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Artyom Zhoga: Mr President, you have done so much for our Donbass.

The Federation Council has set the date for the presidential election in the Russian Federation. On behalf of our people, of Donbass as a whole and our reunified lands, I would like to ask you to take part in this election. After all, there is so much work that needs to be done.

It is thanks to your actions and your decision that we have obtained our freedom and the right to choose. We want to take part in the election of President of the Russian Federation, and you are our President. There is so much work ahead of us in terms of integration into the social fabric, as well as in economic terms, and also in terms of the way we live our everyday lives as civilians. We would like to do this under your leadership.

You are our President, and we are your team. We need you, and Russia needs you.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much. Make no mistake, I had all kinds of thoughts on this matter at different times. However, you are right – the time to decide has come. I will run for President of the Russian Federation.

Sapizhat Mazayeva: Mr President, as the mother of the First Hero [of Russia, a participant in the special military operation], and a primary school teacher for 25 years, I know that heroes are brought up not by family alone. Teachers also make a big contribution to their upbringing. If they start working on this at school, if they instill these values in children – love for the Motherland, patriotism and a desire to work – our boys and girls will become heroes.

We need to continue this work. I support Artyom Zhoga’s idea – you must stand in the upcoming election. You are our President. We are your team.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much.

Viktor Polyakov: We must go forward. We stand for you. We are with you. We are asking you to go ahead. Russia needs you, the manufacturing sector needs you. Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much.

Maria Kostyuk: As a mother, I would like to thank you for the memory of our sons on behalf of fathers, mothers and widows who are present here. Thank you for thinking about our dead boys and truly appreciating their achievements – and we see this – for the sake of our Fatherland. We are grateful to you for this opportunity, a really unique opportunity to be here and attend this historical event. You have succeeded in restoring the great glory of our Fatherland. And today you are presenting our boys, our great warriors our highest state award. We share the feeling of happiness for them with their parents and the whole country, and we are praying for them.

Our boys are performing their military duty on the frontline. We understand this and we are performing our civilian duty on the home front. Our boys have not left the front and will not do this. So, you should not leave us either. We are here at this meeting and I feel proud: Hero Of Russia, Hero of the Soviet Union, Order of Courage, Hero of Labour, the parents of our dead heroes. We are all here and everything is clear – we are your front, we are with you, we are for you, we are at one with you.

I will repeat what our boys are saying today: You are our President. You are our Commander-in-Chief.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

Maria Kostyuk: Today we have to do a lot for our Russia, but we need to do even more, to continue what our sons are doing. And we are marching together with you, and we must continue to stand by your side.

But why am I talking? I think these men from the front line can say more (Addressing Yury Mizerny.) Yermak here… God forgive me, Yury – I am using their call signs.

Yury Mizerny: Comrade Supreme Commander-in-Chief, allow me to relay the words from the men who are now on the front line. The guys there were concerned – before you said it just now – if you would run for reelection or not. So, they asked me to tell you, Mr President, that they want you to stay with us, because together we are strong, and with you, we will win. You are our President.

Vladimir Putin: We will be together.

Maryana Lysenko: Mr President, I know so well what the soldiers mean and why they need you so much now – only recently, we have taken a long and challenging path together, in medicine, and we did it with you. You were one of the first to walk into the red zone. You supported us with whatever we needed, and we felt an extraordinary amount of support and a truly human concern. And that was very important. That is why we won that battle on our small front. And not because the pandemic is over, but because our results are incomparable with global or European results, or any other results.

Vladimir Putin: Yes, we know that.

Maryana Lysenko: Your personal involvement was very important, even essential. In healthcare and medicine, we still have goals and objectives that we must work towards with you.

Vladimir Putin: In medicine, we cannot do without you. Your contribution is crucial in industry, and on the battlefield…

Remark: Rosatom miners and people in the Trans-Baikal Territory want you to know that we are always with you, we believe in you, and we are proud that we have such a President. We are in this together.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you. I would like to say again that I used to have second thoughts on this matter, but I realise that today, as I said, there is no other way.

Remark: We hope so.

Vladimir Putin: I will run for reelection as President of Russia. And thank you for these words, especially in this context, especially today.

Artyom Zhoga: The recently reunited territories will participate in a Russian election for the first time, and we will vote for you.