Website of the President of Russia: President: Transcripts

Meeting with Governor of Orenburg Region Yevgeny Solntsev

2026-03-12T17:38:34+04:00

The President held a working meeting with Governor of Orenburg Region Yevgeny Solntsev.

Yevgeny Solntsev reported on the region’s performance and achievements in 2025. A record harvest was gathered: 4,177,000 tonnes of grain. The region ranks first in Russia for durum wheat production, with 560,000 tonnes harvested, and second for sunflower seeds, yielding 1,880,000 tonnes. It also holds third place for the procurement of agricultural machinery. One of the largest and the most modern in Russia seed-processing plants has been built, with a capacity of 660,000 tonnes per year.

Additionally, the region accounts for 40 percent of Russia’s cast iron exports, ranks fifth for oil extraction, and sixth for gas production. Investments totalling 246 billion rubles were raised, an increase of 29 billion rubles compared to the previous year. The Orenburzhye special economic zone has been established, with 25 resident companies and projects worth 65 billion rubles underway. These include major logistics warehouses, petrochemical facilities, and an agricultural cluster. This year, a further 500 hectares were allocated to create the Pobeda (Victory) technology park.

The Governor spoke about support for participants in the special military operation, with a total of 63 support measures currently in place. The most popular among these are rehabilitation, adaptation to civilian life, housing purchase subsidies, and gasification. A notable initiative is the reservation of jobs. Assistance is also provided for starting businesses. The Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation is operational, and a prosthetics centre will be upgraded. The Heroes of Orenburzhye regional programme is active, mirroring the Time of Heroes federal programme.

Yevgeny Solntsev also discussed work with youth, including the hosting of the 10^th Eurasia Global international youth forum in 2025, which saw participation from 53 countries and 82 regions of Russia. Plans are underway to create a campus that will cover all specialties and industries present in the region. The President underscored the importance of direct links between first-year students and future employers. The Governor asked for support with upgrading infrastructure of Orenburg State University, specifically the renovation of four dormitories.

The Governor also reported on the implementation of the President’s instructions on monitoring the situation after the 2024 spring flooding, which affected 311,000 people. He said that the planned work had been completed and that 51 social facilities had been repaired. The construction of two hospital blocks and seven recreation camps is due to be completed this year. Work is underway to resolve the issue with the pumping station. A settlement of 294 homes and a 12-storey residential block with 382 apartments have been built. However, the region needs support to build a 25-km dam, a project that costs 28.2 billion rubles. According to the Governor, this calls for a targeted programme. The President asked about the required height of the dam and suggested discussing the issue separately.

The discussion also touched upon healthcare. The number of cardiovascular, cancer, tuberculosis and respiratory system diseases and infant mortality are decreasing in the region. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of medical personnel. Graduates of Orenburg State Medical University, which is a good school, often move to neighbouring regions. Yevgeny Solntsev also reported on the support programme for large families. There are 32,100 such families in the region, and the number is growing.

The Governor also mentioned the long-standing problem of public transport. The transport fleet is being upgraded, with new buses bought regularly and plans to modernise the trolleybus fleet. He also spoke about plans to build a four-lane bypass road around Orenburg, which includes an access road to a checkpoint on the border with Kazakhstan. The checkpoint will also be modernised. Yevgeny Solntsev raised the issue of a railway corridor with access to Central Asia, China and the Khorgos checkpoint on the Kazakhstan-China border. The Governor recalled that Orenburg has always been a gateway between Europe and Asia and asked the President for support in implementing that project. Vladimir Putin promised to discuss that issue with Transport Minister Andrei Nikitin.

In conclusion of their discussion of economic matters, the President noted the issue of industrial waste and the numerous unauthorised dumpsites in the region. Yevgeny Solntsev said that the construction of a plant with a capacity to recycle 300,000 tonnes of waste annually has begun this year, and the necessary equipment has already been purchased.

Meeting with Education Minister Sergei Kravtsov

2026-03-11T17:04:48+04:00

Vladimir Putin met with Minister of Education Sergei Kravtsov in the Kremlin. The discussion focused on drafting the Russian Education System Development Strategy, creating a unified set of state textbooks, improving the quality of education in natural sciences, and training teachers and specialists for colleges.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Kravtsov, you provided me with documents, and I know that work is actively underway on the Education System Development Strategy and on the education system as a whole. How do you assess the progress from the Ministry’s perspective?

Minister of Education Sergei Kravtsov: The Education Development Strategy, which is being prepared in line with your instructions, is nearing completion. We have discussed it with teachers, the professional education community, the Council and the Presidium of the Council for Education and Science, the Civic Chamber, the State Duma, and the Federation Council. Overall, the initiative has received widespread support. The draft Strategy is now ready, and we will present it to you for approval shortly.

I would like to emphasise that the most important aspect of the Strategy is the foundation we are building on, and our response to the challenges facing our country, including those in the field of education, such as the development of artificial intelligence and issues related to migration policy.

However, maintaining the high quality of education remains our key priority. Following your instructions, starting this academic year we approved an order introducing a unified curriculum for all subjects, clearly defining what should be taught at each grade level. We have also standardised students’ academic workload, homework assignments, and testing procedures. Today, every school follows unified, high-level federal educational programmes, ensuring that all schoolchildren receive a high-quality education, regardless of their location or whether they attend a rural or urban school. This important initiative has received positive feedback from the teaching community. Our next task is to ensure its full implementation in every school.

We already have results. Mr President, may I invite you to review the outcomes of our international Olympiads? Over the past five years, we have increased the number of gold medals.

We are working in collaboration with Sirius. What is particularly important is that while Moscow is the leader in this area, other regions are also producing winners of international Olympiads. The task is to maintain our leadership in the future.

We have fulfilled your instruction: our country has entered the top ten in terms of the quality of school education. Separately, we are working with underperforming school students: their number has decreased by ten percentage points over five years, from 25 to 15 percent.

We are also implementing your instruction to improve the quality of natural science education to ensure the country’s technological leadership. The number of high achievers – students who scored more than 80 points in natural science subjects…

Vladimir Putin: …has more than doubled.

Sergei Kravtsov: Yes. The average score in specialised math programme has risen from 58 to 64, as well as in physics and chemistry. We will continue this work. The strategy also identifies the development of natural science education as one of its priorities.

Mr President, your instruction on unified history textbooks has been fulfilled. Since the last academic year, all students in grades 10–11 have been studying from unified textbooks; this year, grades 5–7 have been added, and from next year, we will transition to unified state textbooks for grades 8 and 9. Work is also being finalised for social studies textbooks for grades 9 and 10. Starting from September 1, 2027, unified state textbooks will be introduced for natural science subjects, which we are preparing together with the Academy of Sciences, as well as for Russian language and literature. Thus, by 2028, we will complete the full range of unified state textbooks for major subjects, as you mentioned.

Additionally, as per your instruction – reflected in the Strategy – a unified system of educational work has been established.

We are implementing the No Statute of Limitations project and collaborating with the Movement of the First. Students visit historical parks such as Russia – My History and New Chersonesus. We are actively working with the Znaniye Society. Every school has introduced the position of an adviser to the headmaster for education.

The foundation of all educational work lies in our traditional values: love for the Motherland, family values and, more broadly, the task of fostering civic identity. It is crucial that this work is carried out sincerely and not just formally – this is precisely what we are working on, and it remains one of our key priorities.

It is also essential to protect young people from destructive content. All schools have now switched to the national messenger MAX, which is already used by over 20 million teachers and students. This secure platform provides access to diaries, school assignments, enrolment processes for kindergartens and schools. We continue to refine its functions.

Regarding teaching staff, you also set the task of supporting teachers. Today, there are twelve applicants for each place in pedagogical universities – a level of interest we have never seen before. Young people are stepping forward.

Vladimir Putin: This work must continue – raising the prestige of teaching, not only in schools but also in vocational and higher education institutions, though schools should remain the primary focus.

Sergei Kravtsov: We do this kind of work, and there are tangible results. Naturally, challenges remain. We have established a council to protect the honour and dignity of teachers and have sent instructions to the regions, including guidance on working with aggressive students.

Finally, I would like to report on the development of colleges. Here, too, we have achieved excellent results: 3.9 million students are enrolled in colleges. These figures are comparable to those in the RSFSR, when four million students were enrolled.

Regarding your instruction on training one million highly skilled workers by 2028, we will even exceed this target, training over 1.3 million.

Our colleges are also actively contributing to supporting the front for our victory. They are working actively.

Vladimir Putin: We have discussed this topic repeatedly. It is necessary to ensure direct links with future employers and to create modern production facilities and laboratories, in cooperation with these employers. This is the key to successful employment.

Sergei Kravtsov: Yes, Mr President. We will proceed accordingly.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

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Meeting with Head of the Donetsk People’s Republic Denis Pushilin

2026-03-10T20:17:54+04:00

The President had a working meeting with Head of Donetsk People’s Republic Denis Pushilin.

At the beginning of the conversation, Vladimir Putin noted that even in the Soviet Union, the Donetsk Region – now the Donetsk People’s Republic – was considered to be one of the most developed and largest industrial and infrastructurally advanced regions of the USSR, both in terms of industry and agriculture. The President also remarked that colossal damage had been inflicted in recent years, but recovery is progressing at a fairly rapid pace, and under the leadership of Denis Pushilin’s team, there is clear forward movement and progress.

Denis Pushilin thanked the President for the high praise and confirmed that everything is being done in the republic to restore its former glory and contribute to the benefit of the entire country, emphasising that the DPR is supported by entire Russia.

One of the most challenging and sensitive issues, according to Denis Pushilin, is water supply. Many measures have already been taken to address this, with efforts focused on stabilising the situation, including reducing water losses. Currently, 223 emergency teams are operational, of which 117 are from sponsor regions. Moscow is contributing the most to Donetsk, with a total of 700 specialists from various regions engaged. Last year, 126 kilometres of pipelines were replaced, and this year, another 165 kilometres are planned for replacement. With federal assistance, water conduits for internal redistribution have been constructed, and underground sources are being utilised. Following a snowy winter, reservoirs are filling up.

Another complex issue is the work in liberated territories. People need passports, documents, pensions, benefits, and lump sum payments.

Vladimir Putin observed that quite recently, just six months ago, about 25 percent of the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic was under the control of the Kiev authorities, and asked for updated estimates. Denis Pushilin reported that the figure is now 15–17 percent.

The discussion also touched upon supplying power to the households, the mass transit system, equipping medical institutions with high-tech equipment, training specialists at Donetsk Medical University, and rebuilding roads. According to the 2022 assessment, no more than 14 percent of federal, regional and inter-urban roads were up to standard. To date, 2,500 kilometres of roads have been built or brought up to code, and another 3,500 kilometres will have been built by 2030. Thirty-six artificial structures have been built. A domestic production base is being created with localisation in the road sector standing at 85 percent, including crushed stone, sand, and cement.

At the request of the President, Denis Pushilin discussed the creation of a ring road around the Sea of Azov. The Donetsk People's Republic is completing its part of the project ahead of schedule: last year, the plan included 450 kilometres, but over 800 kilometres have been built in the end.

The head of the republic also spoke about the SMO Zemsky Veteran programme. Many of those who fought for the DPR, shed their blood and were wounded are thinking about staying in the republic and have a sense that they have become part of that land. The programme provides for the allocation of land plots of up to 15 sotkas (0.15 hectare) and mortgage loans at 2 percent and includes building a house and other support tools. The President said the size of the land plots could be increased.

At the end of the meeting, Denis Pushilin shared a story of a serviceman with the President. The serviceman, 21, is originally from Samara. After completing his compulsory military service, he signed a contract and took part in assault operations, leading assault groups in the 51^st Army of the Southern Military District. At one point during a combat operation he found himself defending his position alone for 68 days. The enemy tried to get to him, but he held on; ammunition, mines and food were delivered to him by drones. The attacks against him continued day and night with artillery fire and from the flank. Yet, he held the position for 68 days. He has been evacuated. He completed the assigned tasks, and other servicemen have since advanced farther. Unfortunately, both of his feet had to be amputated. He is now staying in a hospital.

Denis Pushilin said it was an outstanding feat and asked for appropriate awards to be presented to the soldier with the involvement of the Defence Ministry.

Vladimir Putin promised to discuss this with the commander and said that the award would match the serviceman’s feat. And, of course, everything would be done to help him from a medical standpoint, to support him, and to make him feel like a fully functional individual.

Meeting on the situation in the global oil and gas market

2026-03-09T22:56:24+04:00

Vladimir Putin held a meeting on the situation in the global oil and gas market.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, colleagues.

I asked you to join me today for a meeting to discuss the situation in global energy markets and to compare notes. I would like to hear your views on the ongoing events and to consult with you on how we should coordinate the efforts of the state and private companies in connection with these developments. In this context, we will also discuss Russia’s further actions in global energy as a whole, including with a view of the escalation of the situation, as we understand it, in the Middle East.

Russia has repeatedly – I would like to note this right away – made it clear that attempts to destabilise the situation in the Middle East would inevitably put the global fuel and energy complex under threat, drive up oil and gas prices, restrict supplies of these resources worldwide and, of course, disrupt long-term investment plans. It appears that this is exactly what is happening.

Today, we see logistical problems on the hydrocarbons transportation routes used, and we see that this is having an extremely negative impact on global production chains, affecting industry and, essentially – without exaggeration – the entire international economic relations system, because disruptions in supplies are followed by other purely economic problems: inflation rises, and production suffers not only in the oil and gas sector but also in the manufacturing of industrial goods.

Let me remind you that last year around a third of the world’s seaborne oil exports – about 14 million barrels per day – went through the Strait of Hormuz. Of these, about 80 percent went to the countries of the Asia-Pacific region. At present this route is effectively closed. Oil production tied to the use of the strait risks coming to a complete halt within the next month. It has already begun to decline, while storage facilities in the region are filling up with oil that cannot be exported, or is extremely difficult or very expensive to export.

Clearly, a complete redirection of Middle Eastern oil supplies without using the Strait of Hormuz is – at least for the time being – unrealistic. Changing logistics would not only take a long time but would also require significant spending on infrastructure, expansion of maritime terminals, and so on. And, of course, it would be associated with high political risks that are still here.

Yet consumers need oil today. As a result, global oil prices are rising, and we can see clearly that they have increased by more than 30 percent over the past week alone. I checked today at about 5:30 am Moscow time and, I think, they had already gone through US$119 per barrel. Then they retraced to US$107, US$106, and now, I think – Mr Sechin told me so – oil was trading at around US$103. But price fluctuations continue, and the trend is upward, not downward.

A similar situation is emerging on the global gas market. Supplies of liquefied natural gas from the Middle East have plummeted. Production capacities have decreased in the region, which will take weeks or even months to recover. The missing volumes are impossible to quickly compensate. As a result, global gas prices are also rising, I think, even faster than oil prices.

I would like to emphasise the following in this regard. In the current conditions, competition between buyers for energy suppliers and for stable and predictable oil and gas supplies is intensifying.

In this regard, of course, I cannot but say and remind not only my colleagues here in this room, but also all our consumers in general, that it has been stability that Russian energy companies have always distinguished themselves by.

Obviously, the global logistics of the fuel and energy complex in the context of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East will be changing towards more profitable and more promising markets. At the same time, we must be aware that the current high commodity prices are definitely temporary. You and I understand this, it is obvious, we have to proceed from this, which is why I asked you to convene so as to consult with you on how we should coordinate our efforts for the near future.

A change in the balance of supply and demand of hydrocarbons will certainly lead to a new stable price reality. This will inevitably happen, therefore it is important for Russian energy companies to use the current moment, including for directing additional export revenue to reduce their debt to domestic banks. Colleagues, I would like to draw your attention to this. I ask the Government and the Central Bank to take this process under control.

I would like to stress once again that Russia is a reliable supplier of energy resources. It has always been like this. We will certainly continue to supply oil and gas to those countries that are reliable counterparties themselves. I am referring not only to our partners in the Asia-Pacific region, but also in Eastern European countries such as Slovakia and Hungary. Even now, some colleagues have already informed me before the meeting in such an expanded format that we are increasing supplies to our reliable partners in several regions of the world at once.

At the same time, I would like to remind you that the EU countries plan to introduce additional restrictions on the purchase of Russian hydrocarbons, including liquefied natural gas, effective April 25, up to a complete ban on such supplies in 2027. In this regard, the Government has already been tasked with assessing the possibility and expediency of stopping the supply of our energy resources to the European market without waiting for the door to be defiantly slammed in our face, but doing it now and diverting these volumes from the European market to more promising areas, and gaining a foothold there, which is most important.

The current situation is such that if we immediately refocus on those markets that need increased supplies, we can gain a foothold there now. That is, where there is steady long-term demand and reliable long-term relationships, to those states that are building constructive business relations with Russia.

By the way, I asked you to come so as to ask your advice on all these issues: if European companies, European buyers suddenly decide to reorient themselves and provide us with long-term, sustainable cooperation devoid of political considerations, free from political considerations – we can accommodate them, we have never turned them down, and we are ready to work with the Europeans. But we need some kind of signals from them that they are ready and willing to work with us too and will provide us with this sustainability and stability.

The Government also keeps these issues under control. I hope we will have a substantive conversation with you on all these issues.

Alexander Novak has the floor. Please, go ahead.

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Greetings on International Women’s Day

2026-03-07T20:48:55+04:00

Vladimir Putin congratulated the women of Russia on International Women’s Day, which is celebrated on March 8.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Dear women of Russia,

Allow me to extend my sincere congratulations on International Women’s Day!

Marking this day has always been a very positive and heart-warming experience for all of us, as we celebrate our wonderful women and express the love, recognition and gratitude we owe them from the bottom of our hearts.

Women make the world better and kinder with their generosity, compassion and genuine female wisdom. A mother’s love has a place in every heart and remains there forever, providing comfort, reinforcing positive emotions and making people stronger in times of need.

It seems that our women can achieve anything. You have attained amazing results across various professions and occupations, demonstrating exceptional resilience and leadership whenever necessary.

You never hesitate to help those who need your assistance, surrounding your families and loved ones with care and attention and dedicating yourselves to educating children.

Of course, managing to strike us with your beauty and charm while doing hard work, showing commitment and stamina is a formidable task, but you have succeeded in it.

It is essential that we recognise and understand this. As for us, we reaffirm our commitment to create all the necessary conditions, both at the state level and, no doubt, in our families to enable women to strike a balance between motherhood and professional excellence, empowering them to fulfil their potential so that they do not have to wait too long before they can experience the joy of having a family, becoming a spouse and a mother.

On a special note, I would like to congratulate women who are performing their duties in the special military operation zone and are facing extreme hardship while working in Donbass and Novorossiya and in our border regions. Wherever you find yourselves, you have been demonstrating valour and courage, selflessness and strength of spirit. You have my sincere and heartfelt gratitude for that.

Dear women,

The sky is the limit for you. You are sources of creation and development, and you combine resilience with tenderness. Your commitment to create a better future for your children inspires all of us to keep moving forward.

I would like to wish you happiness with those whom you treasure, and every success in what matters to you, as well as good health and wellbeing for you and your families.

Happy International Women’s Day!

Meeting with Investigative Committee Chairman Alexander Bastrykin

2026-03-08T10:59:39+04:00

Vladimir Putin held a meeting with Chairman of the Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin in the Kremlin.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Bastrykin, just a few days ago, a board meeting was held. How did it go and what were its outcomes?

Chairman of the Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin: Mr President, I would like to begin with a report on the work that the Investigative Committee has performed over the 15 years of its existence. Here is the album, where you will find what we achieved from 2011 to 2025.

Almost 1.5 million cases have been taken to court, damages amounting to almost 1 trillion rubles have been recovered, and damages for tax-related crimes equal to 561 billion [rubles] have been reimbursed, and so on. Over 1.5 million individuals faced criminal charges. This is to say that we accomplished a lot during these 15 years with your support.

We are effectively developing a forensics division and are using new forensics methods. Also, with your support, we have created our own expert centre. It sparked a strong discussion, but you supported us. This has enabled us to carry out complex expert reviews without turning to other agencies, and we have already performed thousands and hundreds of them.

We have been expanding our international cooperation with other countries and have over 60 international agreements with our foreign colleagues. This way, we can benefit from the experience of foreign law enforcement agencies and receive their assistance.

In addition to this, the Media Relations Department has been quite proactive too. We have established a new unit – an information centre that monitors all media outlets and social media, enabling us to work directly with people who want us to help them.

Moving on, it is with your support, your assistance, that we created five cadet corps. The initiative to establish another cadet corps specialising in maritime-related cases is about to be launched in St Petersburg. After all, about 500 of our investigators work on various fleet-related matters.

We have created a cadet corps in the Lugansk People’s Republic. In addition, we have established three academies, in Moscow, St Petersburg, and in the Lugansk People’s Republic. A dedicated unit has been created to work with civil society and carry out educational activities. Hero of the Russian Federation Viktor Petrov has been proactive at the head of this entity. We created a veteran’s organisation back in 2008 and have been active in reaching out to our veterans so that they can assist us in our efforts.

As for our performance in 2025, we have also accomplished a lot by taking over 93 criminal cases to courts regarding 104,000 defendants. The Investigative Committee has established an effective framework for working with the Interior Ministry and the Federal Security Service, which enabled us to help the state and other victims recover over 128 billion roubles in damages.

Moreover, investigators helped arrest property belonging to suspects and defendants worth 196.5 billion roubles. The quality and responsiveness of investigations improved, with the number of criminal cases solved in less than two months increasing by 17 percent. The Investigative Committee submitted to courts 14,200 criminal cases dealing with attempted corruption, up by a quarter compared to the previous year. Of this total, 535 corruption-related crimes were perpetrated by organised groups and criminal associations. There were 617 persons with special legal status among those facing corruption charges.

We have requested the Higher Qualification Board of Judges of the Russian Federation to indict 23 judges on criminal charges. All the requests were reviewed and satisfied. In 2025, criminal cases against 12 judges made it to court.

Vladimir Putin: As far as I understand, your colleagues from the judicial system treat these matters with understanding and have made solving these cases a matter of principle?

Alexander Bastrykin: Yes, you are absolutely right. Persons accused of committing 70 crimes. More than 22,000 cases on economic crimes have been sent to courts. These cases include crimes by heads of enterprises, recurrent non-payers of wages, cases involving tax evasion, crimes committed in the military industrial complex and when performing state defence orders.

We were firm in countering extremist and terrorist acts and referred to court over 1,000 criminal cases involving terrorism-related crimes against 1,330 persons, including 72 cases dealing with crimes involving the financing of terrorism. There were 877 criminal cases brought to court on charges of extremism, and 1,177 individuals who committed such crimes have been brought to justice.

We have completed the investigation of a criminal case regarding the terrorist act at the Crocus City Hall that left 150 people dead and 609 wounded. The total property damage was equal to about 6 billion roubles.

Investigating criminal cases committed during previous years remains an important element in our work. In 2025, we successfully completed 6,716 criminal investigations that occurred in previous years: 650 murders, 259 cases of causing severe bodily harm, and 381 cases of sexual violence.

We are active in solving the problem of defrauded homebuyers. To protect their interests, we filed 32 criminal cases against 43 developers and officials. We are actively working to restore the housing rights of those who have been living in dilapidated or substandard housing for a long time. We have initiated over 1,000 criminal cases over such facts and 206 cases against 229 defendants have been sent to court.

We are working hard to prevent juvenile crime. This year, we investigated more than 16,000 crimes committed by minors and 8,105 such cases have resulted in court proceedings.

During the same period, we investigated 22,000 criminal acts involving underage victims. Courts received from us 12,000 cases dealing with criminal offences against minors. We protect the housing rights of orphaned children, take effective measures to protect these rights, and investigated 100 criminal cases involving crimes of this kind over the past year. They have been completed with an indictment to the court.

One of the key tracks in our work concerns crimes committed by migrants. Over the past year, we sent to courts 2,490 criminal cases dealing with migrant criminality. At the same time, we investigated and sent to courts 283 criminal cases against officials working on migration-related matters.

The system of forensic expert support that I have already mentioned functions quite successful. Over the past five years, experts from this centre carried out 134,000 forensic enquiries and undertook a major forensic expert effort to come with an accurate assessment of the damage sustained by Donbass as a result of the Kiev regime’s crimes and define its nature. This damage is equal to 580 billion roubles.

To date, judicial bodies in Donbass have delivered guilty verdicts against 1,084 militants and mercenaries, sentencing them to lengthy prison terms, including 71 life sentences for killing civilians and acting with cruelty towards prisoners of war.

In an effort to protect the rights of the special military operation participants and their families, we provided for reviewing over 83,000 applications dealing with the failure to pay full salaries or other benefits, or deficiencies in medical services for military personnel, as well as to locate family members, and other matters.

We had 5,143 face-to-face meetings with the special military operation participants and visited 53 hospitals where we met with the wounded, answered their questions, held meetings there and provided the necessary assistance to the wounded fighters.

We have been working to ensure the rule of law in new territories by creating four departments. They have been working hard, with their investigators sending 1,823 criminal cases to courts.

In conclusion, I would like to say that in 2025, I made 20 trips to Donbass where I held a meeting, took various cases under my personal control, and offered our investigative departments the assistance they needed.

This concludes my report.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you. Have you been able to provide for the functioning of your agency in the new territories?

Alexander Bastrykin: Yes.

Vladimir Putin: Have all the necessary tools for the work of the investigative authorities been put in place?

Vladimir Putin: Yes, and you know, Mr President, many people want to work there, even young women are putting forward their candidacies. However, I introduced a special procedure for them: whenever a woman wants to be assigned to work there, I get a report. After reviewing it, I can either grant the request or reject it, since some women have children, etc. Overall, these unites have been quite effective.

Those who head these departments have the rank of general and have demonstrated robust performance. I must say that they are even slightly more effective compared to the central headquarters and other territories.

Vladimir Putin: Good. Thank you.

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Meeting on the occasion of International Women’s Day

2026-03-05T19:43:43+04:00

Ahead of International Women’s Day, Vladimir Putin held a meeting at the Kremlin with women representing a wide range of occupations.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, friends, welcome everyone.

This meeting takes place in the run-up to a wonderful spring holiday, women’s holiday of March 8. First of all, I would like to take this occasion to wish you and all women of Russia all the best, happiness, and success – in the broadest sense of the word – in your work.

We all know that the traditions of virtually all the peoples of the Russian Federation include special attitude towards women, a very special one. Above all, it is about the warmest and most heartfelt feelings towards one’s mother, gratitude to one’s mother for giving life, for raising children, and for loving care and warmth. It is also about special feelings for girlfriends and wives.

Without a doubt, a great many responsibilities fall upon women: they must be beautiful and appealing at home combining this with a large number of household chores that traditionally fall on women’s shoulders. I mentioned children earlier, but often the other half of the family also needs the same kind of care as children.

With regard to work, our women have always – I emphasise this – always stood out as conscientious workers. You and all women in Russia are very responsible when it comes to your professional duties and thus deserve special words of gratitude for that as well.

In our time, women also assume responsibilities in the fields that – at least in our country – have traditionally been regarded as male professions. All these fields are represented at our meeting today and include military personnel of various specialisations and branches of service, not only medics and communications specialists, but also other military professions. That includes the defence industry, scientific research, and even – as I know from the briefing materials that I went through before coming here – performing artists who are directly involved in the military activity and are members of the performance troupes that appear before our servicemen on the frontlines. There are many such fields.

Of course, we will always assess the contribution made by a particular individual, regardless of whether that person is a woman or a man, by what these people, in this case our women, are doing as part of their professional duties.

To reiterate, we have different people, different women, in this room, including those who are undergoing training under the widely known Time of Heroes platform. I hope you will share with us how your training goes and what kind of future is opening up before you.

Once again, my best wishes on the occasion of March 8 International Women’s Day.

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Answers to questions from Pavel Zarubin

2026-03-05T10:54:14+04:00

After his meeting with Foreign Minister of Hungary Peter Szijjarto, the President answered questions from journalist Pavel Zarubin.

Pavel Zarubin: We watched your meeting. Could you answer a few questions now?

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Go ahead, please.

Pavel Zarubin: You just mentioned the situation on the global gas markets. Many countries are panicking over the current events. Prices have soared, and it is unclear what will happen with prices and deliveries next.

Of course, this makes one recall that Europe has repeatedly prohibited our gas imports. A new ban, this time on Russian LNG imports under short-term contracts, will come into force as soon as April…

Vladimir Putin: Yes, under contracts that were signed last summer.

Pavel Zarubin: Yes, and there were more bans. They are saying now that the deadline for the bans should be revised in light of the current global developments.

Vladimir Putin: To begin with, Russia has always been and remains a reliable supplier of energy resources to all its partners, including in Europe. We will continue working in this way with those partners who are themselves reliable counterparties, such as Slovakia and Hungary in Eastern Europe.

We are supplying our energy resources there, including oil and gas, and we intend to continue doing this if these countries’ authorities carry on with their policy, that is, if they remain our reliable partners.

As for Europe, the current developments in the European markets are primarily a result of the European authorities’ flawed energy policy, misuse of the green agenda, and the use of all these instruments for internal political purposes, for attaining party or group objectives. This policy has nothing in common with the interests of these countries’ peoples.

Oil and gas prices have increased now. This is understandable with regard to oil and is connected, in part, with restrictions on Russian oil imports. But this situation has been compounded by the developments in the Middle East caused by the aggression against Iran, which has produced a complicated and undeniably unpleasant result for consumers.

As for natural gas, in the current environment there was no immediate link between the surge in prices on the European market and the restricted supplies. After all, the main suppliers have not reduced their deliveries. Who are these main suppliers? They include Algeria, the United States, Norway, and, to an extent, Russia. None of them have reduced their shipments, but this did not prevent prices from going all the way up to $700. Why did this happen? This results from the overall situation on the global markets, including the oil markets, and in this case, the gas market. Again, this is attributable to the overall situation because there are customers who are ready to buy this natural gas at a higher price. In this case, this results from the developments in the Middle East and the closing of the Strait of Hormuz, and so on. Once you have these premium buyers on the market, this means, and I really believe that this is the case, that some suppliers who have been serving the European market for quite some time now, for example, the United States and US companies, will definitely switch to the highest bidder. This is quite natural and is devoid of any political agenda. This is just business as usual, and nothing else.

For this reason, let me reiterate that this stems from the misguided policies of the European governments. Moreover, they have been following this path for many years. Here is what I think in this connection. They have recently announced plans to restrict Russian gas imports in a month, so that the 24^th would be the last day before these restrictions are enacted on the 25^th. In a year, in 2027, they want to introduce further restrictions up to a blanket ban. But there are other markets which are opening up. Could it be that we could benefit from cutting short our supplies to the European market right away? We could switch to these emerging markets and consolidate our positions there.

On this topic, I would like to make it clear that this is not a matter of politics. If we are set to lose access to their market anyway in a month or two, it could make sense for us to stop supplying them right away and turn to countries which have been our reliable partners in order to get a foothold in their markets. However, this is not a done deal. In this case, I am just thinking aloud, as they say. I will certainly instruct the Government to work this matter through with our companies.

Pavel Zarubin: There was another important news story today about an attack against a Russian gas carrier in the Mediterranean. It sustained serious damage. What would be your comment regarding these developments?

Vladimir Putin: This is a terrorist attack. We have faced incidents of this kind before, so the only surprising thing about it is that it aggravates the situation on the global energy markets, including the gas market, first and foremost for Europe. Consequently, the Kiev regime is actually biting the hand that feeds it, i.e., the European Union’s hand. The European Union has provided the Kiev regime with a boundless stream of aid, including weapons and funding, while the Kiev regime creates one problem after another for the European Union.

As for this behaviour of the Kiev regime in general, it has been quite aggressive and very dangerous. As I have already said, according to information from our intelligence agencies, Kiev is getting ready to bomb the Blue Stream and TurkStream pipelines with the support of certain Western special services, just as they bombed the Nord Stream pipelines some time ago. We have informed our Turkish friends about it. We will see what happens, but this is a very dangerous game, especially today.

Meeting with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto

2026-03-04T20:58:01+04:00

Vladimir Putin received Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto at the Kremlin.

On the Russian side, the meeting was attended by Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov, First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, and Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov. On the Hungarian side, the meeting was also attended by Hungary’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Russia Norbert Konkoly.

* * *

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Minister, Mr Ambassador,

I am very pleased to see you.

(Addressing.) You chair the intergovernmental commission on the Hungarian side, and it is working actively. You visit Russia frequently. I am aware of your efforts to maintain the momentum in our relations, despite the well-known challenge, though we will not dwell on that now.

Unfortunately, our trade turnover has declined somewhat: last year, I believe, it decreased by 13 percent. Nevertheless, overall, our relations remain stable and are developing positively. I am referring, in particular, to energy policy issues, including hydrocarbons and our flagship project – the Paks Nuclear Power Plant.

Regarding hydrocarbons, I understand that this must concern you, primarily oil supplies. We see what is happening now in global gas markets, including in European gas markets. We will be happy to discuss all these matters. Whatever depends on us – we have always fulfilled all our obligations – and, of course, we intend and are prepared to continue doing so.

Not everything depends on us, but, I reiterate, we have always been reliable suppliers. You are aware of this, and I have noted your public statements on the matter. Just yesterday, I spoke with [Hungary’s] Prime Minister Viktor Orbán about certain issues.

I am really glad to see you.

Peter Szijjarto (retranslated): Mr President, colleagues,

Thank you for the opportunity to meet with you. I understand that we are going through a very tense time on the international stage.

We, Hungarians, are concerned about every war and every conflict. Our country’s energy security is of paramount importance, and therefore we do not want to be drawn into war, armed confrontation, or an energy war.

As you, Mr President, and you, Mr Minister, know, Ukraine has been blocking supplies through the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary for several weeks. The oil shipments have been halted as a result of this political decision. That is why we are interested in ensuring that gas and other hydrocarbon supplies continue reliably and steadily, as they have until now.

As you have mentioned, I have come to obtain assurances and confirmation that even in these difficult and conflict-ridden times, the hydrocarbons, natural gas, and oil that Hungary needs will remain available and will continue to be delivered to our country.

This is utterly important for Hungary, because access to oil and natural gas allows us to keep utility costs low. This issues is of critical importance for us.

If oil and natural gas are not supplied to Hungary, utility prices will go up significantly. Therefore, the Druzhba pipeline and other gas and oil supply routes are crucial to us.

The war in Ukraine has now lasted four years. The conflict has also led to the mobilisation of Hungarian citizens. Many are missing, and some have been taken captive. We would therefore like to ask whether you could consider releasing certain Hungarian prisoners of war currently held by Russian forces.

Thank you very much for your patience and attention.

Vladimir Putin: Mr Minister, during our telephone conversation yesterday, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also raised this issue and asked me to consider releasing Hungarian citizens held by the Russian army. These individuals hold dual citizenship – Ukrainian and Hungarian – and were forcibly conscripted.

I have decided to release two individuals. As the Prime Minister requested, you may take them with you on the aircraft in which you arrived and will return to Budapest.

Peter Szijjarto (in Russian): Thank you very much. Thank you.

<…>

Meeting with Government members

2026-03-05T18:11:51+04:00

Vladimir Putin held, via videoconference, a meeting with Government members, focusing on the renewal of the public transport fleet in the regions of the country.

Before addressing the main agenda, the Head of State participated, via videoconference, in the opening of new educational institutions in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation.

In Yekaterinburg, a new kindergarten focused on developing engineering and technical thinking among preschoolers has been opened, while in Suzdal, a secondary school has been inaugurated. Additionally, the buildings of a polytechnic lyceum in Orenburg and a secondary school in Irkutsk have been put into operation.

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Head of the Presidential Executive Office Anton Vaino, First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, First Deputy Head of the Presidential Executive Office Sergei Kiriyenko, Deputy Head of the Presidential Executive Office Maxim Oreshkin, Deputy Prime Ministers Tatyana Golikova, Alexander Novak, Alexei Overchuk, Dmitry Patrushev, Vitaly Savelyev, Marat Khusnullin, Dmitry Chernyshenko, Deputy Prime Minister – Chief of the Government Staff Dmitry Grigorenko, Deputy Prime Minister – Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District Yury Trutnev, Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov, and Minister of Finance Anton Siluanov. Also invited to the meeting were Minister of Industry and Trade Anton Alikhanov, Minister of Education Sergei Kravtsov, heads of several regions, and directors of the newly opened educational institutions.

* * *

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Colleagues, good afternoon.

Before we begin our traditional exchange of information on current issues, let us turn our attention to some matters related to education.

Today, we have th the Vladimir, Irkutsk, Orenburg, and Sverdlovsk regions on the line. Several much-needed educational projects have been successfully accomplished, and new, well-equipped school and kindergarten buildings have been completed. Some of them are already operational, while others will open shortly.

The creation of such facilities is part of our extensive and systematic work to strengthen educational infrastructure and to establish uniform, equitable opportunities for modern, high-quality education across the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. I would like to reiterate: comfortable, motivating educational environments are essential for nurturing the younger generation, for unlocking the talents and potential of our young people, and thus for the future of Russia and its progressive development.

Let me give you a few figures to highlight the scale of what we have been doing. Since 2019, roughly 940 billion rubles from the federal budget alone have gone towards modernising the educational infrastructure, our schools and kindergartens, as part of various state programmes and projects. This funding has enabled us to build over 1,700 new school buildings, creating more than a million new places. On top of that, we have carried out major overhauls of 6,500 school buildings over the past four years, delivering around three million more modern, comfortable places for our children.

We have also brought nearly 1,700 new kindergarten buildings into use, providing places for a total of 248,000 children.

Last year, we launched a major renovation programme for preschool facilities. So far, 267 such buildings, with capacity for almost 47,000 children, have been upgraded. We will, of course, continue this work to improve access to preschool education, giving families, parents, and especially young mothers greater freedom to balance having children, raising them, and building their own professional careers.

At this point, I want to stress again, and I would ask regional and municipal leaders to take particular note, that the operating hours of kindergartens and extended-day groups must align with the parents’ working patterns. This is a task we have been explicitly set. As agreed, we will review progress on this in June, at the Council for Strategic Development and National Projects.

We remain committed to a systematic programme of upgrading the material and technical infrastructure across all levels of our education system: building and renovating schools and kindergartens, creating high-quality learning environments, and equipping them with modern facilities. It is equally important that we strengthen our teaching staff, focusing on the professional development of our teachers, educators, mentors, including in the field of information technology.

More broadly, we need to be more proactive in integrating advanced digital platforms and artificial intelligence into the classroom. But as we have discussed many times before, we must proceed with care and balance. We cannot allow technology to simplify or distort the learning process, nor should we let ready-made computer solutions replace genuine research and the pursuit of knowledge.

Given the growing demand from employers for skilled workers and specialists, another key priority is the modernisation of our technical colleges and a fundamental overhaul of the entire secondary vocational education system. Both secondary and higher education programmes need to be aligned with the needs of the national economy, our industries, and our businesses. They must also reflect the fast-changing nature of the labour market and offer people an opportunity to pivot careers and update their professional skills throughout their working lives.

And crucially, we need to help children, from an early age, to think about their future careers, to identify the fields that genuinely interest them, where their talents and abilities can really flourish. This was discussed at length at the State Council meeting on human resources at the end of last year, and the relevant instructions have been issued.

I expect all of these objectives to be delivered. The success of this work will directly determine our ability to train the specialists our economy needs and to strengthen the nation’s human capital.

With that, I suggest we open the floor for discussion, starting with colleagues from the regions where new educational facilities have been completed, as I mentioned just now.

<…>

(At the President’s request, the Minister of Education Sergei Kravtsov discussed the specifics of the Unified State Exam in 2026 noting that school pupils are showing greater interest in studying history, specialised mathematics, and natural sciences. The Minister also said Russia ranked among the world’s top three countries in international academic Olympiads and held first place among European countries. In 2025, Russian school pupils won 44 medals, including 33 gold medals, at international Olympiads.

In response to the President’s questions, the Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov spoke about the tourism sector’s performance noting that 2025 saw a four-percent increase in domestic tourist travel across Russia, with the final figure expected to be about 94 million trips. Inbound tourism also rose significantly by 12 percent to a total of five million foreign tourists visiting Russia. The Minister noted that infrastructure development accounted for the greater number of tourist arrivals in our country. Last year, funding was provided under the national project to build 10,000 rooms in modular hotels over a three-year period, of which nearly two-thirds will open to guests this year.

Vladimir Putin also asked about the evacuation of Russian tourists from the Middle East, noting that he had already issued the instructions to the Emergencies Ministry and the Foreign Ministry, among other agencies.

Maxim Reshetnikov reported that the airspace of ten countries had been closed and over 250 flights to and from Russia have been cancelled since February 28. At the time the conflict started, 23,500 Russian tourists, more than 90 percent of them in the UAE, resided in those countries as part of organised tours. Independently travelling tourists accounted for about the same number. Tour packages to Israel and Iran were not available for some time before the conflict erupted, so there are no organised tourists in those two countries. So far, 6,000 people, including more than 3,000 organised tourists, have returned home. Around 20,000 organised tourists remain in the Emirates, and 230 people remain stranded in other Middle Eastern countries.

Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Savelyev, who oversees the transport sector, also commented on the situation.

Vladimir Putin noted that he had recently spoken with his counterparts from the Persian Gulf countries who assured him that they were doing everything possible to assist Russian citizens. The President stressed that helping Russian citizens was first and foremost the responsibility of the Russian authorities. He also asked them not to lessen their efforts and to work to the best of their abilities to prevent issues from arising, to provide every bit of assistance they can to Russian citizens in the conflict zone, and to deliver such assistance in a timely manner.

Reports on the main topic of the meeting – the renewal of the public transport fleet in the regions – were delivered by Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, Minister of Industry and Trade Anton Alikhanov, and Head of the Republic of Buryatia and Chair of the State Council Commission on Efficient Transport System Alexei Tsydenov.)

Expanded meeting of the Interior Ministry Board

2026-03-04T17:21:43+04:00

Vladimir Putin addressed the annual expanded meeting of the Interior Ministry Board.

The meeting agenda focused on the performance of the Interior Ministry of the Russian Federation and its agencies in 2025 and their priorities for 2026.

* * *

The President’s remarks at the meeting of the Interior Ministry Board

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Kolokoltsev, comrades,

During our expanded meeting today, we will review your performance in 2025 and discuss ways to improve the efficiency of Interior Ministry bodies in such key, high-priority areas as combating crime, maintaining public order, ensuring road safety, preventing illegal migration, and several other areas.

Overall, objective data shows that you achieved positive results last year. In particular, the crime rate has decreased in all federal districts and 80 regions of the Russian Federation. The number of repeat offences has also decreased.

Public order was maintained at a high level during the celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory, as well as such events as the Arctic: Territory of Dialogue international forum, the Russia-Islamic World International Economic Forum, and other large-scale events. I know how much work this involved, and I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who organised and carried it out at such a high level.

I would like to mention the following priorities of the Interior Ministry for this year.

First of all, you must build up efforts to solve crimes, primarily serious and extremely serious offences against the person and property crimes. I would like to emphasise that, regrettably, the number of juvenile crimes increased in 2025, for the first time in years. At the same time, the share of serious and extremely serious crimes in that segment exceeded 40 percent. This situation calls for an appropriate and prompt response.

Practice shows that young people are often deliberately involved in criminal activities and recruited into criminal groups. Nearly half of teenagers – 45 percent – have committed crimes as members of organised criminal groups. The criminals who are using teenagers for their own purposes must be identified and held accountable as soon as possible.

Last year’s amendments to the Criminal Code were designed to protect children from becoming entangled in subversive or terrorist activities, among other things. Inciting and masterminding these crimes, as well as encouraging teenagers to commit them, will now be punishable with up to a life sentence. Incidents involving aggressive behaviour by teenagers in schools, colleges and public spaces are also a matter of special concern.

The Interior Ministry must work with other law enforcement agencies to substantially increase its focus on anticipating and preventing these crimes. Of course, it is essential that teenagers experiencing challenges in their families take part in the volunteer movement, practice sports, and work for youth associations. We must do everything to enable these youngsters to avoid tragic mistakes, find their place in life, overcome the challenges they face and fulfil the talents and abilities they all have.

This is a national cause, of course. It goes without saying that all government agencies must contribute to these efforts, including municipal, regional and federal bodies, without diminishing the Interior Ministry’s role.

Fighting extremism also calls for integrated, system-wide, advanced efforts, which must also be smart and agile. Unfortunately, over the past year, the number of extremism-related crimes increased. The Interior Ministry must be firm in eradicating Russophobia, xenophobia and religious strife in all their manifestations, while also stepping up its preventive efforts in order to promptly identify and expose those seeking to destabilise Russia and its society.

In September 2026, the State Duma and regional legislative assemblies will hold their elections. This will be the first time our historical territories – Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions – will elect their federal MPs. It is essential that we create the necessary conditions so that people can vote in freedom and security.

We must pay close attention to fighting cybercrime. Last year, the total number of these crimes decreased, including those targeting the most vulnerable social group, i.e., elderly people and retirees. There is no doubt that this resulted, among other factors, from systemic awareness and prevention campaigns by the Interior Ministry, as well as other dedicated services and law enforcement agencies.

Let me add that stepping up efforts to help victims recover their losses is also important. This is a very sensitive and urgent matter for those who lose their savings and fall into debt.

Traffic police are now facing increased demands. In 2025, we managed to improve road safety and reduce child road traffic injuries, albeit marginally. Here, I would like to acknowledge the extensive collaborative efforts of traffic police officers, regional and municipal authorities, and representatives of the road and transport sectors, and the construction industry.

We must continue to act decisively in this direction. The key benchmark is the Strategy for Improving Road Safety until 2030, with a perspective extending to 2036, which was approved in November last year.

Comrades,

A pressing task for the Interior Ministry is combating economic crime. You have ample experience and expertise in this area, and intensive work is underway. It is essential to consistently uncover and solve such crimes, including those in the defence industry and other sectors of strategic importance to Russia’s security and sovereignty. Special attention must be paid to national projects and programmes aimed at improving the lives of our citizens. Funds allocated for these purposes must be safeguarded against embezzlement, misuse and, even more so, transfer abroad, which, unfortunately, still occurs.

It is also necessary to ensure the further decriminalisation of the consumer market, working alongside colleagues from the Government, federal agencies and regions to “whiten” the economy as a whole. This is one of the most critical tasks facing the Government today, and I strongly urge you to take an active part in it.

At the same time, actions must be taken in a way that does not create barriers for law-abiding businesses. On the contrary, it is important to enhance the competitiveness of the national jurisdiction and business environment. As for the national jurisdiction, it is imperative to improve both its quality and prestige. And, of course, as always, we must respond firmly to corrupt practices in any form.

The fight against illegal migration must be elevated to a new level. The establishment of a migration service within the Interior Ministry should significantly boost this effort. Naturally, we understand that work in this area has been ongoing, but recently, the very status of this service and the decisions taken here should – and, in my opinion, already do – yield tangible results, as should the State Migration Policy Concept adopted last autumn.

The fight against drug trafficking must become more decisive and uncompromising. As of March 1 this year, criminal liability has been introduced for the promotion of narcotics. Those who seek profit from this destructive activity and endanger the lives and health of our younger generation must clearly understand that they will now face far more serious consequences. The Interior Ministry, jointly with other relevant bodies, must establish effective and consistent law enforcement practices in this area.

Colleagues,

The tasks I have mentioned demand the utmost dedication from every employee. They require sustained daily effort and, at times, involve considerable risk.

We are also fully aware that the significant personnel shortage remains a serious challenge for the Interior Ministry. This issue requires comprehensive solutions. Among them is the need to improve the financial and social protections of our employees, a measure that everyone considers essential. A number of decisions have already been taken in this regard, and they will be implemented as early as this year. I will not go into specifics, but it is clear to everyone present here that salary levels are a primary focus.

One of the key options for bolstering the workforce is the recruitment of veterans of the special military operation. Their combat experience, resilience, and mental and physical endurance can substantially reinforce the Interior Ministry’s ranks. I urge you to actively consider such candidates for current vacancies.

In closing, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Ministry’s personnel for their dedication and integrity in fulfilling their duties. I extend special thanks to those who bravely serve as part of the special military operation and who, in cooperation with other security agencies, state authorities, and local government bodies, help maintain public order and uphold the rule of law in Donbass, Novorossiya, and border territories. In challenging conditions, they ensure the safety and rights of citizens. Their courage, professionalism, and principled conduct boost public trust in the state and in the law.

I am confident that the Interior Ministry’s personnel will continue to serve with responsibility and honour. I rely on your professionalism and commitment, and I wish you continued success.

Thank you for your service.

<…>

Vladimir Putin: Comrades,

Addressing the tasks entrusted to the bodies of the Interior Ministry has always been of critical importance for any country – across all areas, at all times. For our country, for Russia today, with its vast diversity and in light of everything unfolding beyond our borders, this work is doubly – even triply – significant. It takes on special national importance. In certain areas, the nature and intensity of your work are comparable to the events taking place on the frontline.

Mr Kolokoltsev mentioned at the beginning of his report here that the situation was different during the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. Moscow has become larger, while the number of people fulfilling the tasks set before the ministry has decreased, but what amazing people they are!

Thank you for your service, and all the best.

Thank you.

Meeting with Head of the Federal Treasury Roman Artyukhin

2026-03-03T18:16:59+04:00

The President held a working meeting with Head of the Federal Treasury Roman Artyukhin to discuss the performance of the treasury system in 2025 and its future development.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, Mr Artyukhin.

How are things? How is the work progressing?

Head of the Federal Treasury Roman Artyukhin: Thank you very much.

With your permission, I will report on the performance of the treasury system over the past year and on our current projects.

In general, the Treasury has four key responsibilities. In effect, we serve as a bank for the budgets and a single payments and settlements centre. All budgets, without exception, are serviced through the Treasury. Secondly, we act as ф centralised accounting office of the state. Thirdly, as per your instruction, we have been designated the Government’s state financial control authority, following the transfer of the powers of the Federal Service for Financial and Budgetary Supervision (Rosfinnadzor).

Naturally, all our functions are carried out through information systems. Two major platforms are the Electronic Budget system and the Unified Information System in the field of procurement, which is widely known. In addition, we have established…

Vladimir Putin: Does that include both state and municipal payments?

Roman Artyukhin: That’s right, all of them without exception. I will elaborate. A municipal reform is underway. This is a very large-scale task, which we are carrying out under the leadership of the Finance Ministry to ensure that all payments are processed smoothly and without interruption.

Such large-scale tasks cannot be accomplished without a strong team. We have built a highly professional workforce of 29,000 employees across the country. We service approximately one million legal entities through our treasury accounts and personal online accounts. This, of course, enables us to maintain steady and dynamic progress.

Clear cash planning forms the basis of our work, alongside continuous monitoring by the Government and the Finance Ministry. This allows us to process all payments without disruption. For example, the cash execution of the budget last year reached 99 percent.

Our strong performance is the result of two key factors: concerted cross-government effort and the deployment of digital solutions. A prime example, delivered at your request, is the implementation of digital completion certificates and digital contracts. So, what does this entail in practice? It means that all necessary documents, including completion certificates, are now signed electronically. Previously, standard business practice dictated payment within 30 days. Now, the moment a digital completion certificate is signed, funds flow directly and immediately into the economy. This is a direct outcome of our digital procurement system.

It may also come as a surprise to learn that the Treasury has become Russia’s third administrator of budget revenue. While the Tax and Customs Services are widely known in this role, the Treasury now stands alongside them.

The reason for this lies in a significant treasury system reform implemented in 2021: the creation of a single treasury account, which consolidates all liquidity from the entire Russian budget system – encompassing every region and municipality without exception. Crucially, we do not simply hold these resources; we actively manage them by placing funds in deposits and other financial instruments. We do so with a rigorous approach to financial risk, ensuring all placements are repaid on time. As a result, the Treasury generated 1.5 trillion rubles last year. Of this sum, 1.183 trillion rubles accrued directly to the federal budget, while a substantial 328 billion rubles provided a significant boost to our regions. This revenue, the 328 billion rubles I mentioned, derived from interest on their account balances, empowers regions to address their operational funding needs.

Beyond accruing interest, the Russian Treasury also provides treasury loans. The primary instruments are annual loans designed to cover cash flow gaps, offered at an annual rate of just 0.1 percent. To date, 38 regions have utilised these loans, and importantly, all have been repaid on time.

Furthermore, in line with your instructions, we have introduced two new financial instruments: special treasury loans and treasury infrastructure loans. While the Government makes the final decisions on allocations, the role of the Treasury is to formalise the agreements, provide robust treasury support, and most critically, ensure the targeted use of funds is monitored all the way through to the completion of each project. Currently, around 900 projects are being successfully implemented using these loans, which are granted for a 15-year term at a 3 percent rate.

We have quite a few objectives relating to the so-called digital treasury, as articulated by the federal Finance Ministry. These include promoting import substitution for information systems and ensuring the digital transition for small procurement contracts. In essence, this consists of switching budget payments to a 24-hour mode, just like in a bank where everyone is now used to being able to make payments at any time of day.

Speaking of treasury supervision tools, allow me to elaborate on some interesting projects we have in the accounting domain.

Vladimir Putin: Wait a minute, on the topic of treasury supervision. Not always, but quite often economic operators and some of our state-owned companies resist this treasury supervision. They claim that this creates complications, additional administrative hurdles and obstacles, taking more time to process corresponding decisions.

Roman Artyukhin: Indeed, on behalf of the treasury we believe that we need this tool right now. Why? Because of the large volume of allocations which are disbursed as advance payments. In fact, what is the gist of this treasury supervision? It covers the advance payments which used to be transferred to settlement accounts. But an advance payment is essentially a loan. Accordingly, we need to make sure that it is used in keeping with its stated purpose. Therefore, it is true that as soon as we get these advance payments on our bankbooks, we instantly request contracts and work completion certificates along the entire cooperation chain. All these transactions leave an auditable trace. In a way, this can be described as complying with financial and budget hygiene rules when engaging funds. But as soon as the product is delivered, the funds are released and are transferred to settlement accounts. For this reason, we need this tool right now in order to be able to trace all the funds and ensure their targeted use in keeping with the Budget Code and financial law.

Of course, this may cause some inconveniences since companies used to be able to treat these funds as part of their working capital. They received them on their settlement accounts and could reallocate them to other projects or even use them to earn revenue. But now it is the Treasury which earns this revenue since all these funds are deposited on the single treasury account.

Vladimir Putin: Could you say a few words about the digital ruble?

Roman Artyukhin: The digital ruble is a very interesting project. Last year, following your instruction, we conducted a pilot. I am pleased to report that, as of January 1 this year, we are ready to accept payments into the budgets of the budgetary system. The first payment – an administrative fine – was made by an individual in digital rubles. The year has only just begun, and already the first 1,500 rubles in digital currency have been received.

There is, naturally, significant work ahead to explain things. Currently, together with the Central Bank and the Finance Ministry, we are identifying interesting priority areas for expenditure that could be transferred to the digital ruble platform.

There are interesting proposals regarding types of subsidies and specific infrastructure projects. We are now discussing all this with Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, and these results may even help to balance, to some extent, the issue of treasury supervision and banking services.

If I may, a brief word about accounting. As the accounting authority, we are preparing a report on budget execution, the Russian Federation balance sheet, which is subsequently audited by the Accounts Chamber.

Vladimir Putin: Are you also transitioning to a digital format?

Roman Artyukhin: Exactly.

One of our projects is essentially 24/7 collection of reporting from the main ledgers of all our autonomous budgetary institutions, ensuring the balance sheet of the Russian Federation is updated on a regular basis. This includes our assets, liabilities, public debt, accounts receivable, and accounts payable. Obviously, thanks to this system, we must, under the guidance of the Finance Ministry, clearly see the financial condition, position, certain risks, and, accordingly, ensure the reliability and transparency of all financial reporting.

Regarding our control activities. Ten years ago, by your decision, the Treasury became the body for internal state financial control. This is a challenging task. Naturally, we were guided by the principles of control and oversight operations and the reforms being carried out across the Government as a whole.

Undoubtedly, this is a risk-oriented approach. We have reduced the number of inspections fourfold, while placing emphasis on preventive forms of control. For instance, last year – and this is a reliable figure – 190 billion rubles represented a reduction in funding requirements.

Requests come from the Finance Ministry, and our two agencies cooperate to conduct expert and analytical surveys to identify more efficient mechanisms and forms for providing these resources. Additionally, as a result of control measures last year, 56.7 billion rubles were returned to the budget through payment orders. These are the resources we identified as having been provided in violation of their terms and conditions.

Vladimir Putin: Losses are being reduced, correct?

Roman Artyukhin: Precisely.

We maintain close cooperation with the Presidential Control Directorate. Last year, we monitored the implementation of 16 of your instructions and will continue systematic work on 13 of them. We regularly report to the Control Directorate, consolidate our findings, and jointly formulate proposals to ensure that responsible officials effectively carry out their assigned tasks.

State defence order remains one of our key responsibilities. In accordance with your instructions, amendments to the law on state defence order have come into force. Beginning this year, we have launched automated monitoring of the use of defence procurement funds. We are working in close coordination with the Defence Ministry, the Federal Service for Financial Monitoring, the Federal Taxation Service, and the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service.

What is our task?

Vladimir Putin: Above all, the goal is to reduce the risks of price inflation.

Roman Artyukhin: Exactly. We have reviewed all contracts, analysed outstanding receivables, and assessed performance risks throughout the cooperation chain. Together with the designated supporting bank, we have developed a monitoring model that enables us to work proactively with the Federal Service for Financial Monitoring and the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service. Through this mechanism, we notify contractors engaged in state defence orders about the risks we identify.

Vladimir Putin: Do you personally observe tangible results from these measures?

Roman Artyukhin: Yes. I am prepared to present a separate report on the results, including details at the level of individual companies.

Extensive and systematic work is underway within the Security Council, and we are actively participating in these efforts. At present, the Defence Ministry is modernising its pricing methodology, transitioning from capped pricing to an indicative pricing model. Our audit findings have helped identify existing reserves within these mechanisms, and they are indeed significant.

Vladimir Putin: Unfortunately, we have not yet fully phased out the capped pricing system. I ask you to maintain close oversight of this process.

If you believe that additional measures are necessary to improve the effectiveness and precision of this work, please raise the issue and submit your proposals.

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Greetings to the military personnel and veterans of the Special Operations Forces of the Russian Armed Forces

2026-02-26T18:48:28+04:00

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Comrades,

I extend my congratulations on your professional holiday, Special Operations Forces’ Day.

The creation of your agile units, equipped with the most advanced weapons and technology, has been a response to the pressing challenges of the 21^st century and to the historic mission of strengthening the sovereignty and security of Russia and its people.

You have every reason to be proud: in a remarkably short time, you have earned a prominent place at the forefront of the Russian Army. By building on the finest traditions of our special forces and integrating the latest strategic and tactical innovations, you have significantly enhanced the combat readiness of the Armed Forces. You have consistently demonstrated your ability to fulfil complex, non-standard, and often unique missions, acting swiftly and effectively in any environment or situation.

I would like to express my gratitude to the personnel and veterans of the Special Operations Forces for their exemplary combat performance, professional skills, and personal bravery.

Special recognition goes to those currently engaged in missions in the special military operation zone – conducting reconnaissance, operating courageously behind enemy lines, and neutralising enemy sabotage groups along the borders.

I am confident that you will continue to safeguard the security of the Fatherland and its citizens at the highest standard, being an example of loyalty to the oath and military duty, serving the Motherland with honour and devotion.

Happy holiday! I wish you and your families good health, happiness, and every success.

Meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State

2026-02-26T19:55:10+04:00

Vladimir Putin and President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko held a meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State in the Grand Kremlin Palace.

Following the meeting, the parties signed a package of documents, including: The Decree of the Supreme State Council of the Union State On the Organisation and Development of the Union State’s Transborder Suburban Passenger Railway Operations Between the Border Territories of the Constituent Entities of the Russian Federation and the Regions of the Republic of Belarus; the Directive of the Supreme State Council of the Union State On Mutual Support and Cooperation in International Justice; the resolutions of the Supreme State Council of the Union State On the Establishment of the Union State Standardisation and Quality Committee; On the Union State Literature and Art Awards for 2025–2026; On the 2026 Priorities of the Meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State. The parties also signed resolutions of the Supreme State Council of the Union State On the Guidelines for Implementing the Provisions of the Treaty Establishing the Union State and On the Implementation of the Decisions of the Supreme State Council of the Union State.

* * *

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Lukashenko, friends,

We are delighted to welcome you to Moscow. Today, we are here for a meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State that marks the Union State’s anniversary. Yet, it is not only a ceremonial but also a business event.

Once again, I hope the meeting will be useful and up to the highest standard. I gladly pass the floor to the President of Belarus who is our host and chairman.

Mr President, please.

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko: Mr President, members of the Supreme State Council, other meeting participants,

As per tradition, I want to thank you, Mr President, the Government, the heads of parliament and the ministers of the Russian Federation for the hospitality and attention you pay to this event.

In the current international environment, with tensions persisting mainly at our western frontiers, it is vital to develop the alliance and the strategic partnership between Belarus and Russia. The geopolitical landscape objectively sets the task to be prepared for coordinated response to any challenges.

We have launched the implementation of the Union State Agreement on Security Guarantees. As we agreed, the Oreshnik missile system was put on standby alert in Belarus in December.

We maintain successful coordination in foreign policy. The Directive On Mutual Support and Cooperation in International Justice, to be signed today, will be an important step in protecting our shared interests, the inviolability of international law and its institutions. But our focus remains on the economy, as always.

Unfortunately, the global trade system today is being blocked, twisted and bent to fit their needs, with protective tariffs, technology and energy blockades, currency pressure, and piracy along the logistics routes. Some countries are prohibited from exporting oil and others from importing it – or at least such attempts are being made. While the leaders of the multipolar world order, China and Russia, are only slightly worried, their allies are under unprecedented pressure. In the past few weeks alone, our shared partners – Venezuela, Cuba and Iran – have experienced grave interference, mainly through their economies.

Therefore, technological autonomy, reliance on our own resources and competences, prioritising our domestic products and the protection of the Union State’s common market constitute the safe lines that are as important as military or foreign political frontiers.

Comrades,

April 2 marks the 30^th anniversary of the Treaty Establishing the Union State of Belarus and Russia, which laid the foundation for the Union building. Over these years, we have accomplished a lot. Reciprocal access to our markets has made it possible to increase trade eightfold from US$6.5 billion in 1996 to nearly US$55 billion last year.

The share of energy in bilateral trade has decreased, while mutual supplies of food and consumer goods have grown. Trade in transport, construction, and information services is expanding at a fast pace. Reciprocal investments boost our economies and, most importantly, create new jobs. More than 60 percent of investment in Belarus comes from Russia. Our country has significantly increased investment in the Russian economy as well.

Today, the governments will report on the implementation of the main provisions of the Treaty Establishing the Union State for 2024–2026. So far, only 40 percent of the sector-specific measures have been completed, namely, 125 out of 310. Implementation delays affect only a limited number of instructions – 14 in total – representing a mere 4.5 percent. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure the preparation of substantive main guidelines for the next three-year period. Most importantly, they must be fully implemented. They should primarily focus on ensuring the technological sovereignty of the Union State and achieving technological parity with other countries. We can do this, as we have already successfully done in some other areas and industries.

The governments and the Standing Committee must work through these matters thoroughly and comprehensively so that we can move forward at the pace the current situation demands.

In building the Union State, we proceed from practical needs, advancing to a higher level of integration and creating intergovernmental bodies where this has become necessary. We already have an intergovernmental customs committee centre, a tax committee, and a Union hydrometeorological service in operation. Today, we are establishing a Union State Standardisation and Quality Committee, which will ensure control over product quality on the common market and help eliminate technical barriers in mutual trade.

This year, the status of the Made in the Union State product has been legally formalised. It is important that this nice-looking official trademark is followed by actual support and protection of the interests of Belarusian and Russian manufacturers of our common product.

Launching, in just a few months, cross-border railway services along the Vitebsk-Smolensk and Orsha-Smolensk routes will expand the opportunities available to the Union State citizens. I often emphasise and have said this to Mr Mishustin that we will strengthen and step up our cooperation in transport. As soon as you introduced additional Lastochka trains, as we call them, an enormous number of Belarusians – millions of them – travelled to Moscow. Today even those trains are no longer sufficient. Mr President, I should note that just yesterday I was informed that our fugitives have already become concerned that Belarusians are not travelling to Europe at all. Everyone is heading East. Fewer, of course, to China, and more to Moscow and the Russian Federation. That is what we mean when we say we go from practical needs. We are doing what our people need. Today we plan to consider issues of railway and other transport links between neighbouring regions. This is exactly what is required. And then there will be no need to persuade anyone whether to be part of the Union or not. We simply need to take these steps for the sake of the people.

I am confident that all of you truly understand the value of Belarusian-Russian relations and the unprecedented depth of our integration. The decision under consideration today will once again confirm the relevance and high demand for the Union State format.

First and foremost, Mr President, I would like to thank your ministers and members of the Russian Government, who have been paying greater attention to our cooperation. Mr Mishustin, thank you for that. I am not even mentioning our parliamentarians who are the real driving force of our relations. Our regional-level initiatives are extremely important. The Chinese have suggested that we start cooperating region to region as we do with Russia. Iran, about six months ago, has also expressed interest in such cooperation. It is clear what people truly need when you operate based on practical needs.

Therefore, I am thankful to the parliamentarians, especially senators, for being actively engaged in this work. I very much hope that the Russian Government will remain committed to the Union State building and that we will fulfil all our instructions, agreements, and decisions adopted at the joint events.

Mr President, everyone is waiting for you to say something on the pressing issues of the day in this context. Then we will move on to the agenda.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much.

Mr Lukashenko, colleagues, friends,

At this meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State, we are going to discuss and adopt some very important decisions pertaining to the further comprehensive development and strengthening of cooperation between Russia and Belarus in political, economic, social and humanitarian spheres.

The deepening integration between our states is a consistent, natural and, I want to stress, mutually beneficial process, founded on the unbreakable ties of our brotherly friendship, centuries-old traditions of neighbourliness, mutual support, and the common cultural, spiritual and moral values of the Russian and Belarusian peoples.

This meeting is taking place during an anniversary year for the Union State. Indeed, President Lukashenko has just noted that in April, we will mark 30 years of the signing of the treaty of the union between our countries. Signed on April 2, 1996, the treaty launched our integration processes, with many successful outcomes achieved over the decades thanks to our coordinated efforts.

A common socioeconomic, defence, migration, and information, as well as academic and educational, and cultural and humanitarian space has been created. Citizens of Russia and Belarus are guaranteed equal rights in all spheres of life, freedom to choose place of residence and employment, the opportunity to participate in local elections, and equal and unfettered access to government, social, and medical services.

The resolution adopted today by the Supreme State Council on organising protection for Russians and Belarusians against persecution by foreign states and judicial authorities will be another step in the interests of the citizens.

Favourable conditions for implementing a common macroeconomic policy have been created throughout the Union State. Major joint projects are being carried out in industry, transport, and agriculture, as well as in high-tech and science-intensive sectors. Import substitution programmes are progressing successfully, including in key sectors such as engineering, machine-tool building, microelectronics, and optics.

As a result, mutual Russian-Belarusian trade and investment continue to grow year after year. In 2025, trade was up by nearly three percent. Our statistics may differ slightly between the countries, but US$52 billion looks impressive.

With over US$4.5 billion invested in the Belarusian economy, Russia is the leader. Around 2,500 Russian companies operate in Belarus. As was just mentioned, our countries even share a common trademark Made in the Union State, which can be found on products manufactured using no less than half of the materials and components sourced from Russia and Belarus. It entitles the manufacturers to participate in government procurement and to access other preferences.

Within the Union State, conditions for doing business are being consistently harmonised and improved, and rules on taxation, financial, and administrative regulation are being simplified. Today we will adopt a resolution of the Supreme State Council on the creation of a Union State Committee for Standardisation and Quality. The President of Belarus has just mentioned this. The new committee will enforce strict oversight to make sure consumers in both countries receive high-quality products, and will also promote the development of free, transparent, and efficient competitive environment in the economic space of the two countries.

The transport and logistics network connecting Russia and Belarus is expanding, as the President of Belarus has just mentioned. The unified system of passenger and freight transportation is being improved, and road and rail infrastructure is being modernised. The State Council’s decision to re-establish direct commuter rail service between the neighbouring regions of Russia and Belarus is aligned with this.

Developing cultural, academic, sports, and youth contacts is, of course, an integral part of our Union State’s extensive agenda. For example, more than 16,000 Belarusians are studying in Russian educational institutions, and next year, another 1,300 Belarusian applicants will be able to enrol in Russian universities on a state-funded basis alone.

The Union State awards in literature and arts have become truly prestigious and renowned. A resolution of the Supreme State Council of the Union State on awarding the next set of these awards to talented cultural figures from both countries has been submitted for our approval.

I would like to note that Russia and Belarus cooperate as allies in foreign policy and defence. Our approaches to pressing international issues are always close or aligned. We consistently strive to play a constructive role in resolving global and regional problems, working shoulder to shoulder within the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and at other multilateral platforms, including the United Nations. Together, we resist sanctions pressure and advocate for the formation of a truly equitable, multipolar world.

The interstate treaty on security guarantees within the Union State, which entered into force in 2025, provides a reliable foundation for the alliance between Russia and Belarus. This comprehensive document aims to protect the sovereignty, independence, and constitutional order of Russia and Belarus, as well as the integrity and inviolability of our territories and external borders. I am confident that, together with our Belarusian friends, we will continue to do everything necessary to ensure the military security of the Union State, employing all available forces and means.

In conclusion, I would like to express my confidence that our current joint work will contribute to the further development of the Russian-Belarusian partnership and alliance, the advancement of equal and mutually beneficial integration, and the overall wellbeing of the people of Russia and Belarus. This is precisely what we are working towards.

Thank you very much.

<…>

Alexander Lukashenko: Mr President, our agenda includes the review of the results. Please, say a few words if you’d like.

Vladimir Putin: I would like to just thank our Chairman – you, Mr Lukashenko – for your contribution, and all our colleagues, for everything done ahead of our meeting today. Usually, we carry out extensive preliminary work, and here we are merely documenting the results of your work on both sides. Thank you very much.

On my part, I would like to invite the members of the Supreme State Council to a working lunch.

Alexander Lukashenko: Mr President, members of the Supreme State Council, invited government members of Belarus and Russia, and other government officials,

Today, we have set a direction for a new stage of integration development across all areas. Instructions have been given to prepare guidelines for implementing the provisions of the Treaty Establishing the Union State for our next cycle of 2027–2029.

As per tradition, to wrap up, I would like, following the President of Russia, to express my gratitude to everyone who helped prepare our meeting. I would like to ask the members of the Supreme State Council, governments, parliaments, and the standing committee to take serious oversight over the implementation of the adopted instructions, with as much personal involvement as possible.

(Addressing State Secretary of the Union State Sergei Glazyev.) Mr Glazyev, I would like to ask you to answer all the questions about today’s event from our journalists who were also present here. I would like to thank them in advance for their extensive efforts not only to promote our governing body in the Union State, but also the decisions we make, naturally, in the interests of the peoples of Belarus and Russia. I would like to thank everyone for their work.

This concludes our discussion and decision-making on the items of the Supreme State Council agenda.

Thank you.

Meeting with researchers

2026-02-25T21:30:24+04:00

Vladimir Putin met with researchers on the sidelines of the Future Technologies Forum.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Friends, colleagues,

After such general attendance events, we traditionally hold a meeting in a narrower format, if this group can be called that. In any case, I am very pleased to see you. I hope you were not bored listening to what I had to say. As I mentioned at the beginning, I was speaking for a broad audience, but I believe that both the Russian part of today’s audience and our friends from foreign countries were nevertheless interested to hear how we think, where we are looking, and where we are heading. This is always useful.

Once again, in this semi-restricted format, when I spoke about the need to promote – propagate – in the best sense of the word scientific knowledge and early career guidance, when I talk about it I always think about our scientist, our great populariser of science in Soviet and Russian times, Daniil Granin, a writer who, at our last meeting – soon after that he passed away – drew attention precisely to this component. He said, “You know what? You should speak about science more often.” I replied, “We seem to be okay in this regard with all kinds of programmes to this end.” He said, “Programmes are good and important, but you, your colleagues, and the media should speak more often about the role of science, about the role of researchers, about their dedication, their achievements, and the importance of what they do. People are tired of watching on television who stole what, from whom, how, and how much. It’s simply too much! That is why I frequently draw the attention of the Government, the Presidential Executive Office, and media members to how important it is to engage in this sphere of information support for those who devote their lives to scientific research.

Today’s topic is particularly important, because it is multidisciplinary and lies at the intersection of many fields of knowledge. It is undoubtedly very important and holds enormous prospects.

If there is anything I can do for you, support you, I am at your disposal. And I would like to thank the participants of today’s meeting from abroad. Thank you very much for being with us.

<…>

Future Technologies Forum plenary session

2026-02-25T22:53:13+04:00

Vladimir Putin took part in the plenary session of the Future Technologies Forum. The discussion theme is Bioeconomy for Humanity.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Ladies and gentlemen,

Dear friends, good afternoon,

I was informed that you have already had a professional discussion as part of the Future Technologies Forum. This year, it is dedicated to bioeconomy. In continuation, let me say a few words on the steps the state is taking to develop this vital sphere.

Since the audience of today’s discussion are not just experts but also the broader public, I would like to take a moment to elaborate on issues that may be well known to specialists yet could be something new to a wider audience.

I venture to outline what the bioeconomy entails and what practical prospects and opportunities it offers for people, the economy, agriculture, and healthcare, as well as the role it plays in enhancing the country’s industrial and technological sovereignty and ensuring environmental safety.

My colleagues have just introduced me to some of the advanced developments showcased at the exhibition that is being held on the sidelines of the Forum. They are indeed impressive.

By drawing on the principles and wisdom of nature and unlocking its immense creative potential, researchers and manufacturers are developing solutions that support quality of life, health, and active longevity. These include healthy foods – high-quality food products are all good for health anyway – as well as vitamins, supplements, and vaccines. This is very important, and Ms Skvortsova promises me every year that such vaccines will be delivered soon. Unfortunately, the Healthcare Minister is not here today to specify this, but I very much hope that the relevant certification procedures and technical clarifications will be completed without unnecessary delays or red tape, so that these important health innovations can become available as soon as possible.

These are medicinal products. And even tissues, blood vessels, and – something that is no longer fantastical – individual human organs. True, the creation of a living heart has yet to be achieved, but progress is being made in this direction.

Biotechnologies have a wide range of applications in industry, where natural microorganisms and other living systems are used instead of chemical reagents. They serve as catalysts for complex technological processes and initiate closed cycles, where waste from one production process becomes raw material for another. Mr Kovalchuk has been explaining this to me for many years, and I am deeply grateful to him for that. These technologies are applied in bioenergy, environmental solutions, and agriculture – enhancing soil fertility, aiding in plant protection, and purifying water, soil, and air. After purification, I observe fish swimming there, which require clean water – so it works.

Thus, bioeconomy is far more than just a field of scientific knowledge. Through their bold ideas, scientists and engineers are, in essence, shaping a new reality and an industrial paradigm, applying breakthroughs in biology and genetics to improve people’s lives and preserve our planet and its fragile ecosystem.

In Russia, we take pride in the fact that our contributions to the life sciences have been significant, thanks to the discoveries and philosophical and scientific teachings of Vernadsky, Mechnikov, Timiryazev, Koltsov, Vavilov, Engelhardt, and other outstanding domestic scientists, including our contemporaries. I will certainly return to this topic later in my speech today.

We will continue to expand our capabilities and move forward. Especially since biotechnologies, bolstered by the power of computational systems and artificial intelligence, are advancing at an unprecedented pace, helping to address key challenges of our time – such as climate change, food shortages, and the depletion of renewable resources – and can serve to implement projects both on Earth and in space.

I have repeatedly emphasised: equal access to future technologies, rather than privileges for the chosen few, is an indispensable condition for the equitable development of our civilisation. Therefore, on the platforms of BRICS and other groups, as well as within the framework of bilateral cooperation, we are ready to implement joint scientific, educational, and investment programmes in biotechnology for the benefit of all humanity.

For our part, we intend to harness the colossal potential of bioeconomy to strengthen the nation’s health, address other priority tasks, and accelerate technological and industrial development without compromising the unique natural potential of our country.

This year, we launched a national bioeconomy project. Its overarching objective is to secure our sovereignty in several critical areas within this field and, where we already have the potential and groundwork done, to achieve leadership positions.

I would also ask the Government to step up the development of a long-term vision – a national strategy for bioeconomy up to the mid 21^st century. Its provisions should be integrated into the policy documents that shape our responses to challenges in Russia’s food and bio-security, as well as the systemic development of healthcare, energy, agriculture, industry, and other key sectors.

To reiterate, we are discussing the development and implementation of truly cross-cutting, universal technologies and products that impact virtually every area of our economy. It is therefore critically important to establish effective cross-sectoral and supra-departmental governance for bioeconomy and to focus our efforts on significantly increasing its contribution to the nation’s GDP. The relevance of this was clear from the exhibition we just visited. Representatives from a wide range of fields are, in effect, articulating the same need – solving common challenges.

A primary implication of this is a substantial increase in funding, not only for the respective national project but also for other bio-industry initiatives, with the central focus on attracting private investment.

We must also remove the barriers that hinder active business participation in shaping bioeconomy. Existing support measures need to be focused on accelerating its development, and we should introduce additional instruments to encourage private investment by providing tax incentives and other benefits to companies that develop and introduce such technologies. These and other tools must be applied consistently at every stage – from scientific research right through to the launch of breakthrough solutions and competitive bio-based products.

To enable our domestic biotech companies to pursue long-term plans and recoup their investments more quickly, I ask the Government to propose effective mechanisms for cultivating and protecting domestic biotechnology market and develop clear scenarios for their practical application across various sectors of our economy and social sphere.

When I speak of maintaining our competitiveness, I am also referring to what I have just witnessed: how our competitors are faring and the scale of their investment in developing these technologies. But we must certainly protect our domestic market – using only modern, market-based mechanisms, of course – but this effort is absolutely essential.

It is important for us to create domestic demand for such innovations on the system level. And, of course, we need to expand the output and to secure a strong position on global biotechnology markets. Therefore, we must establish an effective system to support high value-added bioproduct exports, as well as promote our standards, technological platforms, and competencies in other countries.

And of course, my colleagues, especially the Russian audience, will understand what I am saying. We need to work with our closest neighbours, with whom we already have strong and friendly relations and enjoy decades-long cooperation across many areas.

A crucial issue is the availability of our own instruments, equipment, enzymes, and biocatalysts, as well as other critically important components. In these key areas, we must speed up the transition from import substitution objectives to production of globally competitive products based on our own platforms and solutions. Please supplement the national bioeconomy project with specific decisions in this regard.

Friends,

To accelerate the development of bioeconomy, it is necessary to create a modern legal and regulatory framework, as well as a system of standards and rules to access the market of bio-based solutions.

Regulation should support and stimulate the creation and rapid implementation of innovations, while at the same time guarantee safety and quality of products for individuals and society. I emphasise that this applies to all areas from biopolymers for packaging purposes to artificially grown organs and tissues. Everything is important.

It is essential from the beginning to set clear ethical boundaries for the application of biotechnology, to prevent potential threats, primarily to human health and life, and to ensure the protection of personal data.

At the same time, I repeat, as in any advanced field, we must create conditions for scientific breakthroughs. For example, in the field of unmanned systems and artificial intelligence, the experimental legal regimes have proven effective. I propose extending such regimes to individual areas of the life sciences. Our innovation-driven scientific, technological, and educational centres can serve as platforms to develop and to conduct controlled testing of innovative biotechnologies and products, including the already well-known federal territory of Sirius.

I am asking the Russian Science Foundation to award this year grants named after our great scientist Yevgeny Velikhov to create innovative solutions for the agro-industrial sector, biotechnological production facilities, the pharmaceutical industry, healthcare, and other sectors. Such technologies should be developed using bioinformatics and artificial intelligence, among other methods.

Friends, I would like to invite scientific teams to actively participate in the Russian Science Foundation’s competition. Its winners will, over five years – and, I believe, with an additional three-year extension – be able to receive up to half a billion rubles from the state for research, as well as co-financing from leading domestic companies.

To develop new biotechnologies, we will also utilise Mega-Science-class research. This year, the Siberian Circular Photon Source in Koltsovo, Novosibirsk Region, will undergo a technical launch. It will soon operate at full capacity. I believe that by 2027, our scientists should finally gain full access to this facility. We are ready to implement international scientific programmes in the life sciences, and in biology, medicine, and pharmaceuticals using this unique installation.

At the same time, it is crucial that research and development in bioeconomy are not only fundamental but also applied in nature. They should enhance the economic and technological potential of the regions and thus serve the objectives of spatial development in Russia, with its vast territory.

For example, in the country’s northwest, we need to set up recycling of timber industry waste; in the Far East – the production of bio-based products derived from aquatic bioresources; and in Siberia and southern Russia – the deep processing of grain.

I reiterate, these are just individual components of major regional programmes in the sphere of bioeconomy. They must, without a doubt, take into account the unique requirements of such territories, their resource base, and economic specialisation. Naturally, regions must have the necessary personnel and appropriate technologies for such projects.

In this regard, I propose creating a broad network of engineering development centres for bioeconomy in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, at universities and research institutes. These centres are intended to shorten the path from laboratory research to full-scale industrial production, providing access to equipment and computational resources for scientific and student teams, as well as for small technology companies from across the country. And they – I want to emphasise this particularly – must become full-fledged participants in the national bioeconomy project. Let me stress this once again.

I would like to address what is most important – and I think you will all agree with me – what is most important? What is the most crucial element? It is the specialists, people like you, whose expertise is the foundation of building a bioeconomy. We must acknowledge that, for now, the competencies and knowledge of graduates from many universities and colleges do not align – moreover, they significantly lag behind even the current level of biotechnology development. But this is understandable; much here is new, and thus much remains to be done. The personnel challenge in this sphere is one of the most complex and systemic, and of course, we must respond to it.

In this regard, we must first ensure the training of senior and mid-level specialists with strong interdisciplinary expertise at the intersection of biology, chemistry, engineering, and artificial intelligence. To achieve this, it is essential to work closely with businesses so as to significantly update vocational and higher education curricula and to expand practical training for students directly at enterprises.

This work must take into account cutting-edge trends in microbiology, genetics, and bioinformatics. I therefore propose establishing new advanced engineering schools at universities and colleges and extending the Professionalitet educational project to these areas.

Second, I would like to ask the Government, together with regional authorities and businesses, to carefully review the workforce forecast for biotechnology, taking into account the demand for specialists to implement major regional projects in this field. If necessary, decisions should be made to increase the number of state-funded places in bioeconomy programmes at universities and colleges across the constituent entities of the Russian Federation.

Third, it is important to use this new foundation to adopt a more focused approach to career guidance for schoolchildren, aligning it with the needs of the biotechnology sector, and to expand specialised education in the natural sciences. Overall, I propose launching a comprehensive programme to promote bioeconomy. This effort should actively engage the media and leading digital platforms. The earlier people become familiar with this field, the better, as it is complex and multifaceted.

I would also like to use this opportunity to thank Russian biotech companies, scientists, philanthropists, and enthusiasts for their significant educational efforts. Let me repeat: this work must undoubtedly be expanded, opening new horizons and career opportunities for young people and for citizens overall. Public outreach in this area – let me even say “propaganda” – is extremely important and must be carried out in a systematic and timely manner.

Friends,

At the forum, we traditionally discuss the trends and innovations shaping the future of humanity. Advances in biology, genetics, and other life sciences are rightly referred to as the technologies of the 21^st century. Together with the IT sector and artificial intelligence, they are transforming the economy and society, creating new opportunities for millions of people.

I propose dedicating the next Future Technologies Forum to the creation and implementation of digital platforms. These platforms are already enabling scientists to carry out research projects more efficiently, connecting entrepreneurs from small towns with customers in major cities, allowing residents to participate in managing their homes and communities, and analysing medical data in record time, thus helping doctors save lives. This is only a small share of what the platform economy can do. In Moscow, such solutions are already being successfully implemented. For example, we have recently discussed that when an ambulance is dispatched, doctors receive their patient’s medical history on screen in advance, enabling them to prepare the necessary equipment and make informed decisions even before arriving. This is just one illustration, just one example of such platform services.

In this field, Russia is developing world-class solutions and is ready to share its experience and expertise for the benefit of all humanity.

I am pleased to invite everyone interested in cooperation to take part in the Future Technologies Forum in 2027.

Thank you for your attention. I wish you all the best.

We will be meeting now with some of the colleagues to continue the discussion and the conversation. Thank you.

Meeting with Valery Gergiev

2026-02-25T14:54:11+04:00

Late last night, Vladimir Putin met with Valery Gergiev, conductor, Artistic Director and General Director of the Mariinsky Theatre and General Director of the State Academic Bolshoi Theatre.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Gergiev, good evening.

Do you have any news for me?

Valery Gergiev: We recently had a premiere, Turandot, at the Bolshoi Theatre.

Vladimir Putin: Yes, I know about that.

Valery Gergiev: The production features very good, very young singers, a true delight for us.

Vladimir Putin: Yes, I saw a media report about it. Honest, that’s true. And I saw an interview with the cast.

Valery Gergiev: Over the past year or year and a half, I have increasingly felt that the best way to move forward and advance is by putting young people first. They have great voices that develop and mature. This does bring us a lot of joy. We went through a similar process at the Mariinsky Theatre before that. In fact, much was done a long time ago. There is a lot of cooperation and exchanges between the theatres.

Vladimir Putin: Promoting exchanges was the whole point.

Valery Gergiev: It does make sense. We know from what we read that there was a time when Fyodor Shalyapin performed in Moscow on Monday, and then at the Mariinsky in Petersburg on Wednesday. The people who made this system work back then were very astute. It looks like the same thing…

Vladimir Putin: We are trying to replicate these practices.

Valery Gergiev: Yes. By the way, Tchaikovsky knew that his works would be staged at the Mariinsky and the Bolshoi, so he was a generous creator and gave his all. There were others like him too.

Vladimir Putin: How long did you work on this production?

Valery Gergiev: Turandot has quite a big cast. It was amazing to have at least six singers for the Turandot part instead of just one. This means that we can show it quite often in the next one and a half to two years. It is a very popular opera, as you know.

There was a time when we used the same approach with Rigoletto. We brought Aida from the Mariinsky – a marvellous production by Giancarlo del Monaco. He will now stage Otello. Otello stands at the apex of opera art. There was a time when Placido Domingo was unrivalled when performing this part. You remember well the way his debut performance at the Mariinsky Theatre in 1992 sent shockwaves across Petersburg. By the way, we have worked with him only recently.

Vladimir Putin: Turandot may seem to place too much emphasis on cruelty.

Valery Gergiev: What I would say is that this opera by Puccini really stands out. He did not finish it, and another composer stepped in to complete the work, but it is a very powerful creation.

I think that what makes our theatres strong is that we recognise not only the great Russian musicians, but also the possibility of performing works by Italian, French, German and Austrian authors, who gave us the great characters which bind this world together. I think that today this is what we need more than ever.

We must credit our colleagues for staging Boris Godunov, Prince Igor and, of course, Eugene Onegin or The Queen of Spades. There may be fewer performances but musicians around the world will keep returning to the great masters and their creations. After all, we cannot live without Shakespeare, so here is Otello. There is no way I would say that no, we will not stage Otello because the origins of one of its authors, Shakespeare, is a problem for us. This would be so silly and lead us nowhere. I know that you have been thinking about this more than any musician.

We also hope that more opportunities will be created for both the Bolshoi and Mariinsky theatres in the lead-up to the Bolshoi Theatre’s 250^th anniversary. This extends beyond the exchange of performances, directors and artists, which has long become a well-oiled process. We hope that new opportunities will present themselves. In this sense, we are not only looking at the next two or three years, but also at the next few months, even if this may sound strange, when the creative processes will be accompanied by the strengthening of facilities for our work.

For example, the long-awaited decision to construct a new building for the Mariinsky Theatre has doubled our audience, and all this thanks to one large project. Back then, we collected funds throughout the world, and we have built one of the best concert halls in the world, which is why the Mariinsky Theatre can seat 6,000 people. The situation at the Bolshoi Theatre is also good, but we must do our utmost to create a certain parity.

We were perhaps more fortunate because we were the first to request your assistance, which we received back in 2002. But you must agree that ten years later we opened a truly remarkable theatre.

Vladimir Putin: Will we open the Directorate at the Mariinsky Theatre, just as you proposed?

Valery Gergiev: I believe that this institution, which used to be known as the Directorate of Imperial Theatres, implies a nationwide scale. Everyone knew that St Petersburg was the capital, yet nobody disregarded Moscow either. The current situation is similar. I believe that we are moving towards what we used to have in the past.

I recall a conversation we had only recently. I never imagined that I would concurrently lead such great theatres, working at both of them. This could be like what Pyotr Tchaikovsky did when he opened Carnegie Hall. Historically, the world has needed these bridges, and Tchaikovsky travelled to New York in 1891 where he opened the world-famous Carnegie Hall.

There is so much to remember. The history of these imperial theatres is similar in a way to the establishment of the Lincoln Centre and the John F. Kennedy Centre. These two centres, named after US presidents and opened 60 and 70 years ago, have become focal points, attracting the best representatives of the United States and its creative community. I have performed there many times.

It seems to me that today we have a unique opportunity to create this type of cultural centres, or cultural quarters, in the heart of Moscow or St Petersburg. I have even brought a map of St Petersburg with me, the city you know well. St Petersburg has numerous cultural hotspots. Kolomna alone has at least 20, I believe – and I am not counting Igor Stravinsky’s house or Sergei Rachmaninoff’s house. Alexander Pushkin also stayed nearby, and Alexander Suvorov lived and died there. The area is an incredible constellation of now legendary architectural monuments that witnessed historic events. I will leave these references for you to review later.

Vladimir Putin: Great, thank you.

Valery Gergiev: I also think it is a good time to consider what we will create for the younger generations. These two theatres attract many young viewers. At a recent Bolshoi Theatre premiere, Semyon Kotko by Sergei Prokofiev, I went onto the stage during a curtain call. I was the last to come out, as the other performers were already taking their bows. I came out to present the orchestra and I saw a tremendous number of young people in the audience. Not 30 or 40 but hundreds. And I could hear their reaction, their young and fresh voices. It may seem that academic theatres, with their tickets on the higher end, usually attract more mature and wealthier audiences. But it has been my dream that young people would consider the theatre not just a distant dream but an affordable and eventually favourite venue for stage performances and concerts.

I think it was the right decision to team up with Channel One to show free live broadcasts of The Nutcracker because the shortage was a problem.

Vladimir Putin: The entire country wants to see The Nutcracker.

Valery Gergiev: Indeed. At least people in Chukotka or Kaliningrad or Vladivostok can enjoy a live broadcast of this ever-popular ballet by Tchaikovsky.

It is good to have ample dreams. Only recently, I decided that, in this anniversary year, I should set a major task for the company at the beginning: to produce Sergei Prokofiev’s entire collection of symphonies, operas and ballets. Clearly, Shostakovich will also require our attention in six months because we will be marking his 120^th birth anniversary this year. A little earlier, in April, it will be Prokofiev’s 135^th birth anniversary.

We plan to visit about 40 regions during the Easter Festival to mark these dates. We have an opportunity to travel across swiftly, mainly by train. We are going to reach Krasnoyarsk, which is considerably far away.

Vladimir Putin: You do this every year.

Valery Gergiev: That’s right. But, as you know well, when Easter Sunday falls on May 2 or May 5, you try to find an option to visit at least ten regions. We must be in Moscow on May 9. This means that, if we depart on the fifth and must return by the ninth, we usually extend the tour to several days prior to and several days after these dates. This year, the Easter Sunday falls on April 12 and we will have a whole month to take this tour.

We are touring as a combined orchestra, with soloists from both theatres. And it turns out that this offers us a much richer and more unique opportunity to grow together than if we were working separately. It has been a very pleasant discovery, and we have you to thank for it, because, oddly enough, the artists from these two companies did not really know each other before. You know how it is – some of us support CSKA, some support Spartak. Or it is like comparing Real Madrid and Barcelona. Great clubs? Absolutely. But could you ever combine them? No, because they are under contract. You play for Real, or you play for Barcelona. But with us, we are playing with a combined, mixed ensemble, which is especially beneficial for the younger players.

Vladimir Putin: The synergy is clearly working well.

Valery Gergiev: I believe it is the destiny of these two theatres to be the absolute leaders across the entire vast spectrum of Russian classical music. It really is a vast world: symphonies, instrumental concertos, operas, ballets.

In ballet, the Russians spent years catching up, and then they overtook the rest of the world. It all happened very rapidly, right at the start of the 20^th century, when Stravinsky, Prokofiev, a little later Shostakovich and so many others, including our friend Rodion Shchedrin, created magnificent works that are still performed today.

Vladimir Putin: You mentioned The Nutcracker. The Mariinsky still keep the Petipa version in their repertoire, don’t they? And the Bolshoi…

Valery Gergiev: …you have the Grigorovich one. These are all towering figures, you are absolutely right. And I think it benefits the public to have the chance to see both. That is why we sometimes decide to take a production from Moscow to St Petersburg, and in return, invite a production from St Petersburg down to us, swapping them around so that everyone can see the full range. You have productions by Leonid Lavrovsky, a remarkable, legendary choreographer; you have Fyodor Lopukhov; and then, of course, you have Yury Grigorovich.

I am proud to say that we have kept Arif Melikov’s A Legend of Love in the repertoire on both stages. It is a major, celebrated Azerbaijani ballet, originally staged by a young Grigorovich. The Stone Flower was also created by him when he was still a young man living in Leningrad, as it was then.

This wealth of repertoire is not just gratifying, it is almost overwhelming, because even two theatres might not be enough to do full justice to this magnificent Russian heritage.

Vladimir Putin: I hope you have the energy for two such major houses.

Valery Gergiev: You know, I was in Vladikavkaz yesterday, and the day before in Nalchik. It was a long-awaited moment for me – we gave a big concert in memory of Yury Temirkanov in Nalchik. I also met with the head of the region and discussed the possibility of establishing a theatre there worthy of the name of that great son of the Kabardino-Balkarian people. I believe that, with some support, it could become a real centre for symphonic, operatic and ballet performance.

I grew up in Vladikavkaz, and we have already renovated three rather interesting venues there without any government money.

Vladimir Putin: We must treat the name of Yury Temirkanov and his creative legacy with care. I would suggest you consider this matter and submit some proposals.

Valery Gergiev: Certainly. I am certain that a theatre quarter in St Petersburg will undoubtedly become a fascinating place, rich both architecturally and historically. It is one thing to admire a beautiful building, and another to say: this is where they studied – and list the names. Take the conservatory: its graduate was Tchaikovsky, and that immediately makes you think. In this way, Yury Temirkanov spent over 20 years here, if we include his childhood and early musical years. He moved here when he was around 12 or 13 years old and remained in St Petersburg for the rest of his life, primarily near Theatre Square: the children’s music school, the conservatory, then his second education in conducting, followed by the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, the Mariinsky Theatre, and the Mravinsky Orchestra. His was an extraordinary life, truly extraordinary.

Vladimir Putin: His name must be honoured. I believe we should consider immortalising his name. In his art, of course, it lives on, but I feel something more is needed.

Valery Gergiev: Yes, I think the suggestion is practically begging to be made. It seems to me that the place where he discovered St Petersburg, near the conservatory, the school, and the Mariinsky Theatre – that was a significant part of his life, simply a significant part.

Vladimir Putin: I have an idea that I will share with you now.

But you wanted to discuss the anniversary of the Bolshoi Theatre.

Valery Gergiev: The Bolshoi Theatre’s anniversary is at the end of the year. I believe this is a monumental event for our vast country, not just for Moscow or St Petersburg. We will invite leading ensembles to perform on our stages, and we ourselves will perform under the banner of this anniversary at their venues. For example, the theatre in Vladivostok. It is a branch of the Mariinsky Theatre, and they are currently performing in St Petersburg, visiting three times a year. For now, it is a kind of examination.

This was entirely your idea back in 2014. At the time, it not only stunned me but also delighted and surprised me. Later, I told myself: if I perform in Japan – having already made over 100 visits there with the Mariinsky Theatre ensemble – I thought – we can handle Vladivostok too.

Then we quickly began considering how to develop further. Now, as you know, construction is underway on a rather large, if not enormous, centre there, combining educational, museum, concert, and theatre facilities. It is in a magnificent location, purely from the audience’s perspective – overlooking the Pacific Ocean. We are all eagerly awaiting the grand opening. We hope it will take place next year, and we will do everything possible to achieve this.

The company has grown and continues to grow, which pleases me. They are constantly here, in Moscow, and have been nominated for the Golden Mask award, and will represent what might seem like a distant region – the Far East, Vladivostok – before discerning audiences, both in St Petersburg and Moscow. This is part of our plans.

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Meeting with Foreign Minister of Vietnam Le Hoai Trung

2026-02-24T19:21:08+04:00

Vladimir Putin received Foreign Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Le Hoai Trung in the Kremlin.

Le Hoai Trung has arrived in Moscow as a special envoy of the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Deputy Prime Minister and Co-Chair of the Russian-Vietnamese Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation Dmitry Chernyshenko, and Aide to the President Yury Ushakov were among Russian representatives during the meeting.

* * *

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, friends.

Comrade Le Hoai Trung, we are delighted to see you in Moscow.

First of all, congratulations on the traditional Vietnamese holiday, the Lunar New Year. Please pass my warm wishes to the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, and congratulations and best wishes to all Vietnamese comrades, the entire leadership and the entire nation of Vietnam.

During my recent telephone conversation with comrade To Lam, I had the pleasure of congratulating him on his reelection to the post of the General Secretary of the 14^th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

We can see that the Vietnamese people support the work of the Vietnamese leadership and the General Secretary. We are happy for you and glad to see your success.

Our bilateral relations are following a positive trajectory, with growing trade and constructive and open dialogue across all fields, including politics.

Mr Minister, I know that you have a busy schedule today. I am sure this visit will be quite productive.

Once again, welcome!

Foreign Minister of Vietnam Le Hoai Trung (retranslated): Mr President, thank you very much for receiving me despite your busy schedule.

General Secretary To Lam sent me here as his special envoy to inform you about the outcomes of the 14th Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam. I also want to extend warm greetings from General Secretary To Lam and express immense gratitude on behalf of the Central Committee and General Secretary To Lam personally for your greetings in messages and congratulations during your telephone conversation with the General Secretary. You were the first foreign leader to have a telephone conversation with our General Secretary.

It is the first time that the Political Bureau and the General Secretary have sent a special envoy to the Russian Federation to inform you about the outcomes of the 14th Party Congress. This indicates special attention to our traditionally friendly and close relations and to the relations between our parties, states and personally between the leaders of our countries.

Our General Secretary and party also congratulate the Russian Federation on the success achieved under your personal leadership, Mr President, and on Russia overcoming all the challenges and achieving high results in its socioeconomic development, national security, and claiming an important position on the international stage, as well as on successful scientific and technological progress.

Thank you for the greetings on our traditional holiday. We also wish you a happy New Year and Defender of the Fatherland Day. I know that yesterday, you delivered an address highlighting Russia’s strengthening and progress.

Our party and state highly value our bilateral relations, and their steady development is very important to us. Our countries enjoy strong political trust, and our relations are developing across all fields.

The top leaders of Vietnam and General Secretary To Lam personally show extremely high regard for this bilateral relationship and wish to elevate it to a higher level.

The party, the state and the Vietnamese nation respect and always remember the precious assistance that the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation and you personally, President Putin, provided to us in building, protecting and developing our nation. Vietnam has always prioritised its relationship with Russia, considering it strategic and long-term.

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Meeting of Federal Security Service Board

2026-02-24T19:35:23+04:00

Vladimir Putin spoke at a meeting of the board of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Comrades, Mr Bortnikov,

Yesterday, we celebrated Defender of the Fatherland Day, honouring our veterans and the servicemen currently fighting for the Motherland. Within this united, cohesive military formation are both the personnel and employees of the Federal Security Service.

The FSB makes a crucial and significant contribution to safeguarding Russia’s sovereignty and ensuring the security of our citizens. Over the past year, 2025, you and your colleagues commendably fulfilled your assigned tasks across all key areas of operation, demonstrating professionalism and effectiveness in neutralising both internal and external threats.

I would like to express my gratitude to the staff of the central office and the regional branches of the FSB for their service to Russia, their unwavering dedication, and their personal courage.

I particularly wish to acknowledge those directly involved in the special military operation – the border guards, special forces operatives, and military counterintelligence officers, as well as all colleagues and operatives working in our historical and border regions, in Donbass and Novorossiya, who are accomplishing vital tasks to ensure Russia’s security.

For their bravery, more than two thousand FSB service members were awarded state decorations last year, with four receiving the title of Hero of the Russian Federation, one of them posthumously.

I ask you to observe a minute of silence in memory of the FSB employees who lost their lives in the line of duty, our fallen comrades who gave their lives for the Motherland.

(Minute of silence.)

Thank you.

(Addressing Alexander Bortnikov.) Mr Bortnikov, as always, we discuss such matters with you; I am aware that you are in charge of this. Special attention must be accorded to the families.

Meeting participants,

Complex international environment, the sharp escalation of conflicts in a number of regions around the world, and the conduct of the special military operation require maximum composure and concentration from officers of the Federal Security Service. It is important to fully utilise the agency’s personnel and technical potential, as well as its operational and analytical capabilities, in order to promptly and effectively neutralise potential threats, and to reliably protect Russia’s national interests and ensure its stable development.

First and foremost, efforts to combat terrorism must be stepped up. The dynamics of key counterterrorism indicators are clear and dictated by the current operational situation. Having failed to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia on the battlefield, the adversary is now relying on individual and mass terror. This includes shelling of cities, sabotage of infrastructure, and assassination attempts against representatives of state and military authorities.

Yesterday’s terrorist attack at Savyolovsky Railway Station is a case in point, which, of course, requires additional work on your part, but it is already clear that this appears to be a typical case of recruitment carried out via the internet. An explosive device was handed to an individual and then remotely detonated killing the recruit and the intended target, in this case, the Interior Ministry officers. Most likely, as Mr Bortnikov and I have just discussed, that person was kept in the dark about the whole thing, and what happened to him was the result of criminal and reckless behaviour.

The adversary does not shy away from using other means. Reports have appeared in the media about their attempts, or plans, to use some kind of a nuclear component. They should know how that may end.

Our operational information should also be now carried by the media. It should probably be out today, perhaps it already is; I did not have a chance to check. It concerns a possible explosion targeting our gas pipeline systems – TurkStream and Blue Stream pipelines – along the floor of the Black Sea. They simply cannot back down. They do not know what else they can do to undermine this peaceful process aimed at settlement through diplomatic means. They are doing everything possible to stage a provocation and to derail everything that has been, let us put it carefully, achieved at this negotiation track. We will discuss this further behind closed doors.

I just mentioned that they are unable to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia – simply unable – yet they want it so much. They just cannot go on with their lives without it, or believe they cannot. They feel they must defeat Russia. They are searching for any method, any at all, anything whatsoever. They will push themselves too far and later regret it.

So, let us get back to our current work. Last year, the number of terrorist attacks increased. As in recent years, the majority of them were undoubtedly perpetrated by Ukrainian special services and their foreign handlers. At the same time, there has been a significant rise in attacks on Russian infrastructure facilities, social and administrative facilities, and residential buildings with missiles and various types of unmanned aerial vehicles.

In order to respond to such threats more promptly and effectively, a range of additional measures should be implemented, including strengthening the anti-terrorist protection of energy and transport infrastructure and public gathering places, maximising the protection of critical facilities, and, where necessary, adding extra security systems.

This work must be coordinated by the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, which marks its 20^th anniversary this year. Over this period, the Committee has made a key contribution to the establishment and development of a modern counter-terrorism system in our country. This vigorous and proactive efforts are especially needed today.

Together with other law enforcement agencies, the Federal Security Service must enhance the security of officials of the Ministry of Defence, the military-industrial complex, as well as state and municipal authorities, and education and social sector personnel, particularly in our historical and border regions. This also fully applies to opinion leaders, journalists, and volunteers who are regularly threatened by the Kiev regime.

Overall, as I have previously noted, our counter-terrorism efforts must be enhanced, with a particular emphasis on pre-emptive action and systematic prevention.

Next, the management system of security agencies operating in the special military operation zone, including in the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics, the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions and in border areas, must continue to be improved. These bodies must be staffed with highly professional and experienced personnel capable of operating in any non-standard, complex, or dangerous situation.

Serious additional measures must be adopted to protect the state border. It is necessary to strengthen its infrastructure, enhance the combat readiness and technical equipment of border agencies, and ensure close coordination with units of the Ministry of Defence, the Russian National Guard, and the Ministry of the Interior, as well as territorial structures and relevant government authorities.

Counterintelligence units are also tasked with important tasks, such as strengthening operations in the rear areas of the special military operation zone, providing counterintelligence coverage for combat units, critical industrial facilities, infrastructure, technology, and research centres, and more actively identifying and disrupting the activities of foreign intelligence officers and the agents they recruit.

Particular focus must be placed on protecting confidential and classified information, primarily of a military and strategic nature, including data related to promising domestic defence and civilian developments. We have them, and significant achievements everyone can see and understand have already been presented. However, there are also other solutions that are still in the making.

Colleagues,

The Federal Security Service’s primary task remains combating extremism. Significant results have been achieved in this area in recent years. We must continue to rigorously suppress the criminal activities of those who propagate ideas of Russophobia, xenophobia, and religious intolerance, thereby attempting to divide our society.

This year has been declared the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia. Patriotism and shared responsibility for the fate of the Motherland have always united our people. We must cherish, develop, and defend these traditions, firmly responding to any attempts to undermine or weaken the foundations of Russia’s constitutional order.

In this context, special attention must be paid to ensuring the comprehensive security for the upcoming elections to the State Duma and other government bodies. It is crucial that these elections are conducted in strict compliance with the law, reflecting the genuine, sovereign will of the Russian people, and that any external interference in the electoral campaign is ruled out. Neutralising such threats is also a task for your agency, the FSB.

Among other priorities, I would highlight ensuring economic security. Amidst severe sanctions pressure, it is essential to continue efforts to protect the rights of Russian businesses and actively counter crimes in the financial and banking sectors. The effectiveness of import-export operations, the overall competitiveness of our national jurisdiction, and the improvement of investment conditions in Russia largely depend on this.

As before, a key task for the security agencies is combating corruption. Instances of misappropriation of funds allocated for state defence contracts, national projects, and the implementation of large-scale federal and regional programmes must be identified.

I would also note that year after year, statistics record a significant number of crimes in the information space, including acts of cyber-sabotage being planned by foreign intelligence services against our critically important infrastructure. In this regard, it is necessary to develop and enhance the State System for Detecting, Preventing, and Eliminating the Consequences of Computer Attacks on the Information Resources of the Russian Federation.

In strict accordance with legal norms, it is vital to continue ensuring the security of the country’s information and digital space. In collaboration with the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Digital Development, and other relevant agencies, new measures to counter cybercrime must be implemented, taking into account the rapid evolution of information technologies.

Members of the board,

In my opening remarks, I have outlined only some of the key areas of activity for the security agencies. I am confident that you will continue to address all assigned tasks at the highest level and, in cooperation with colleagues from other law enforcement agencies and special services, ensure the reliable protection of the country from internal and external threats.

I place great trust in you and wish you further significant achievements in your work.

Thank you very much.

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Meeting with widows of fallen heroes from Special Operations Forces

2026-02-23T18:36:02+04:00

On Defender of the Fatherland Day, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief met at the Kremlin with the widows of Special Operations Forces servicemen who died heroically.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon.

I specifically wanted to meet with you on February 23, Defender of the Fatherland Day, because, as the families of our soldiers and officers, you will always have a special connection to this date.

Sadly, your own defenders are no longer with you. But the Motherland, the country they gave their lives to defend, will always stand by you.

I wanted to use this opportunity to hear how you are doing, what is working well and what more can and should be done to support you. Our priority is to help you get back on your feet, and to make sure your children, our children, can do the same.

As you know, I have consistently stressed the importance of this and made it clear to representatives at every level of government – municipal, regional, federal, and departmental – that this must remain a focus. I will continue to do so.

That is what I wanted to say to open our meeting. Now, I would really like to hear from each of you. Afterwards, we will discuss what has been said and make comments and draw some conclusions. I am confident this conversation will also help guide my ongoing work in this vital area of social support.

Let’s begin.

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