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Before the meeting, Vladimir Putin and Governor of the Volgograd Region Andrei Bocharov visited the Ordinary Nazism exhibition at the Battle of Stalingrad Museum-Panorama, which highlights the Ukrainian nationalists’ massive crimes and terrorist activity during WWII and today.

At the beginning of the conversation, the President noted that the situation in the region is generally good; both agricultural and industrial production is on the rise, and the construction industry is showing positive trends. Still, there are matters that require the Governor’s attention, in particular, a high share of dilapidated housing.

According to Mr Bocharov, companies in the real sector of the economy have not only maintained but increased their production volumes and expanded the range of goods and services produced. They are also expanding to new markets. Foreign trade is growing too. There was no decline in investment in 2022, which actually exceeded 180 billion rubles.

According to the Governor, 2023 is a year to commemorate the Stalingrad Victory in the Volgograd Region, and the programme of events includes more than celebrations, but also serious development projects in municipalities and the Volgograd Region as a whole. The region is determined to implement major projects, under the President’s instructions that are aimed at developing local transport infrastructure, establishing an industrial cluster for the production of special steel and stainless steels, and an investment project to expand the local Khimprom industrial facility. It is of the essence to complete the relevant parts of the planned bypass road around Volgograd on schedule. The new road will promote the development of the Volgograd Region and the entire south of Russia for decades to come.

Vladimir Putin and Andrei Bocharov also discussed ways to support the fighters in the special military operation and members of their families, to restore peaceful life in Russia’s new territories, and provide humanitarian support to their residents who find themselves in a difficult life situation due to the actions of the Kiev authorities.

Vladimir Putin noted that there is something to work on from the financial point of view; there are environmental issues that need to be addressed such as water quality, and there is also the region's debt to revenue ratio.

The Governor answered the President's questions regarding import substitution, connecting households to the gas system (including under social programmes), and the development of construction. Vladimir Putin also stressed that special attention should be paid to roads, as this is an important issue not only for Volgograd, but also for the Volgograd Region.