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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Comrades,

Welcome to the traditional annual meeting of the Emergencies Ministry Board.

You are meeting to discuss the Ministry’s performance last year and to map out priority objectives for the future.

The first thing I would like to say is that the Emergencies Ministry today is a mobile and technically well-equipped organisation that operates smoothly and is responsible for a broad range of extremely important issues, above all, for protecting people in emergencies, preventing and putting out fires, clearing up the consequences of natural disasters and manmade disasters, and for improving the civil defence system.

Last year, the Russian rescue personnel worked in complicated and, as it often happens, extreme conditions. I want to commend your efforts in mitigating the impact of spring flooding and wildfires in Siberia and the Russian Far East, the Volga region and southern Russia. In all these instances, rescue operations and assistance to people were organised as quickly as possible.

The Emergencies Ministry teams demonstrated professionalism and bravery in the DPR, the LPR, the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions. They risked their lives to evacuate people from dangerous regions, delivered humanitarian aid and cleared mines, while also helping rebuild schools, hospitals, and other social facilities.

Other noteworthy missions include providing assistance to victims of the devastating earthquakes in Turkiye and Syria, as well as promptly evacuating Russian nationals from the zone of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and other crisis regions.

I would like to thank the leadership, the military and civilian personnel of the Emergencies Ministry for their competence and personal bravery, as well as for doing their jobs honestly and diligently.

Colleagues,

This year, Emergencies Ministry employees and the agency’s territorial and specialised units will have to tackle responsible and important tasks.

First, a special focus is required on developing an emergency warning system. For this, it is necessary to be pro-active in using the potential of modern digital technologies, to introduce new software, which will make it possible to promptly obtain and analyse information on potential emergencies, to adopt optimal decisions on response measures in each specific case of this kind, and to identify problems before they arise.

Second, a new fully equipped modern rescue centre was opened in Mariupol last year. It is important to continue strengthening Emergencies Ministry organisations in Donbass and Novorossiya, to consistently address issues related to their material and technical support, and to employ additional personnel, including firefighters, rescuers, combat engineers, psychologists, and others.

Third, it is necessary to improve the civil defence system. In this regard, as I said, the experience gained during the special military operation should be used in a comprehensive way, with special attention given to streamlining all elements and components of civil defence in areas located in the direct vicinity of the line of combat operations and exposed to the neo-Nazis’ terrorist attacks. This also refers to the need to provide prompt aid to victims of sabotage and artillery attacks.

Fourth, the Emergencies Ministry should be constantly concerned with the safety of schools and universities, hospitals, and other social institutions in all regions of the Russian Federation. It is vital to stay alert with regard to crowded public places. All facilities of this kind should fully meet all modern safety requirements.

Fifth, it is necessary, as I said, to more actively introduce advanced technologies and information resources in the work of the Emergencies Ministry and its territorial divisions. This is extremely important for better monitoring and oversight, among other things. To reiterate: the task in this regard is to reliably guarantee the interests and safety of consumers, our citizens, without creating barriers or bringing administrative pressure to bear on law-abiding businesses.

I want to stress that the government, for its part, will continue strengthening social and other kinds of support for Emergencies Ministry personnel. Let me note in this connection that additional cash allowances and social guarantees were introduced for employees working under special conditions in the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics, the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions in 2023.

We will continue to adjust money allowances and wages in line with inflation and to address problems related to providing housing and medical care.

I am confident that the Russian rescuers and all Emergencies Ministry personnel will deal competently with the challenges they are facing and faithfully serve our Motherland and our people.

I wish you good luck.