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President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev: We have been brought together over a very sorrowful matter. Yesterday and the day before, we buried members of the Lokomotiv ice hockey team, and today, Alexander Galimov has also passed. Let us have another moment of silence to remember the team members.

Moment of silence.

I feel that the goal of this meeting is to conclusively determine ways to provide support to the victims’ families, how to fulfil all of our legal and contractual obligations, and what we must do meticulously, within the deadlines provided by contracts and corresponding legislative acts.

Although this event has shaken our entire nation, since Lokomotiv was well-known and loved not just in Yaroslavl but throughout the country (this is, of course, an entirely unprecedented tragedy – a tragedy that has never occurred in the history of Russian sports), we must think about how to revive the hockey club – how to do this delicately, but at the same time, effectively. In my view, this will be the best way to remember the victims.

I would like to hear your opinions on how to best achieve this, in accordance with existing regulations, ethical considerations, and sports-related issues, as well as the KHL’s [Continental Hockey League] rules and requirements. Overall, all of these issues call for a measured, calm, tactful approach. I count on the Government Cabinet members, KHL leaders and heads of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl club present here to make their suggestions.

For my part, I would like to say the following. Naturally, this is a heartrending tragedy, and in these circumstances, the government will do everything it can to support the club, to support traditions that have formed over the course of recent years and that have led to the creation of such an outstanding team, which is very painful to discuss in the past tense.

If you have any additional suggestions, I am certainly prepared to give instructions to the Government, KHL and regional leaders for those suggestions to be fulfilled.

Let us begin our work.

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