Year of Family Opening & Meeting with Participants and Winners of All-Russian Family Competitions

President Putin launched the Year of the Family in Russia as part of the All-Russian forum "Relatives-Loved Ones". He then met with participants and winners of the all Russian family competitions. Here’s the Kremlin’s note about them:

In 2023, the Family of the Year competition It was held for the eighth time. It was attended by 384 families, winners of the regional stages. Winners were determined in five categories: "Large Family", "Young Family", "Rural Family", "Golden Family", "Family – Keeper of Traditions".

Participants of the contest "It's with us family" are about 600,000 people (more than 100,000 family teams) from 89 regions of the country, along with their own relatives living in 81 countries. Until January 31, a remote stage of the competition takes place, where families complete tasks for the most variety of topics. District semi-finals will be held in 2024 and the finale.

The forum "Relatives and Loved Ones" is held from 19 to 23 January at the international exhibition "Russia" at VDNKh. It is attended by more than a thousand people, including family dynasties from each region of the country, large families, young and adoptive families, families of heroes of Russia and veterans of the NWO.

As you read, these competitions are quite popular as contests of all sorts have a long history in Russia. And for new readers, it must be noted that Russia has a demographic issue that might be described as chronic as a result of five devastating events during the 20th Century: 1905 Revolution; WW1 & 1917 Revolution; Russian Civil War; Great Patriotic War; USSR dissolution and 1990s Neoliberal Western Rape. Absent those calamities, Russia ought to have a population between 310-330 million, about the same as the Outlaw US Empire; but instead, Russia’s population is about 145 million. With its ambitious goals to accomplish, Russia needs more people, so it makes sense to promote families and provide incentives.

Before we get to the discussion between the families and Putin, we’ll read his remarks at the All-Russian Family Forum. All emphasis is mine:

Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, dear friends!

I welcome you to the All-Russian Family Forum, which is launching the Year of the Family. It is a natural extension of the Year of the Teacher and Mentor. It is for these nationwide projects dedicated to children that we are implementing everything we have just discussed with the families with many children who are standing behind me.

The main purpose of the family is the birth of children, the continuation of the family, which means the continuation of our people, our centuries-old history. Our culture, identity, and national character are rooted in the family. The family teaches, educates, and passes on traditions and knowledge, including professional experience.

All Russian regions have famous dynasties: military personnel, engineers, steelworkers, doctors, teachers, and cultural figures. Families, people of different nationalities who are loyal to their chosen vocation and are proud of their work.

There are also many such family dynasties on your forum. More than a thousand active, active, initiative people came here. These are families who have made a significant contribution to the development of our country, their region, city or village.

I know that you had a busy program. Of course, you also discussed the issues that concern you. I would like to emphasize that meaningful initiatives and suggestions of citizens aimed at supporting the family will definitely be in demand. We will definitely work on all your ideas and suggestions.

Moreover, I am convinced that the results and effectiveness of the government's work should be evaluated primarily based on the interests of the family and the growth of its welfare. It is the family that should be at the center of all state policy. But that's what we try to do.

Your forum has a great name – "Family-favorite". It briefly, succinctly and clearly expresses the meaning of the family. And you – like most Russian families-confirm this in practice, with your life and your destiny.

Just now, as I said, I met with the winners of the "Family of the Year" contest and the participants of the "This is our Family" contest, which appeared recently, but has already gained great popularity. Most of the families who attended the meeting are large families. Now they are here, behind me, behind me, on this stage, as I said before. Let's welcome them.

Our conversation was substantive and useful. Of course, everyone has enough problems, but how positive and optimistic people look at life is very important. For the vast majority of large families with many children, the family is the father's home, happiness and mutual support.

It is very important that we have more and more large families, but I must say that there are more of them. In recent years, the number of large families has grown by about 26 percent, and the number of children who are brought up in large families has grown by exactly 30 percent. This is a good indicator.

As you know, the Decree "On measures of state support for large families" was signed yesterday and released today. It defines the status of a large family – a family with three or more children. Its status is set indefinitely. Social support is provided to children under the age of 18 or under the age of 23, if they are full-time students of a university or college.

The decision on the unified status of a large family is primarily important for ensuring the provision of social support measures for such families in all regions of Russia, so that a large family, for example, traveling or moving from region to region, is sure that it will receive the established support measures everywhere. At the same time, all our constituent entities of the Russian Federation should offer their own, additional solutions here, because strengthening the well – being of families with children is our national priority for years to come. This is absolutely obvious.

Dear friends!

Your forum is held on the site of the exhibition "Russia", where the achievements of our entire country are presented. I am convinced that among such achievements, our national wealth, the institution of the family, our traditional values are definitely in the first place. They are protected by the state and are enshrined in the relevant articles of the Russian Constitution.

It is important that the family regains a high moral meaning in Russian society. I would like to thank today the spiritual pastors of traditional religions of Russia, school teachers, representatives of public organizations – all those who contribute to the preservation and strengthening of our traditional family values. Among them, there is a strong, reliable connection between generations, respect for parents, care for elders, and the warmth of love of grandparents, which remains with us for the rest of our lives.

It is gratifying that in recent years there has been a growing interest in the history of your family. They study it, restore it, and tell children about the fates of their ancestors. All this gives stability to the family, increases the value of the best family traditions and moral principles.

As I have already said, we will continue to give priority to strengthening the institution of the family, increasing the prestige of motherhood and fatherhood, comprehensive protection of childhood, and demographic programs. And I want to emphasize that for us this is not just a key area of development of the country, the work of all levels of government. This is an essential part of our sovereign worldview, our vision of the future of our people.

Today in some countries, as you know, the institution of the family, normal, just normal human values are cynically destroyed, replaced by pseudo-values. Traditional family values are also forgotten there. On the contrary, we will preserve them, strengthen them, and pass them on to future generations. This is an absolute choice of our country.

And we believe that traditional values, as well as the desire of peoples for genuine freedom, justice, and sovereignty, will serve as the mainstay of a multipolar world. The processes of its formation are underway, and the momentum of this process is increasing.

Dear friends!

Family gives us an understanding of many simple but important truths. They are in the advice and guidance of the father, in the all-consuming love of the mother, in the care of sisters and brothers for each other, in those family values that can be deeply realized and absorbed only in the family. And which then become those moral guidelines that help to understand the complexities of life, support any person on this difficult life path to become responsible for themselves, for their family and for the fate of the Fatherland.

Family values are brought up from childhood and do not end at the threshold of the parental home, they are embodied further in deeds and actions. In the great devotion to their native country, in the courage of soldiers and officers-today participants in a special military operation, in working for the common good. This is both the selfless work of volunteers and the heartfelt support of our heroes, our fighters on the front line.

Of course, family values consolidate society. I'll tell you more: Russia is indeed a huge family, one might say a family of families. After all, people of different nationalities have lived here in peace and harmony for centuries, and the diversity of their cultures, languages, and customs does not divide, but, on the contrary, unites Russia. Because we share the same values of a large, friendly family, they make us stronger, more confident and cohesive.

Any difficulties can be overcome when such a huge country is united, and any goals can be achieved when we are all together. When such wonderful children as ours grow up in a large family with many children, where they will always be helped and supported.

Therefore, I hope that Russian citizens will take an active part in the upcoming events of the Year of the Family. Even if the relevant plans have already been drawn up in your regions and municipalities, this is certainly not the end of the work. If you have interesting, useful ideas, please talk about them with deputies, with other government representatives, and promote your proposals and initiatives.

The most important thing is that the Year of the Family should be held with a broad participation of the families themselves. Only together will we be able to do a great deal to further our joint work and move forward. So, the future of our entire Motherland.

I congratulate you, all citizens of our beloved country, on the start of the Year of the Family!

I’d like to know how Putin feels when talking about and promoting family that he doesn’t have his own family with him to embrace and use as an example. It must pain him that he doesn’t allow himself to portray himself as a father, although most Russians know he has children. That he does so to protect his children from the crap spewed at people in his position and thus allowing them to have their own lives is understandable but still perplexing. But then that’s how it is for most of Team Putin, although I’m sure there’re Russian versions of the ever-nosy English tabloids who try to make sensational claims to sell copy.

And now the discussion with families. Again, all emphasis is mine:

Vladimir Putin: Dear friends, good afternoon!

I am very happy to welcome you to Moscow and wish you success in those events that you are already taking part in and will continue to take part in, I mean contests. We have specially created a whole range of such events so that the Year of the Family, which began in 2024, will be full of different events. I think there are 300 or even more of them there.

Without any doubt, the main participants in all these events are you, your families, families where children grow up, are brought up, and of course, the more children, the better. You probably know that yesterday I signed a decree on the status of a large family. The people I have met so far have repeatedly raised this question and asked for it. This is really of practical importance, and I hope that it will all play out properly, so that large families will have the same status throughout the country.

Without any doubt, I can say that a large family is the mainstay of the country, and in general a family, but a large family is even more so a support. Why is a large family so important? Because, as you know better than I do, it is here that the basic qualities of a person are brought up, which, in fact, both the family and the country are based on: respect for the elders, love and care for the younger ones, hard work, everything connected with this organism – the family.

These are the very traditional values that we constantly talk about and support. As a matter of fact, all our domestic and economic policies are somehow connected with family support. All of these national programs, which I hope you've heard about, revolve around the family in one way or another.

I understand and realize that there is still a lot of work to be done. As you probably know, the state will be able to assume that it has done its best when there are no special programs, but simply the natural functioning of the economic body and the social sphere will be such that no matter how many children there are in the family, everything will be comfortable and such general conditions for the functioning of the country's economy and social it is clear that there were no questions. The support measures that we develop would automatically be activated.

True, you probably also use it, you know, we tried to do it and did it, packed up all the support measures, and now from the moment of pregnancy of the expectant mother to the child's 18th birthday, we have these support programs starting from the maternity capital (for the second child – 833 thousand, for the first-600 thousand with what- that). But now, if you have noticed, these programs will also continue to work for young people who are studying full-time, up to 23 years old.

That's all I want to say at the beginning. I am a great specialist in this field, but I would like to listen to you and hear your assessments of what we are doing, how we are doing, maybe suggestions on what needed to be done in addition, or how to improve what is currently proposed and what is currently functioning.

Please, please.

Dmitry Karetnikov: Hello, Mr President! My name is Dmitry. I am the head of a family from the city of Balashov, Saratov region. The Karetnikov family.

We have a dynasty of teachers with more than 500 years of experience. I connected my teaching activities in a slightly different way: I have been organizing and teaching KVN games [“Klub Vesyólykh i Nakhódchivykh or Ka-Ve-En, "Club of the Funny and Inventive [people]") is a Russian and formerly Soviet comedy television show and international competition in which teams compete by giving humorous answers and show prepared sketches”] with children for about 17 years. For the last three years, I've had my own massage studio, opened my own business, built a Russian bathhouse, but I still didn't give up KVN, we still train the guys, we still perform and play.

My family and I think that we are one of those families that smoothly end the Year of the teacher and mentor and move on to the Year of the family.

Vladimir Putin: What do you teach now? Do you still work at the school?

Dmitry Karetnikov: Just as a hobby. There has been no bid for the last five years. I just go out and play KVN with the guys, I just like it. We go everywhere with teams.

My wife Ulyana, she is a teacher, a primary school teacher.

Vic's daughter, a 5th grade student. He goes to art school and loves to draw. She likes to draw cartoons and her cat (Karik is her name).

Son Nikita, graduating from the 11th grade. He wants to link his future with the nuclear power industry.

Vladimir Putin: With nuclear power?

Dmitry Karetnikov: Yes, in that direction. And it will be received already for this profile.

My wife's mother is Lydia Anatolyevna Kosheleva, she is retired, also a teacher, a local historian. It was she who found the entire dynasty, calculated that it was more than 500 years old, and found all the relatives.

I give the floor to Ulyana.

Vladimir Putin: Please note that I did not say "mother-in-law", but "wife's mother".

U. Karetnikova: Hello, Mr President.

My name is Ulyana. I work not only as a primary school teacher, but also as an adviser to the director of education, even if only for a short time, just a little more than a year, but I already have my own successes.

Working as an adviser to the director of education, we conduct a lot of different events and seminars with our children. And we invited parents to one of these seminars, but not as guests, but as organizers.

We organized groups with parents, counselors, and children in each group. Each group was engaged in its own activity: one group wrote a wall newspaper, another wrote a script for the event, and the third made a photo zone. The parents were so enthusiastic about creating this whole project, which we called it that, involved in the process itself, the children's eyes were burning-it was just extraordinary to watch it. And such a tandem of parents and schools is a success in raising children. Yes, I understand that schools have their own educational tools, but who knows their child better than a parent?

At our school, as probably in many schools, there is a parent asset, which is precisely what makes up the parent committees. They help us a lot in our work. As a class teacher, as an adviser, I can also say this 100 percent. They can organize an event, they can come up with some kind of trip, and these parent assets – we would like, we have such a suggestion for you, so that they can continue to share their experience. And the parent committees were not just in the school, but All-Russian, organize an All-Russian parent committee. And if you had supported us, we think that all the authorities would have opened their doors to us and heard us.

Vladimir Putin: You know, it is probably not difficult to organize, especially since I will tell the minister that he will do everything right away quickly. But that's not the point. You just need to understand what he will do, this all-Russian parent committee. The idea itself sounds beautiful.

You just said that your parents and parent committees at school help you solve specific issues. What would this all-Russian parent committee do at the national level?

Yulia Karetnikova: There is an initiative that they would like to promote further, so that it can be resolved at the national level.

Vladimir Putin:Let me definitely tell the minister, he will definitely pick up on this completely. The most important thing is to fill it up, and I'm all for it.

U. Karetnikova: Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: I think it may be interesting and useful when there is additional communication between the school, in this case federal authorities, regional authorities and the parent community. You just need to work through everything, understand what exactly he will do. Would you take part there yourself?

U. Karetnikova: With pleasure. I'd be honored."

Vladimir Putin: Well, that's great. We agreed, I will definitely tell the minister and we will work it out.

U. Karetnikova: Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you for the idea.

Please, please.

Yevgeny Pyak: Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich,

We came from Yamal, a large family of a Pyak reindeer breeder. Fifth-generation reindeer herders. We live in the tundra. My son Sergey and grandson Rostislav, who is in the sixth grade, came with me. Daughters Svetlana, a pensioner, and Veronika-works in the administration of the Purovsky district.

Thank you for the invitation to Moscow. We invite you to Yamal, for the holiday – Reindeer Herder's Day. We'll take you for a ride on three white deer. Maybe they'll let me go on vacation, my grandson is a great reindeer rider.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

How fast do deer go, what's the speed?

E. Pyak: Big. 60-gives the very first, 70 – gives the fastest deer.

Vladimir Putin: 70 kilometers per hour?

E. Pyak: Yes.

Vladimir Putin: Come on. Do deer run that fast?

E. Pyak: They run, they don't get tired. The deer goes everywhere, day and night, like athletes on skis. The most beautiful holiday in the North.

Vladimir Putin: Aren't you wearing a safety belt? You don't need a safety belt there?

E. Pyak: No, you don't need it, there are strings, a steering wheel, and a ferret, a stick. Ropes to the right, to the left, and straight ahead.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much.

E. Pyak: Then what did I want to say? My grandmother and I have a golden wedding this year on April 12, Cosmonautics Day.

Vladimir Putin: You guessed how great it was! I congratulate you!

E. Pyak: We will be glad to see you at the festival.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

E. Pyak: Can I also say two words?

Vladimir Putin: Of course, you're welcome.

Yevgeny Pyak: Our Yamal region is the richest in natural gas and oil ,and reindeer husbandry is also developed. There is no such number of deer in the world, and it ranks first in reindeer husbandry.

There was a case once. Anthrax began to spread, and Veronika Skvortsova flew in from Moscow. Remember this?

Vladimir Putin: I know.

E. Pyak: This was quickly removed, and a new animal husbandry was built.

I guess I'm done here. But I also wanted to say something.

Vladimir Putin: Please.

Yelena Pyak: Tundra people are born in our country, when they start walking and talking at the age of four, when they see Putin's portrait, they don't call him Vladimir Vladimirovich: "This is our Putin." In the tundra, every child knows your name. For example, when they start talking at the age of four, they will say: "Mom, I have Putin's money, buy me milk." And my mother says: "Where can I buy milk? There is no store in the tundra." These are the stories we have in the tundra. They love you very much in the tundra.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much.

I was in Yamal, of course, but with the power engineers. But you should definitely see how reindeer herders live. I will try to do this without fail.

And where will you celebrate the wedding, the golden jubilee?

E. Pyak: Anniversary? The head of the Purovsky district knows about our golden wedding.

Vladimir Putin: But now the head of the Yamalo-Nenets [Autonomous] District also knows.

E. Pyak: Yes.

Vladimir Putin: I hope he will also respond.

Yevgeny Pyak: But we have the most oil-rich region. New cities were built: Noyabrsk, Muravlenko, Nadym, Gubkinsky.

Vladimir Putin: All these cities are developing very fast and very well, that's for sure.

Yelena Pyak: That's why we are happy, because there is a rich nature, oil – the most important thing-and gas. This is the twenty-first century, you can't live without oil and gas.

Vladimir Putin: That's for sure. Oil and gas workers don't interfere with your work with deer?

E. Pyak: No. Now it's not like in the USSR. The drilling rig is left, everything is done cleanly by drillers, everything is in order. This is your order. And so, when drilling, everything is clean. For example, oil is pumped, fuel oil is toxic from there, and they are now fencing around with sand so that the reservoir is not polluted. You see how good it is now.

Vladimir Putin: That is, they take care of the environment. The environment and nature are taken care of.

E. Pyak: They need to preserve nature. Earlier, under the USSR, everything was polluted, all the iron was thrown, it was even impossible to see where the drilling rigs were. I am an old man who still remembers how it was under the USSR, there are pieces of iron, monitors-everything was thrown. But not now, everything is clean.

Vladimir Putin: Okay, thank you very much. This is important information.

I will definitely try to come. I wish you to have a high-level holiday in any case. I'm sure it will, okay? But we will definitely be in touch with you. At the very least, we'll make contact for your golden wedding, okay?

E. Pyak: All right. But you should know in which city this holiday takes place – in Novy Urengoy.

Vladimir Putin: We'll do it, we'll do it. But at least by video link, we will definitely talk to you on April 12, okay?

E. Pyak: Absolutely.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much.

E. Pyak: Be sure to come and ride three white reindeer.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: Please.

Alexander Dyachenko: Hello, dear Vladimir Vladimirovich!

Vladimir Putin: Hello! Please sit down.

Alexey Dyachenko: I can't help but stand up, because I am the very first and best President of our best Motherland and the best President of our country. If you'll excuse me, I'll tell you where we're from and who we are. My family is Dyachenko, the city of Sukhodolsk, this is the Krasnodon district of the Luhansk People's Republic. My family consists of musicians, teachers, and people who give their soul and all their desires and aspirations to help our region in concerts, events, and so on.

I want to say that the head of the family is [me,] Alexander Nikolaevich, and my wife is Lyubov Ivanovna. We have a family experience of 50 years, children who are teachers, 80 years of pedagogical experience. But the most interesting thing is that we do vocals, we have a family ensemble. We sing as a family, all three generations.

Here is my eldest son sitting with me on the left side, here is my daughter, her children: Timofey, a Balalaika student, Yaroslav, a student who is also a Balalaika student. However, for certain reasons, the middle daughter Natasha and Inna have not yet arrived, and there is also a granddaughter with us.

We participate in all events in the city, we participate in all concerts, where possible and impossible. But then the son will tell you, he is a teacher at the art school of our city.

Sergey Dyachenko: Mr President, it is a great honor to be here with you today.

I'll take a little step away from what was planned. First of all, all my friends, neighbors and fellow countrymen asked very much: when they found out that we were going to Moscow and a meeting with you was possible, they asked me to convey the following verbatim. They say: "Seryozha, tell me that our region has always been famous for people of work – people who have never been afraid and are not afraid of difficulties." We have the most honorable work in our region, where we live – this is the Krasnodon region, Luhansk region, and, of course, mining work. We have such a large number of labor dynasties that, of course, we are... but as fate would have it, we represent a musical and creative family. But, believe me, there are many dynasties in our region – there is something to be proud of.

I work – this year I will be 30 years old – as a teacher of folk instruments in my native [art school]. I graduated from it once and went back to work there. A teacher of folk instruments, it is a great honor for me: children of 7-8 years of age come to me, that is, first and second grades, and I, according to the tradition of my father, my grandfathers, instill in them moments of culture – respect for music, respect for history, for the history of their region, for the history of the family. I mean, everything you say – I'm a little younger-is exactly the same. And for me, as a result of my work, the most final result is when a child grows up, we meet, he is already 18 years old, he says: "Sergey Alexandrovich, thank you, you were a good teacher." There is such a thing. I'm 50 years old.

And one more pleasant thing. I am sure that I will be supported by all teachers and students and parents of all art schools of the LPR, our republic. Before the New Year, we received a wonderful gift – musical instruments, equipment in all directions. I'm a Narodnik: these are ten Tula bayans, accordion, double-row accordion, a full cycle of stringed instruments-domras, balalaika. When the brass players opened their instruments – saxophones, French horns, tubas, clarinets, even bassoons-new ones came. So a huge thank you. Believe me, our region is very rich and decent people live.

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: First of all, I want to welcome you. It's great that you are taking part in our joint events. Indeed, we have a separate program to support schools, music schools, and it is very nice to hear that this is really working.

As for folk instruments, this is, of course, a special article, as they say. This is what preserves our history, our culture. It is so diverse, so beautiful, so bright. Of course, in this series, Russian culture is of no small importance, to put it mildly, bearing in mind the state-forming significance that the Russian people and Russian culture play.

The exchange of information, the exchange of traditions is an extremely important thing that stabilizes our entire moral foundation. So you are engaged, working directly in one of the key areas, without any doubt. And the fact that your former students come up to you and thank you for this work, it seems to me that nothing can compare with this. This sense of self-esteem, probably, immediately raises.

I think that people like you understand that they do not live in the white world for nothing. So thank you very much and good luck. If we can do something to support such creative people, it's great. I was very pleased to hear that.

You are welcome.

Elena Glazunova: Good afternoon!

Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon!

Elena Glazunova: I would like to add a little that in 2023 a lot of children from our region, as well as children from our family, visited Russia for health improvement: Timofey, my youngest son, visited the Crimea, and Alyonushka, our niece, went to the Kurgan region. The children improved their health. On behalf of all parents and myself, I would like to express my gratitude to you for this opportunity. Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: We will certainly continue these programs. I know that our so-called partner regions, which operate in the Luhansk People's Republic, Donetsk, Kherson region, and Zaporizhia, have such exchange programs, but first of all, of course, they invite you to join them.

It is clear that the current situation is not the best and far from calm, but I would like to draw your attention to this. Here the head of the family said that your region is a hard worker, and so it is. Yes, we have big programs to restore these regions, your regions, over one trillion rubles (in my opinion, one trillion 77 billion), which is a decent amount of money, but what is interesting is that these regions are already beginning to pay taxes to the federal budget. The recoil went.

Your people are very talented and able-bodied. Over the centuries, there have been such groups and such a character and this ability to work, to work creatively in the broadest sense of the word: in the mines, in schools, in music schools, and so on. Therefore, restoring the historical connection… In fact, as elections and referendums have shown, these ties have never been lost, but still, I hope that entry into the all-Russian space will take place as soon as possible. In any case, we will strive to ensure that this happens as quickly as possible, along with addressing security issues, of course.

You are welcome.

L. Dyachenko: Thank you very much.

Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich,

Our family is very happy that we are at such a solemn and significant meeting today. We are very happy to see you.

I want to say that we, our family, were among the first to join the contest "This is our family". We felt that we were united: every weekend we meet with our parents and then with them, we prepare contests and programs. We felt that this contest, “This is a family thing,” brings families together and develops creativity. We also met many other families who also participate in this competition. We are very happy to meet you.

Moving a little away from the text, I want to say that we also received an invitation to the golden wedding of reindeer herders.

Vladimir Putin: Shall we take a walk?

L. Dyachenko: So if we're going, let's work together.

We are very happy to be friends with such families.

Vladimir Putin: I will definitely help you get there, I promise you that.

L. Dyachenko: Thank you. We've brought two brand-new bayans and a balalaika – Timofey plays the balalaika here. We want to perform at the venue in the LPR pavilion, give several musical and song performances. Our other children are also present here, but they just didn't make it to this meeting. Therefore, we really want to perform on our platform of the LPR.

Katya said that our children and my grandchildren (I am the grandmother and mother of our family) have visited such good health-improving children's sanatoriums or [rest homes]. I was very happy when I saw them, they arrived, their eyes are burning, they are so happy, happy. And I got fired up with such a dream, I think: why don't the whole family go on some kind of vacation, relax, travel around Russia?

Vladimir Putin: To the reindeer herders, right?

L. Dyachenko: Yes, to the reindeer herders.

Vladimir Putin: Come visit us in Kolyma.

L. Dyachenko: Exactly. And this contest "This is our family" provides such opportunities. We will try, of course, to put all our efforts, knowledge and song experience to be celebrated, so that our dream comes true.

I would like to thank all of you very much, to wish you all good health and success in the new year, and to thank you for paying so much attention to our families, the state, and all other issues in general. We just wonder at your energy capacity.

Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: I want to wish you success and good luck in this contest, and I think it will be so. Now almost everyone has performed here, and I feel that my mother and grandmother are the main drivers of the family here.

I want to say: I think that on September 1 last year we talked about this contest, and I assumed then that it would be very popular. So it is: 600 thousand people take part in our program, more than half a million. It aroused a lot of interest, because the format was successful. All generations of families participate here, and all the activities and work of this competition are based on what unites the family. Very interesting and useful. So I wish you success and good luck.

(To E. Glazunova.) Why were you crying?

A. Dyachenko: It's a family thing.

L. Dyachenko: Just out of joy.

Vladimir Putin: From joy. Fine.

You are welcome.

Vladimir Chernobelsky: Good afternoon, Mr President.

My name is Vladimir Chernobelsky. I am the father of three children, the grandfather of five grandchildren and part-time CEO of the Cheroka confectionery company, which is located in the city of Aleksin, Tula region.

After school, I entered the Armavir Flight Higher Military School, graduated from it, realized my dream-I became a pilot, but in the late 90s, due to the general reduction of the army, I had to finish my military career and return to my hometown of Aleksin, especially since our parents were already calling us to continue raising the company. Our small city, with a population of 66,000, has recently become a priority development area. This attracted a lot of new businesses and created a lot of jobs. And with this, we almost immediately experienced a personnel crisis.

The city is small, like many small towns in Russia, there is practically no housing construction, and it is very difficult to attract, say, personnel from other regions, because you need to live somewhere to move. Our suggestion on this matter. In the short term: to do this, it is necessary to review the terms of preferential mortgages for small towns and allow them to use secondary housing in such cities, because there is simply no new one there. But in the long run, of course, we would like to see modern and comfortable housing being built in our cities, as well as social housing, because to lure a university graduate from somewhere else to come... even a preferential mortgage is too much for him at this stage, for a graduate.

There is another issue, which is related to the fact that our company is engaged in entering foreign markets. The state greatly helps us in the face of the export center, the EXIAR company. But there are certain barriers that I would like to see revised in some way-these are penalties of currency control, this is one point.

And the second point – there are age restrictions for contract insurance by EXIAR. We have a family business, and our main founder is already 80 years old. And these restrictions are [for people] not older than 65. It is not clear what they are related to, but they do not allow you to get into this preferential insurance program for small businesses.

Vladimir Putin: I think that they can and should definitely be eliminated, these restrictions. This is the first one. I hope we keep a record of our meeting, so that nothing is forgotten, I will ask my colleagues to mark it. First.

Second: as for currency control. This is related to the return of revenue, right?

Vladimir Chernobelsky: Yes.

Vladimir Putin: Yes, we have already made certain decisions here. If something doesn't work, we will correct it.

Vladimir Chernobelsky: Well, there is such a norm as a fine of up to 30 percent for non-return of foreign currency earnings.

Vladimir Putin: Late return.

V. Chernobelsky: This problem restricts us in that we can't work with deferral, only prepayment.

Vladimir Putin: Yes, I understand. We have already made certain decisions, but if not everything works there or does not apply to businesses like yours, then this should be expanded. I'll definitely take a look at it.

I believe that you are right, especially in modern conditions, when the issues of passing these payments are not so simple, everything happens with delays, and often not through the fault of our enterprises. So, of course, the state should respond to this, and we will do it.

As for the first question on the bill (this is now my third) - [housing] from the secondary market to buy on a preferential mortgage. The issue here is not even about money – although money is also important - because with an increase in the key rate, budget spending on subsidizing preferential mortgages increases. This year, according to the Ministry of Finance, they will double to a trillion rubles.

But it's not even about the money, it's about the transparency of this operation. It's one thing when you buy a new home, and everything is clear there: here is a family, here is a mortgage, here is housing. And when it is from person to person, it is necessary, of course, to keep in mind (I don't want to use another word)…

V. Chernobelsky: Fraud.

Vladimir Putin: Abuse, so to speak. Not fraud, but abuse. But we'll think about it, we'll think about it. Here it is important that this program is continued at least, continued preferential family mortgage at 6 percent. And we will definitely do it.

Vladimir Chernobelsky: But we simply don't have any new housing.

Vladimir Putin: I understand. This is a question closely related to the whole problem. Such territories as Tori, territories of advanced development, could also be built. You need to think about it. Thank you for noticing this.

We will think about this situation in general, because a certain decision on the Far East has been made in this sense, with the secondary market, and we need to see how it will work there. But in general, the problem is clear: a) we need to extend it; b) we need to see what to do with new buildings in such territories as yours; and third, c) we need to see if it is possible, and if possible, how to organize and expand this program, which we are currently introducing in the Far East To the East.

Vladimir Chernobelsky: I have one more question.

Vladimir Putin: Please.

Vladimir Chernobelsky: But it doesn't really relate to the Year of the Family, but rather to the economic issue, although it concerns every family as well. This is the organization of a more competitive environment in our country in the field of food retail. We currently have two major networks, such as Magnit and X5, and they have almost no competitors.

The proposal is to create a state-owned retail company that can compete with them and set the rules: that is, for example, extra charges, the ability to get on the shelves of a domestic manufacturer, and so on. We have this proposal set out in a note, I can pass it on.

Vladimir Putin: Come on. Where's the note?"

Vladimir Chernobelsky: I have it.

Vladimir Putin: Come on. We'll definitely take a look. I understand the problem here. The idea is that a large company – either state-owned or with state participation – can influence the market and promote the product, including on store shelves. But with the departure of foreign competitors, the overall situation is still better, but we still need to move forward. I understand. There's a lot to work on there. Let's work together.

Vladimir Chernobelsky: Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: Do you know what I would like to celebrate? I was listening to you just now, and I caught myself saying that you are a former officer, a pilot, you were successful there, and that you left the service is not your fault, but simply the state behaved like this in relation to the army at the time, but you are also in civilian life, in civilian life. found it. That's what such a military leaven means. Very cool. I congratulate you on this!

Vladimir Chernobelsky: Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: How old are you?"

Igor Gorbachev: Nine.

Vladimir Putin: May I ask my mother, may I call him here? Come to me. Tell me, please, and what is the name of the youngest brother?

Igor Gorbachev: Yarik.

Vladimir Putin: Yarik?

Igor Gorbachev: Yes.

Vladimir Putin: Wow!

Igor Gorbachev: Yaroslav.

Vladimir Putin: How old is he now?

Igor Gorbachev: Four years old.

Vladimir Putin: Four years old. Are you offended that mom and dad pay more attention to the little ones? You're the oldest.

Igor Gorbachev: No.

Vladimir Putin: No? Exactly?

Igor Gorbachev: Exactly.

Vladimir Putin: They're counting on you – both Mom and Dad-to help them.

Igor Gorbachev: I know.

Vladimir Putin: You have a lot of responsibility. Do you understand that?"

Igor Gorbachev: Yes.

Vladimir Putin: Are you happy to have the kids around you?

Igor Gorbachev: Yes.

Vladimir Putin: But it was one, and suddenly two more babies appeared. Is that a good thing?

Igor Gorbachev: That's good.

Vladimir Putin: I congratulate you and wish you every success.

You are welcome.

Vladimir Uvarov: Thank you.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, good evening. My name is Vladislav Uvarov, and I'm here with my family. This is my wife Yulia, together with Yulia we represent the dynasty of lawyers on the Yaroslavl land, we are from Yaroslavl.

Our dynasty is in the third generation, it dates back to my great-grandfather, who was a law enforcement officer, including during the Great Patriotic War. My father, his brother, his cousin, and my cousin are all connected to the legal profession in one way or another. Well, we, as a matter of fact, also, after graduating from the Faculty of Law of Yaroslavl State University, decided to follow in the same footsteps.

At this stage, we have our own law firm. One of the most important areas of activity today is supporting the activities of such organizations as the Committee of Families of Soldiers of the Fatherland of the Yaroslavl region. This is the direction of my wife, and she will probably tell you more about it.

These are our sons-Daniel, the eldest (you must say it now), this is Savva, our middle son. Daniil is 11 years old, he is a fifth-grader, an athlete-swimmer, is engaged in the school of the Olympic reserve, is making great progress in his studies, in fact, and in sports. And recently he pleased us and even surprised us a little: he went on his own and joined the "Movement of the First". This, in my opinion, is probably the first independent good adult decision. Thus, I was pleased.

Savva is an 8-year-old first-grader who plays football. In general, almost nothing lags behind his older brother. Relatively recently, we became a large family, we had a third son in December 2021, his name is Kirill, he is two years old, he is not with us now, because of his age he was left at home.

As soon as we acquired the status of having many children, we decided to find out what social support measures and social guarantees are provided for by the law and the state. We began to study the issue and faced the fact that in fact, it turns out that something is declared by law, some social support measures, but in fact (for one reason or another) we cannot use them, like many other families, probably in our region and other regions, probably too.

Some social support measures have indeed been declared, and I think official reports indicate that these social support measures have been provided, but in fact they do not work. That is, something was given to the family, but it did not bring any good.

The most detailed examples will be given by my wife Yulia.

Vladimir Putin: Please.

Yu.Uvarova: Good evening, Vladimir Vladimirovich.

Vladimir Putin: I congratulate you on the birth of your child!

Yu.Uvarova: Thank you very much.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, I will probably start by saying that I am a lawyer for the Committee of Families of Soldiers of the Fatherland. First of all, we would like to thank you for your support to the committee, as we have all heard in recent meetings. This is very valuable and very important for us, for the committee team. This is very important for the families that we support, to whom we provide humanitarian, legal, psychological assistance – any kind.

Vladimir Putin: Do you mean the fund for the support of soldiers of the Fatherland? Or a committee?

Yu.Uvarova: No, we are the Committee of Families of Soldiers of the Fatherland of the Yaroslavl region, that is, we represent the region, the regional committee. And of course, on behalf of the committee, we thank you for your trust and support.

Returning to the question that my spouse started asking, I want to share this little story. Indeed, at some point – we were never interested, we did not ask questions about these benefits, support measures, and so on. And when the child appeared, one way or another they began to face this. And last year we came to Moscow in the summer to compete with the oldest child, and in the evening – we had a free evening-we decided to visit the Moscow Zoo. Arriving there in the evening, we visited it completely unhindered, saw everything we wanted, and what was our surprise that we were able to do it completely free of charge. Free of charge, we stayed there as long as we wanted, on the day we had it. In our region, this benefit works somewhat differently.

So, for example, the last time we got to the Yaroslavl Zoo with our family: preferential access to this institution for a large family is provided on Wednesdays at a certain time. But we all understand that for a large family, where mom and dad work, children are at school in some sections, and so on-well, Wednesday... not every family from the city, and not to mention the districts of the region, can visit this institution on Wednesday.

And this, of course, applies not only to leisure facilities, but also to cultural and sports facilities. And not only even in relation to this. There are still benefits and support measures that are declared, they exist, but the family cannot use them in the proper amount for one reason or another.

We know that yesterday a decree was signed on granting a large family the All-Russian status. This is very cool, and we thank you very much for it. We have not yet had time to get acquainted with the provisions that this decree establishes, and we would like to ask whether a large family can count on equal support measures and benefits throughout Russia, no matter where it is located: whether it has gone on a trip or it lives in this region. This is the first point.

And the second point is the reality of execution. We would very much like, as in the example of the zoo, to see these benefits not only declared and recorded, but also to be able to use them as people with many children, to benefit from the purpose for which they are aimed.

Vladimir Putin: The benefits you just mentioned seem to be of a regional nature. When you arrived in Moscow, the Moscow authorities act in such a way that you saw it, but you have a different structure: for some reason, on Wednesdays. This, of course, is some kind of nonsense. I'm not sure if even the governor knows about this. The former governor Mironov doesn't know for sure, but the current one does or doesn't – I'm not even sure about that either.

The point of this decree, signed yesterday, is precisely to build a unified approach across the entire territory of the Russian Federation. And of course, the things you mentioned-visiting museums, other cultural institutions, zoos, and so on-should be applied uniformly throughout the Russian Federation. It is unlikely that this will be done by clicking from today to tomorrow, but the purpose of the decree is just to align all these things.

Federal benefits, as far as I understand, still work, and they work quite effectively. Did you receive maternity capital?

Yu.Uvarova: Yes.

Vladimir Putin: You see. So it works.

Yu.Uvarova: It works, of course. Definitely.

Vladimir Putin: As well as many other benefits. Meaning, for example, benefits for housing and communal services, if the family income level is below a certain amount, and so on. But if you see, in addition to what you just said, that there is something else that does not work or does not work as declared, please tell me.

Yu.Uvarova: My husband [will say] that this is a painful topic for him.

Vladimir Putin: Yes, please.

Vladimir Uvarov: It's not exactly painful, Mr Putin.

I'll give you an example. This will probably affect many large families in our Yaroslavl region right now. This measure, as far as I know, is of regional significance. If my memory serves me correctly, the law of the Yaroslavl Region stipulates that every large family has the right to acquire a land plot once. In other words, the family must join the queue for this purpose. It should not be in need of better housing conditions, just get in line. The queue is suitable – they provide a plot of land. That is, it seems that the land plot is provided, but there is such a story that in one, in my opinion, the Yaroslavl district was provided…

Vladimir Putin: In short, the land is undeveloped, without infrastructure.

Vladimir Uvarov: Yes. They provided a large plot of land for many families. They got it – no roads, no electricity.

Vladimir Putin: It's clear.

Vladimir Uvarov: I know that this issue is being raised at the local level, and deputies are trying to solve it somehow, but they are not succeeding. And just declaratively fixed, according to reports, yes, the land was received. Can large families use it? No

Well, by its nature, a large family is not a family that can take its own way to its remote site, for example, to conduct or conduct electricity.

Vladimir Putin: It's clear. Once again, we return to the beginning of our conversation in this part. It is necessary to conduct an audit of all that is declared at the regional level, and how it is implemented.

You know, for example, we once initiated the so-called Far Eastern Hectare. The same thing was happening. But gradually, gradually, the situation changed. Back then, I remember being told: let people take this hectare, even if it is in some place that is not so attractive. They can sell, in any case, and get money, which is also quite good. But we must, of course, strive to ensure that these areas are well-equipped, that the infrastructure there is developed, energy, road network, and so on.

But all this needs to be worked out, including on the basis of the decree that was signed yesterday. Such work, I think... I don't think, but I am sure that the regions will start. And then let them honestly say what is possible to do and what is impossible. If something is possible, it is necessary to bring it to the end, as it is spelled out in the proposed solutions. We will do it.

Vladimir Uvarov: Thank you very much.

Dmitry Uvarov: Hello, Mr President.

My name is Daniel.

Vladimir Putin: Hello, Daniil.

Dmitry Uvarov: I'm from Yaroslavl. I do swimming at the Olympic Reserve school. I already have the second adult category, I also recently completed it.

Vladimir Putin:What distances and what style of swimming do you do?

Dmitry Uvarov: I'm a rabbit skater, and I did the 800-meter freestyle in a 50-meter pool.

Vladimir Putin: We congratulate you.

Dmitry Uvarov: Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: What are your plans? What results do you want to achieve in the near future?

Dmitry Uvarov: I want to perform the first adult category in the 800 meters in the near future.

Vladimir Putin: What is your coach's name?

Dmitry Uvarov: Yulia Yuryevna.

Vladimir Putin: Give her my regards.

Dmitry Uvarov: All right.

Sergey Uvarov: Hello, Mr President!

My name is Savva Uvarov, I play football, my position is striker.

Vladimir Putin: Who is your favorite player? Besides yourself?

Sergey Uvarov: My favorite player is Pele.

Vladimir Putin: Pele? Well, yes, you can't go wrong. I knew him, and he was a very kind and pleasant man.

Sergey Uvarov:I know that you knew him.

Vladimir Putin: He treated our country very well.

Sergey Uvarov: I'm in the first grade, so far I'm doing very well, I have a very kind teacher, her name is Svetlana Gennadyevna.

Vladimir Putin: What is your favorite subject?

Sergey Uvarov: Where we play chess.

Vladimir Putin: But chess is probably an extra-curricular activity, isn't it?

Sergey Uvarov: Well, then yes.

Vladimir Putin: How often do you play chess?

Sergey Uvarov: Once a week.

Vladimir Putin: That's why you like to go to these classes only once. Or not? You just like it, don't you?

Sergey Uvarov: Yes. I've been able to play chess since I was a child. When I was four or five, I could play chess. They taught me in kindergarten.

Vladimir Putin: Great! Really, great, well done, I'm not joking right now. Well done!

And you know that chess and football, oddly enough, they are also slightly connected. In football, too, you need to think, count, see everything. So one thing will help you in the other.

What are your favorite school subjects? Does your mom tell you what you love the most?

Sergey Uvarov: I do not know myself.

Yu.Uvarova: I do not know, but you do. What do you do best?

Sergey Uvarov: I'm the best at math.

Vladimir Putin: You see. It's because you love chess.

Good luck with both math and chess. Russia has a very good chess and math school, so you will be brought up in a very good environment and improve your skills both there and there.

Sergey Uvarov: Thank you.

R. Akhmerov: Mr President, good evening!

We are the Akhmerov family from the village of Roshchinsky, Sterlitamaksky district of the Republic of Bashkortostan.

My name is Rustam, I am a former police officer, now retired, retired as a lieutenant colonel. Now I don't sit down, because I can't sit down, the police habit has remained standing.

Now I am the head of the rural Model Palace of Culture in my own village.

I will give the floor to the "motor" of our family, which drives us, everything that we have achieved thanks to it.

Vladimir Putin: Please.

A. Akhmerova: Good afternoon!

We are very happy to be at this meeting. My name is Anna Sergeevna. I am the head teacher of the branch of the children's art school of the Sterlitamak district, a vocal and piano teacher in our village. We are a multinational family with many children, we have four children. Our middle daughter came with us, and she will introduce herself.

Elena Akhmerova: My name is Elena, and I am a student at the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University. I study in the direction of "History". I graduated from a music school and also continue to engage in creative activities: I work in a vocal therapy studio, play KVN. In general, I support the traditions of our family-I sing. Also with us came my younger brother Roma and our naney [grandmother] Khadicha.

H.Akhmerova: Haerle teng [hello], Vladimir Vladimirovich. I am Khadicha Mirsaitovna, I worked all my life as a nurse in the district hospital, Rustam's mother.

Thank you for the invitation, I am very happy for the children. I do my best to help them as much as I can. I'm retired now.

Vladimir Putin: I'm sorry, but I want to ask your daughter something. How did you get to Kaliningrad?

Elena Akhmerova: Actually, it was completely accidental. Since we are from a small village, I am growing up, I want to discover some new peaks, discover new horizons for myself. And so by chance, just somehow with a finger in the sky, it turned out that Kaliningrad is a beautiful city, both seaside and resort, and everything was right for me to come there. But there was no specific goal or task to enroll there, it all happened spontaneously. But I do not regret my decision in any way, I am very glad that I am a student of such a wonderful university.

I pass the word to my mother again.

A. Akhmerova: Yes, we thank her for her courage and decision. We did not interfere. And this summer, we are both cultural workers, and on our vacation we went to visit our daughter in Kaliningrad, and so we would have stayed. We were very happy, we spent a month and a half there. So thank you, our children are moving us forward.

A significant event for our family was the victory: last year we won the All-Russian competition "Family of the Year-2023". The competition was organized by the Ministry of Family and Labor. We won in the category "Family-keeper of traditions". Our family tradition is musical creativity. I am an art school teacher, my mother and I, we sing, yes, colleagues, we have been singing in the church for many years, choristers. Here the husband changed the type of activity, went into the culture, did not agree for a long time…

Vladimir Putin: He used to whistle when he was on the force, but here he sings. Also not bad. It grows above itself.

A. Akhmerova: Yes.

My eldest two daughters, we still have Angelina, 22 years old, both graduated from music school. I have a daughter, Sofia, who is in the third grade studying at a music school. Our family vocal ensemble also performs at all events of the district and village.

When we arrived in Moscow, I wanted to say that it was a huge event. It was only in October 2023, when we were living in "Space". We thought it was just space. We walked around VDNKh, just when these pavilions were being built, and we dreamed of getting here.

Vladimir Putin: You liked it here, didn't you?

A. Akhmerova: In general. We have a village with a population of 2 thousand people, and we came to the capital. We are happy.

Vladimir Putin: Have you seen the Bashkiria pavilion?

A. Akhmerova: We haven't reached it yet. Right after the meeting-absolutely.

Vladimir Putin: Good, reflects the greatness of the republic. We love her very much.

A. Akhmerova: We also.

Vladimir Putin: Bashkiria, let me remind you of its history, joined voluntarily and asked to be accepted into the Russian state. And I have said many times, and I will repeat it again: the Bashkirs assumed the functions of border guards, and in the war of 1812 they armed all their young men, put them on a horse, all men from the age of 15.

E. Akhmerova: They are our northern cupids.

A. Akhmerova: The Northern Cupids, yes. Pride. We were also proud to represent the republic in this competition in this category. And then – a second visit to the capital. In addition to the great concert and award ceremony, we learned another great surprise - the news that we, the winners of the "Family of the Year 2023" contest, automatically become full-time semi-finalists of another contest, which was already mentioned here more than once today – "This is our family". We are happy, all our family adventures do not end, the semi-final is still waiting for us. My grandmother, Nanechka-God willing, we'll all go together. This is a real chance and opportunity for us. Some people are attracted to family travel, but for us to realize our dream of owning our own home.

We want to thank you and your team for such a great contest. And we would also like you to wish us good luck, it will be useful to us.

Vladimir Putin: I wish you good luck, especially since, in my opinion, the prize of the contest is both trips around the country and improving housing conditions.

A. Akhmerova: Yes, 30 certificates.

Vladimir Putin: 30 certificates, absolutely.

A. Akhmerova: God grant that we will also get it.

Vladimir Putin: I wish you all the best of luck, and I hope you will.

Who's singing with you?

A. Akhmerova: Mostly female staff. My husband, too. For 17 years, while he was serving in the police, we annually took part in a competition-a review of creativity and self-activity of internal affairs bodies and their families. Every year I came up with original songs about our family, about his work. We performed from year to year.

Vladimir Putin: Have you spoken to your colleagues?

A. Akhmerova: Yes.

Vladimir Putin: You must have been proud of your family.

A. Akhmerova: In general, I say: "We have a ready-made act, let's perform again in our village." - "Well, I'm a clown, or what?" And now-the head of the recreation center, now we sing together, with the whole family.

Vladimir Putin: Would you like to sing something a cappella?

A. Akhmerova: I recently had my first solo concert on the stage of our small village on January 12, and we had, of course, a family room.

If we are all together, then adversity goes away.

If we are all together, then life is more fun.

It's good to have you here, and we'll be here for years to come

We will warm you all with our love.

My family, and with it I

And you don't need any more happiness.

My family, my family,

My hope and reward.

We can sing for a long time.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much.

A. Akhmerova: Our little question. As the folk tradition says, we planted a tree, and not just one, my husband and I actively participate in the republican campaign "Green Bashkiria". We'll fight for the house, God willing. And we have three older daughters, but three years ago, during the pandemic, self-isolation was fruitful, we had an affair, my son. He was just running, running, running, we distracted him, while he's sitting quietly-it's better not to touch him.

And as a mother of my son, I have a question for you. How to raise a real man, what words and instructions did your parents and grandfathers give you to raise such a responsible, strong-willed person? Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: You know, first of all, it's not for me to give you advice, there are large families here, and you know this better than anyone else, I would like to say this at the beginning.

As for my family and how I grew up. Oddly enough, they gave me nothing, no advice, and no instructions did not do. But as Makarenko once said: "The best parenting is a personal example." In this sense, I am now trying to remember what made the impression? First of all, I'll just say it like it is, there's nothing special about it: first of all, I've never-I want to emphasize this – never seen my father drunk. In general, this has never happened, I'm not talking about my mother. I've never heard a single swear word from him at all, and I don't even talk about my mother either. You know, small things show responsibility. I remember my father working on the ladder-we lived in a communal apartment, and the electric meter was on the landing-I remember how he crawled and wrote out, you know, every penny that needed to be paid for electricity, and everything was done on time, paid. That is, at six o'clock in the morning – we came here just now, when the anthem was playing, but this is the music of the anthem of the Soviet Union – the anthem was playing exactly at six in the morning, and he left for work. Then I remember how he met with his fellow soldiers, with a friend who pulled him out of the battlefield and saved his life, putting his life in danger. This is all together-an environment of benevolence, love, kindness to each other, support-this is all the environment in which we live (in any case, I lived). This is what educates and lays the moral foundation for the future of a full-fledged person. I just have no doubt that this is the case in our large families, because in a large family it is very difficult to function differently, I think.

Remember, in "Nedorosli" they said: "Why should I study? I can teach myself." This is always the case in life (and especially in modern life). It is very important that a person always does something, always goes forward. This also applies to parents. And when a child sees how his parents live, he copies us in the first years of his life, just copies us.

Your husband was in the police, and now he works in the Palace of Culture. This isn't police work, you know. I am sure (I don't want to torment him now) that he also had to make some efforts on himself, and he became a public person to a certain extent, he needs to work with people in a completely different area. This is also development, it is also moving forward.

Or a former pilot officer, he became an entrepreneur. This is a completely different hypostasis, but he found the strength in himself both morally and intellectually, and organizationally. He's done it all, and he's moving on. Judging by the questions that he asks, he is in the material, understands what he is doing. You can immediately see that he is a professional.

I very much hope that our guys who are performing their duty today in the framework of a special military operation, the vast majority of them will return to civilian life and also not just find themselves, but will be successful. The state will do everything that depends on us to support them.

This is also the key to success in raising children: to move forward on your own, to keep moving forward, to work on yourself regardless of your age and current state of affairs. I wish you all the best in this. Good luck to you!

And I want to congratulate you on the Year of the Family. All of you and the whole country in general, because this is, in my opinion, a very important and national event. I congratulate you on the start of the Year of the Family.

You are welcome. I ask you to.

Elena Antonova: Hello, Mr President!

We are the Antonov family. My name is Elena, I work at the school as a teacher, class teacher, head teacher. Today I arrived with my family: daughter Sashenka, middle son Evgeny. The eldest son and husband Sergey stayed in the city of Bryansk, they support us. This year all my children are schoolchildren: first grade, fifth grade and eleventh grade.

Vladimir Putin: They look exactly like a first-grader: such cilia, bows.

Elena Antonova: We also arrived today with my mother, grandmother Galina Alekseevna. She also worked as a teacher, but is now retired.

G. Antonova: Yes, I am a former teacher, as much as it is possible to be a former teacher.

Vladimir Putin: Galina Alekseyevna, please sit down.

G. Antonova: Can I stand up? After all, I've been standing in front of the class for 30 years, and I'm more used to it.

Despite the fact that both Lena and I are teachers, we are not a dynasty. Lena is my youngest son's wife, so I'm her mother-in-law. But this is, so to speak, de jure. And de facto we are family, beloved and very close people. We are close, even though we live quite far from each other: they are in Bryansk, and we are from the village of Lazarevo in the Tula region. But we still communicate every day, almost every day, support each other and even participate in some competitions and projects together.

Not so long ago, just two months ago, we were all together on the forum "Native-beloved", took part in this forum. "Native-beloved" is a community that is part of the "Movement of the First".

I would like to take this opportunity to express my deep gratitude to you, Mr President, for supporting this movement. This movement unites a huge number of children, parents and, as it turned out, grandparents – that is, families in several generations. It is very important.

Vladimir Putin: You know, first of all, it was the initiative of the guys themselves, we supported it, of course, we worked out what a sin to hide there. But I am very pleased to hear that it is developing and that this is a successful event.

Thank you.

Elena Antonova: Yes, it is important and valuable for the family.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, I would like to address you with a question and a suggestion. We are talking now, we talked today about measures to support large families, and one of these support measures that was taken was that when a third child was born and a mortgage loan was provided to the family…

Vladimir Putin: 450,000.

Elena Antonova: Yes, 450 thousand so that they can repay [the mortgage loan]. Please tell me about this support measure… We know that this is very relevant and important for all families – the housing issue. At one time, our family did not use such a program, because Sashenka was born in 2016, and the support measure was adopted a little later, but thanks to our parents – we are very grateful to them, they helped us solve this issue, although we had a mortgage, and still have it.

And yet to the question: since this support measure is very relevant and important, please tell us if we can consider extending this support measure for large families.

Vladimir Putin: It ends in July, in my opinion, in July of this year.

Elena Antonova: Yes, yes, 2024.

Vladimir Putin: I agree with your assessment, it is effective, specific, why-the family just gets money.

Elena Antonova: And this is significant. If you look at the cost of housing, for example, in our city of Bryansk, it was approximately one-fourth of the mortgage loan, that is, from the cost of all housing in which the family will live.

Vladimir Putin: The government continues to count. Well, they will calculate correctly, we will extend this measure.

Elena Antonova: Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: Yes.

Elena Antonova: I would also like to address you. Together with our students, we make "Victory mascots" that we pass on to military personnel. And today we would like to give you one of these talismans. Allow me?

Vladimir Putin: Of course.

Thank you.

A. Antonova: Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich,

We make these mascots with schoolchildren from – as they say, maybe I'm wrong-polymer clay. The first batch is drying, and we'll come and paint them.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, can I take a photo with you?

Vladimir Putin: Of course, we will do it now.

Thank you very much. And thank you for doing it. I say thank you now both on my own behalf and on behalf of our fighters to whom you send this message. You have probably heard many times already: our guys in the war zone in the conditions in which they are located hang out such crafts, letters, drawings not as works of art, but as part of the heart of those who remember them and wish them good luck and victory. So thank you for what you do, and thank you for the gift.

Teachers and musicians and singers predominated those present. Altogether, very impressive. One point bears repeating over and over and that’s Russia’s core developmental political-economic philosophy: “As a matter of fact, all our domestic and economic policies are somehow connected with family support. All of these national programs, which I hope you've heard about, revolve around the family in one way or another.” No Western nation or any other subscribing to Neoliberal doctrine pursues such a policy of family/people centered development resides at the core. In 1985, Sting wrote “Russians” for his first solo album, The Dream of the Blue Turtles, and it seems very clear what the answer is to his question and that it should now be addressed to the West:

In Europe and America there's a growing feeling of hysteria
Conditioned to respond to all the threats
In the rhetorical speeches of the Soviets
Mister Krushchev said, "We will bury you"
I don't subscribe to this point of view
It'd be such an ignorant thing to do
If the Russians love their children too
How can I save my little boy from Oppenheimer's deadly toy?
There is no monopoly on common sense
On either side of the political fence
We share the same biology, regardless of ideology
Believe me when I say to you
I hope the Russians love their children too

There is no historical precedent
To put the words in the mouth of the president?
There's no such thing as a winnable war
It's a lie we don't believe anymore
Mister Reagan says, "We will protect you"
I don't subscribe to this point of view
Believe me when I say to you
I hope the Russians love their children too

We share the same biology, regardless of ideology
But what might save us, me and you
Is if the Russians love their children too

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