The NHL Stars team of ice hockey veterans and the NHL team played a gala match at Sochi’s Big Ice Arena to mark the opening of the Night Hockey League’s fifth season.

Vladimir Putin had a working meeting with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu. Mr Shoigu briefed the President on the Russian Aerospace Forces’ operation in Syria.

Vladimir Putin met with members of the Russian national team that won the 2015 International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports (IWAS) Games.

Vladimir Putin received President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko and President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev at his Bocharov Ruchei residence in Sochi.

Vladimir Putin met with the WorldSkills professional skills competition’s Russian national team, which won six medals at the 2015 WorldSkills Competition world championship in Brazil, in mechatronics, electrical installations, hairdressing, cooking, restaurant service, and IT network systems administration.

The President met with students of the Sirius educational centre for gifted children, which was established at the President’s initiative using the Sochi Olympic infrastructure.

Vladimir Putin attended the 6^th PLOTFORMA S-70 international professional combat sambo tournament.

Vladimir Putin held a meeting to discuss the development of transportation infrastructure in the south of Russia. The discussion covered a range of issues dealing with modernisation and development of transport accessibility of the country’s southern regions, including the Crimean peninsula.

In the course of his trip to the Southern Federal District, Vladimir Putin visited the Chernomortransneft Sheskharis oil terminal and took part in the launch of the Grushovaya-Sheskharis technological tunnel.

Presidential Aide and State Council Secretary Igor Levitin held a meeting on the development of the Azov and Black Sea region port infrastructure.

Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev visited a children’s educational centre set up on the basis of the Azimut hotel in the Imereti Valley.

Vladimir Putin took part in the gala match of the Night Hockey League tournament at the Bolshoi Ice Dome in Sochi. The match between the NHL Team and NHL Stars was dedicated to the 70^th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

Vladimir Putin signed Executive Order On the Acting Head of the Administration (Governor) of Krasnodar Territory.

Vladimir Putin signed Executive Order On the Russian Federation Agriculture Minister.

Vladimir Putin met with Alexander Tkachev and Veniamin Kondratyev to discuss agriculture sector development and import replacement measures.

Mr Tkachev will be working on these matters in his new capacity as Agriculture Minister. Mr Putin proposed that Mr Kondratyev continue his work in the post of Acting Governor of Krasnodar Territory.

Vladimir Putin met with President of the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) Joseph Blatter to discuss preparations for the football World Cup that Russia will host in 2018.

Vladimir Putin took part in the General Assembly of the SportAccord International Convention, which is underway in Sochi from April 19–24.

Vladimir Putin visited the National Children’s Sport and Health Centre in Sochi, where he looked over the medical facilities and the rooms where the children live, watched them in training and spoke with the trainers and the young athletes.

Vladimir Putin took part in the 9th Congress of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia.