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The meeting took place on the grounds of the historical Pozharsky Hotel operated by the All-Russian Museum of History and Ethnography, which Vladimir Putin toured earlier in the day.

The meeting was attended by Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova, Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Central Federal District Igor Shchegolev, Tver Region Governor Igor Rudenya, and Presidential Adviser Vladimir Tolstoy.

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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, friends,

As you are aware, March 25 marks Cultural Worker’s Day. I planned to hold this meeting on this particular day, but in the wake of the tragic events in Moscow, this barbaric terrorist attack, we have postponed events of this kind.

Here is what I would like to say in this regard. As the nation's spiritual backbone that supports our identity, culture obviously plays an essential role during such crucial, challenging and even tragic times as it gives strength to our people, to every individual.

I would like to thank you and – as they say in such circumstances – through you, to thank all those who work in this field and devote themselves to this extremely important work. Because this work – to reiterate, these are not empty words – creates the moral and ethical foundation of the people’s existence. By this I mean all elements of culture.

In this regard, I can also say that whenever we hear someone from the outside talk about cancelling Russian culture and the culture of the peoples of Russia more broadly, we know we are dealing with people lacking intelligence. Cancelling culture of an entire nation or a whole ethnic groups – and we have 190 of them in Russia, different nationalities and ethnic groups, – is unrealistic. Our culture professionals say exactly that about those who talk about cancelling Russian culture: those people are not very smart. They use even harsher language despite the fact that they are people of culture, but they speak the truth.

Small towns and rural areas are, of course, a special case, and I am well aware of that. First, it is about working directly with people. Culture is all about working with people. Yesterday, I presented laureate badges, and very young people, young culture professionals, said they missed the audience, especially during the pandemic. The audiences missed them, and they missed the audience. It is about directly communicating with people – with culture bearers, with people who are proud to be part of that culture.

Your case is an example of direct communication, close communication – and this is of great importance. Not everyone living in Siberia can go, say, to the Bolshoi Theatre, or the Mariinsky Theatre, or even to a theatre in Novosibirsk. However, anyone can go to a local library or a local museum, as I just did, and feel a part of the history of the nation, your particular region, your small motherland – this is the place where everything is born. This is the place where true, genuine, strong patriotism is born, not some jingoism. In this sense, it is a vital mission.

I would like to thank you all for this.

I am sure you have many questions and, perhaps, proposals. Your local leaders and I will now take your questions.

Please go ahead.

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