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The Hero of Labour of the Russian Federation title was established by the Presidential Executive Order of March 29, 2013

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Speech at the presentation ceremony of the Hero of Labour of the Russian Federation medal

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Friends,

Following tradition, today, on May 1, we are awarding the Hero of Labour of the Russian Federation gold medals to outstanding fellow citizens who are dedicated to serving their country, contribute to its development and prosperity, and strengthen its independence and sovereignty.

Our country’s history is rich in great achievements and victories. The real force behind these feats is our people, who know how to fight and also how to work. This ceremony is taking place ahead of the 70^th anniversary of Victory [in the 1941–1945 Great Patriotic War]. During the war years, everyone held their ground and fought on their line.

Our soldiers fought to the death around Moscow and in Stalingrad, and took Berlin. Millions of workers gave their all to the front, in factory workshops, down mines and in the fields. This shared Victory was won at the cost of toil, sweat and blood. Our forebears’ selfless labour rebuilt the country. The victors in the Great Patriotic War built a great power.

Today, Russia is proving once again that it can rise to any challenge and resolve even the most difficult tasks. As at every time in our history, our progress is guaranteed by those who are ready to take on the responsibility and who understand that their personal efforts and the results of their labour are decisive for the prosperity of their company, economic sector, town or village, and decisive too for our country’s influence and competitiveness and for its creative and constructive energy. The more engaged and hard-working people we have, the stronger and more prosperous Russia will be.

Friends, I am sure that no matter where we were born and live, and no matter what our jobs, whether we work on the factory floor, grow grain, or educate young people, we can all achieve outstanding results. The main thing is to work hard, love one’s job, set lofty goals and work towards them, and never forget that our own lives are inseparable from the country’s life, and that Russia needs the labour, talent and success of each and every one of us.

Milkmaid Marem Bogatyreva from Ingushetia shows us through her personal example that our farmers can provide our country with quality products. She has exceeded all of the production targets set for her work.

Over several years now, our national rhythmic gymnastics team has been the undisputed world champion in this sport. This success is in large part the result of the outstanding professionalism of the team’s trainer, Irina Viner-Usmanova. She knows that the main components of victory are discipline, character, dedication and strength of will.

If we want to preserve our historical and cultural identity, we must pass on to our young people the full wealth of our country’s language and literature. A great deal in this work depends on teachers’ talents and their ability to awaken in children a love of books, and cultivate the desire to read and to express themselves correctly in their native language. Galina Gromova, from Kaliningrad Region, our country’s westernmost region, is just this kind of true professional and has a teaching career spanning 45 years.

Russia’s metals sector companies hold solid positions on the domestic and export markets and produce quality steel for strategically important sectors of our economy, from construction to machine-building. Many thousands of people make their contribution to the metals sector’s results. One of these people is Yury Savin. He is a leader in production results and is also the author of innovative inventions. Mr Savin’s three sons have followed in their father’s footsteps and work together with him at the same company.

Our engineers and designers have always been a great source of national pride. They created the weapons with which we won the Great Patriotic War, ensured nuclear parity and our country’s security during the Cold War, and developed the unique technology that enabled us to conquer outer space. Today, they are working to guarantee a reliable nuclear and missile shield for our country. Much of the credit here goes to Yury Solomonov. He and his team have developed unique new weapons for Russia’s strategic nuclear forces.

Friends, let me congratulate you once again on these well-earned titles of Hero of Labour of the Russian Federation. I wish you good health, new success and great achievements for the glory of Russia and its people.

We are proud of you.

Let us now begin the award presentation ceremony.

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Friends, this May 1 holiday is a wonderful, beautiful day. We speak of it as the holiday celebrating spring and labour. What can be more wonderful than labour, especially if it is a job you love?

On your behalf, let me congratulate not just all the people here today, not just the recipients of the medals, but all people engaged in labour, all who make their contribution to our country’s development and strength, all who set an example for those around them of how to work, and who achieve real results. Of course, I also want to express my words of thanks to today’s recipients of this high title – the Hero of Labour of the Russian Federation.

Thank you for your work, your talent and your effort. Thank you for everything you have done for our country.

Happy holiday!