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Radiy Khabirov began his report with investment projects, primarily in the petrochemical industry. Bashneft and Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat are already drafting major investment projects and putting them in the project design phase. There is an agreement with the Soda company to invest up to 100 billion rubles to 2030. In the past five years, investment grew by 52 percent. The republic has five territories of priority socioeconomic development and a special economic zone.

Mr Khabirov also reported to the President on support for the special military operation. This includes, first and foremost, support for the military from Bashkortostan, the formation of volunteer units and two National Guard battalions for which even combat armoured equipment has been bought. The republic cares for every military family. They receive 39 types of support. In the past two years, the republic spent over seven billion rubles for this purpose.

The republic is also helping Krasny Luch, its sponsored territory in the Lugansk People’s Republic. It provides assistance to the republic in restoring social, cultural, and housing and utility facilities. An asphalt plant physically transferred from Bashkortostan operates in the republic.

Priests were sent to the special military operation zone at the request of the military. Bashkortostan is both a Muslim and a Russian Orthodox republic, so representatives of these two religions were sent there. Automobiles were bought for them, and they always travel together, Father Viktor and Khamza Khazrat.

Economic development issues were also discussed. Mr Khabirov believes the republic must create a machine-building cluster, since it has kept the relevant competences since Soviet times and has a large machine-building plant in Sterlitamak. The republic pursues cluster policy and supports all large corporations, in particular, eleven major companies affiliated with Rostec.

The Head of the Republic thanked the President for his instruction regarding celebrations, in 2025, to mark the centenary of the Ufa Engine Building Production Association that develops, manufactures and services gas turbine engines for military air forces.

Mr Khabirov said that Bashkortostan is a traditionally agro-industrial region but had a decline in 2023. The main reason for that was climate with sub-zero night temperatures after June 20. Beekeepers and crop raising were affected, although the republic harvested a record five million tonnes of grain in 2022. The republic has focused on technical modernisation of its agro-industrial sector and invested 56 billion rubles into it. It maintains effective cooperation with Rosagroleasing and buys excellent Belarusian agricultural equipment for the most part.

Radiy Khabirov dwelled on the subject of cooperation with Belarus and Kazakhstan. In cooperation with the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia, an industrial cluster Bashkortostan-Belarus is being created. A grain dryer plant has been built in just nine months. By the end of this year, a Russian-Belarusian joint venture should launch the production of shovels, graders, 40-tonne bulldozers and loaders – the first such production in Bashkortostan. Mr Khabirov also mentioned a humanitarian programme, the Bashkir-Belarusian Longevity. Veterans, mainly pensioners, take advantage of tourist trips to Belarus under this programme, and they get reimbursed for the cost of specially arranged direct flights from Ufa to Minsk. This is a spin-off of the Bashkir Longevity programme launched in October 2020 at Radiy Khabirov’s initiative, which involves a range of measures aimed at helping senior citizens stay healthy, adopt an active and positive lifestyle, and maintain social engagement. In particular, veterans from Ufa can travel to the south of the republic, and their peers from villages in the south go to see Ufa.

According to Radiy Khabirov, the region has also built good relations with Kazakhstan. This year, Ufa will host the 20^th Russia-Kazakhstan Interregional Cooperation Forum.

The President and the Head of Bashkortostan also talked about the growth in housing construction, support for universities and colleges that train specialists in blue-collar jobs, and the modernisation of healthcare facilities. Radiy Khabirov noted that cardiovascular and cancer morbidity rates have gone down, and so has infant mortality. The President stressed that it was imperative to make sure there was enough ambulance care specialists in the republic. Mr Khabirov assured him that the region was going to achieve the relevant national project target, and a number of steps have already been taken.

At the end of the meeting, Radiy Khabirov recalled that the President had entrusted him to head the republic more than five years ago, and his term of office expired in autumn. He added that he was ready to continue his work if he was trusted to ensure the implementation of existing plans and further growth in the region.

Vladimir Putin noted that Bashkortostan was generally succeeding; the region has been showing good results and has many plans. The President wished the region’s head good luck and promised support, stressing that the choice would certainly be up to the people, so he should work with the population directly, meet with the voters more often, listen to them and receive feedback.