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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, colleagues.

Today we will sum up our discussions of the past several days and talk about social guarantees for servicemen and the modernisation of military education, along with a number of other matters.

In 2015, we optimised the Armed Forces maintenance costs, which gave us the resources needed for financial incentives for servicemen: I am referring here to additional payments for commanding a unit, diving, parachuting, explosive device disposal, meeting flight hour norms and outstanding fitness.

In line with the state’s financial capabilities we will continue to do everything possible to ensure decent pay for those who defend the country, primarily the officer corps, contractual servicemen and those who are involved in performing the most complicated and responsible tasks.

I would like to note that in the past three years almost 87,000 servicemen received permanent housing. Now we must work more actively on ensuring a sufficient service housing stock, as the Minister and I have discussed already, and set up a system of housing subsidies.

In addition, we should pay special attention to implementing the savings and mortgage system. This year alone more than 4,000 flats have been purchased with housing loans.

I would also like to hear today about the new image of military towns and work to ensure healthcare, childcare facilities and schools, as well as jobs for servicemen’s families.

Another important item on today’s agenda is upgrading military education, including through the use of up-to-date information technologies. Obviously, we need to more actively introduce information exchange systems between universities, research institutes and the troops.

This would allow us to more effectively use study and research data, the study and research potential, to develop regular remote training programmes for servicemen and to apply in education the practical experience we acquire during exercises and training.

Mr Shoigu and I agreed yesterday, and I signed a corresponding document, whereby certain young people, whom we need at defence facilities, will do alternative military service at their workplaces in the so-called production squadrons.

Let us consider all this in detail.

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