one. Why go into details in the family? (Laughter.)

P. Pozhigailo: It happens that… But it just happened.

We know each other, we erected a monument to Stolypin, if you remember. Actually, I am the head of the Stolypin Foundation.

Vladimir Putin: As I remember now.

Pavel Pozhigailo: And the second project is the Children's Choir of Russia. If you remember, there were concerts, and we were sitting at the Mariinsky Theater then, in the Kremlin. My name is Pavel Pozhigailo.

I have two questions. The first. If possible, we have a five-year break, the Children's Choir of Russia, our thousandth, we did not collect…

Vladimir Putin: Excuse me?

Pavel Pozhigailo: Do you remember the thousandth Children's Choir of Russia?

Vladimir Putin: Yes.

Pavel Pozhigailo: When we were in the Kremlin. We haven't collected it for five years – it's a pandemic, in general, of course. If there is an opportunity, the children asked me to tell them that we have a new very interesting program, and maybe we will be able to gather the children again, bring them to Moscow and perform this concert.

And the second question. I have been working on the Public Chamber's Demography Commission for six years. Of course, we are concerned about the issue related to the birth rate. Over the past year, I have traveled around a lot of regions, promoting my life. We also raise a lot of questions there. Now, by the way, the 12th region, today Tver, at the local level decided to ban propaganda of inducement to abortion. Before that, Astrakhan, Tataria, and Mordovia. Actually, the deputies of the legislative assemblies welcome these procedures, they are all legally verified from the point of view of the 131st law.

In addition, we still have a number of developments on how to solve this serious issue today.

But the main thing you need to think about. The Security Council issued the National Security Strategy and the 809th Decree on the Protection of Traditional Values. But the problem is that there is no body in the country that would be responsible for the implementation of this law.

By and large, from the demographic point of view, it may be advisable to develop a document – a demographic security strategy-to develop the National Security Strategy, since we lost a million people last year.

We need a body responsible for the implementation of all this. Maybe all the laws that are adopted in the state, they would pass demographic control and monitoring – that is, this law increases the population or it reduces it?

Yesterday the Ministry of Health and Social Development says: we have accepted 700 demographic projects, which are amazing. I say: listen, for the last 10 years we have had the same problem, as, for example, in Crimea. We are checking one pharmacy with the Ministry of Health. During the year, they sold 3.5 thousand packages of drugs for abortion, and the annual statistics of the Crimea – 4 thousand abortions. Imagine, one pharmacy sold 3,500 packages, and statistics – 4 thousand! Because the same private clinics do not provide statistics. Last year, 1 million 200 thousand of these drugs were sold in the country, and the statistics of the Ministry of Health – 400 thousand abortions. If you add 1 million 200 thousand, this is 1 million 600 thousand.

That is, relatively speaking, of course, 700 projects and their implementation is not the development of budget funds, it is an increase in the birth rate, that's the most important thing. This is an excess of the birth rate over mortality. I do not know how it is correct [to formalize] that it would be correct for any body to be responsible in general in the country for everything that happens in our demography.

Second. Of course, we need a strategic document that could systematically unite all the efforts of all state structures in terms of solving this problem.

Sorry for the long speech. Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: You have raised a very important question. Now I will not go into depth, in detail, it is complex.

It is clear what our failures are connected with, we have already talked about this many times. In 1943, we had the same failure as in 1991, in terms of demography, in terms of birth rate: the number of births we had was either in 1943 or in 1991. This is how the country's population perceived the collapse of the Soviet Union – the family planning horizon immediately decreased.

First thing I'd like to say. Of course, the problem of abortion is acute. The question is what to do with it. Prohibit the sale of drugs that terminate pregnancy? Or to improve the socio-economic situation in the country, increase the level of welfare, real wages, social services, assistance to young families to purchase housing, assistance in other areas, [the level of] material assistance to young student families? There are a lot of different areas of activity to support motherhood and childhood. An extremely important thing.

Do I need to immerse everything in the Security Council? Still, everyone should do their own thing. Not because I'm afraid of overloading the Security Council, no. But the government is responsible for this entire social block.

In general – I think you will agree with me as the head of a large family – the state has done a lot to support families with children in recent years.

I agree with you that we need to constantly pay attention to this, not stop at what has been done, and respond to the realities of our life. You need to do this every day, think about it every day and generate new ideas.

Need a demographic security strategy? I need to think about it. Everything the state does is a strategy. Of course, it is necessary to concentrate it somewhere, but the Government also concentrates it in the social block.

Nevertheless, I will think again with my colleagues about what you have said, because this issue is extremely important for the future of our state. The fact that this is one of the key issues –here you are completely, absolutely right, I completely agree with you.

I want to wish your large family happiness and good luck. Do you know what I want to say? When I meet with large families, do you know what catches my eye? In order not to offend anyone, of course – we proceed from the fact that we are all good people, but large families, parents, are distinguished, just believe me, by special kindness. This is, as they say, an obvious thing that catches your eye.

Mom-this is understandable, of course. I'm always especially surprised, to be honest – our cameras work and it doesn't seem like a family thing, but I still say what I think-my dads surprise me all the time. My word of honor. You see, such kind, calm, confident people, kindly, gently treating their children. This is a peculiar style for fathers of large, large families. Children are, of course, a special happiness. I sincerely wish your family all the best.

A. Kholodov: Alexander Kholodov, Commission on Security and Interaction with PMC [Public Monitoring Commissions].

Vladimir Vladimirovich, our Public Chamber is engaged in public control in various areas of activity, including, for example, in road safety issues.

For example, we now have a project called "Road Traps", where citizens write to the Public Chamber's website about some situations on the roads where they fall into a trap.They don't want to break the rules themselves, but it turns out that they do. Together with the traffic police, we analyze if, for some reason, everyone is really violated in one place, and we eliminate such a road trap.

In addition, we now have new types of transport on our roads. We see monowheels, electric scooters, delivery robots already rolling, self-driving taxis – all this we already have in the country, and, of course, we need to adjust the traffic rules. But the rules of the road have changed more than 50 times, so now the Government, in general, has done the right thing: it has banned changing the rules of the road, you just need to rewrite the text again.

Vladimir Putin: Why rewrite them?

Alexey Kholodov: Because the document has already been patched up 50 times: either you need to write a new one in full, or it turns out that you can subscribe to the traffic rules for a newspaper: you will receive new amendments every month.

This is why the latest amendments were made to all kinds of personal mobility devices, and the Public Chamber just insisted that electric scooters become a vehicle, and the person who is on it – a driver, not a pedestrian, and for this many people are grateful to us.

But the draft of new traffic rules... now, it turns out, only the Public Chamber is engaged in this. In other words, the current traffic rules are temporary – until 2029. That is, if suddenly no one does anything, they will cease to exist altogether.

But it seems to me that there is no point in waiting for 2029, we are now actively developing the country. If we now adopt new and modern traffic rules, which take into account, for example, electric cars, some even flying cars, even delivery robots, and all this, then perhaps Russia will become the country from which everyone will then copy the text of the rules, accepting them in their own countries.

Therefore, I ask you to give instructions not to wait until 2029, but to start the procedure for preparing new traffic rules now and make sure to include the Public Chamber in this process, because we have already collected several hundred proposals from citizens, and, believe me, there are very adequate ones. The society has a request for simple and clear rules that even children can learn at school.

Vladimir Putin: Children should learn the rules of the road at school. Not just to study on a piece of paper, but also on the ground, as they say. This would seem to be such a public, but rather special field of activity, so let's agree on this: I will now ask the Minister of Internal Affairs, he will invite you to his office for a conversation today or tomorrow, and you will discuss it with him.

Alexander Kholodov: Thank you. I then hand over the ticket to St. Petersburg, while I'm not going.

Vladimir Putin: All right, you can wait. Because when I came here to see you, I talked to him on the phone, he was in his office. If something didn't happen there and he didn't go anywhere, I'll come right back and ask, he'll call you. Okay?

A. Kholodov: All right. Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Please.

G. Zaslavsky: Thank you very much. Still, of course, when you start talking, you have a lot of thoughts at once. First – thank you for the President's Certificate of Honor, which I recently received.

And thank you for the " Zemsky worker [of culture]", this is also important for us.

I understand that on February 24, the world changed completely irrevocably, there were attempts to cancel culture and everything else.

I have a personal, almost childish question for you. If you knew what it was going to be like, would you have made that decision on February 24 or not?

Vladimir Putin: We had no other choice. Because before you make a decision to unpack the machine, you need to think about whether it is possible to do without it. No, unfortunately, this could not be done. Why? Because we've already been attacked.

You just said that these are our new, but old territories, our historical territories, people lived there, in these territories, ours. All subsequent events have shown – and my colleagues have just said this publicly-that they considered themselves part of Russia initially, but they were attacked in 2014.

First they tried to attack the Crimea, and then the Donbass. And we have been working for eight years to resolve this situation by peaceful means. In the end, we were told not to use peaceful means. They refused to do this, refused publicly: we won't do it, they said we don't like the Minsk agreements. And what will we-will we continue to hammer, without ceasing? We should have taken some action to put an end to it. This is what we strive for. This dictates everything.

You know, I suggest a final [question]. Yes, please.

Elena Rodionova: Thank you very much.

I thank you on behalf of the section of the Public Chamber for the Preservation of Historical Memory, which was held yesterday, for creating the National Center for Historical Memory. thank you very much. We've been waiting for this for a very long time.

But we all understand, Mr Putin, that this is not about the past, it is about the future. The future is our young generation. We always try to treat the younger generation with respect.

I think we can take the experience of our Belarusian colleagues here. I literally just got back from Minsk and found out about a very cool practice that has been going on since 2014-attention! - implemented. Each first-grader receives a gift edition "I am a citizen of [the Republic of] Belarus". It's not a postcard, it's not a textbook, it's not a brochure – it's a gift. It is very beautiful and very valuable. It's all about the country.

Every young person at the age of 14, receiving a passport, receives a gift edition "I am a citizen of [the Republic of] Belarus". Each teacher receives a gift edition with multimedia "Belarus is a great country. Facts and figures".

Let's make an analog in Russia. This will be very important.

Vladimir Putin: Yes, we should use the best practices, including those of our Belarusian friends.

Thank you for paying attention to this, and I think we will introduce this practice in Russia.

As for Belarus and Russia, I would also include information about the Union State in this gift.

You are welcome.

Elena Rodionova: Colleagues, we are on the eve of the Great Victory, which is a very important date for the whole country.Young people have recently learned a lot of the truth about the events thanks to the "No Statute of Limitations" project, which is very important. And again, using the experience of colleagues: in Belarus, in grades 9-10, there is a textbook, a training course about the victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War. We don't share either, we've done a lot for the world all together.

Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you for your information.

Dear colleagues, please don't be angry, but we need to finish.

I would like to thank you for your work in general and for our meeting today. It seems to me that it was not only held in such a positive way, but it was also useful, because during our meeting you touched upon a number of such important issues of life, the country's vital activity, and our work in the most important areas. I have written down almost all of this, and I will send signals to my colleagues in the Administration, as I have already said more than once, in the Government.

I hope to continue our cooperation in the future. I hope that this joint work will continue as actively as before.

I once again congratulate you on the upcoming holiday.

Have a nice day."

For those of you who read the entire transcript, here’s a bonus, the link to the photos taken at today’s Unity Day ceremony that consists of some very important images. If there were space for them all, they’d provide a fitting finale. Instead, just one of the nineteen will be presented.

Before the ceremony of laying flowers at the monument to Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky. Photo: Mikhail Metzel, TASS.

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