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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, colleagues.

Today, we will hear what Oksana Lut has to share with us about the comprehensive development of rural areas to 2030.

But first, we will discuss several urgent issues. Gazprom’s gas infrastructure development programme is underway, but there are some more related matters which we need to discuss concerning domestically manufactured heating equipment.

Mr Tsivilev, could you please say a few words about that. How things stand in gas infrastructure development and in general?

Minister of Energy Sergei Tsivilev: Mr President, colleagues.

The social programme for installing solid fuel boilers for the households in the Siberian and Far Eastern federal districts is being drafted in accordance with your instruction and the outcomes of the Federal Assembly Address. The point of this programme is to provide our people with efficient, environmentally friendly, and safe coal-fired heating equipment. I am talking about domestically manufactured high efficiency – over 84 percent – solid fuel boilers with automatic fuel feeding.

(The Minister went on to explain that replacing boilers will significantly improve the quality of life. Fuel consumption is cut by 30 to 50 percent, coal loading can be done once every few days, and the automation system maintains a consistent temperature in the room. Safety is enhanced because, unlike a furnace, the boiler is installed in a separate enclosure in an apartment building, or in a shed next to an apartment building. Furthermore, modern boilers are much more environmentally friendly. He also noted that, in accordance with the Presidential instruction, the social gas infrastructure development programme has been successfully implemented since 2020, but it becomes economically unviable in case of a community that is far from the main gas pipeline. In such places, installing solid fuel boilers is a practical solution to address social issues. The programme will primarily benefit entitled groups, such as World War II veterans, participants in the special military operation and their families, large families, and people with disabilities who will have the equipment supplied and installed at no charge.)

We are drafting this programme in cooperation with the Ministry of Construction and other federal agencies and regional authorities. The Lugansk and Donetsk people’s republics showed interest in this programme when it was discussed with regional representatives. We are considering bringing Rostec State Corporation into this programme.

We will prepare the package of draft documents by the end of the year, and will begin installing boilers in 2025.

I would like to thank you for supporting this initiative. At least 32 billion rubles have been set aside for this programme by your decision.

Thank you for your attention.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

You mentioned that there are individuals who have the right to receive this equipment free of charge. It is often the case that people are unaware of what they are entitled to, and who qualifies for certain benefits.

Mr Chuychenko, I am aware that you are organising pro bono legal assistance for the public. How is this work progressing?

Minister of Justice Konstantin Chuychenko: Mr President, colleagues,

In May 2021, we submitted a report to you, Mr President, regarding the status of pro bono legal aid within the Russian Federation. Let me provide a concise update on the progress made and the challenges that remain outstanding.

Our efforts have been concentrated in three principal domains: enhancement of legal regulation, development of an organisational framework, primarily through the establishment of public law offices, and advancement of informatisation and digital transformation.

With respect to regulatory enhancements, seven federal laws have been enacted based on our recommendations, aimed at broadening the categories of citizens eligible for pro bono legal assistance. This expansion primarily includes servicemen and families of special military operation participants. We are actively collaborating with the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation, and we are scheduled to conduct our sixth joint videoconference soon, which is anticipated to attract approximately 800 participants.

Furthermore, we have reinforced the coordinating function of public legal offices and formalised the operations of legal clinics. Presently, public law offices have been established and are operational in 51 regions. When we last reported to you in May 2021, there were 26 such offices.

It is noteworthy that in five regions, including the new regions, public law offices will be established in the near future. Legislation has been enacted in the Donetsk and Lugansk [People's] Republics, as well as in the Kherson Region, with similar legislation forthcoming in Zaporozhye. I anticipate that by the end of this year, or perhaps early next year, public law offices will be operational in these new regions.

(The Minister further elaborated on the implementation of mobile pro bono legal aid offices using vehicles. He projected that by 2025–2026, in collaboration with regional authorities, public law offices would be established in the vast majority of regions, potentially encompassing all regions. Mr Chuychenko also addressed the subject of digitalisation, specifically highlighting the development of the Legal Aid information system, currently operational in ten pilot regions, and the ВПРАВЕ.РФ legal education portal, which features over 200 real-life scenarios accessible for public consultation. Plans are underway to expand this to a thousand scenarios next year, utilising artificial intelligence technologies.)

As of today, the number of pro bono legal assistance cases stands at approximately one million for 2024. For context, this figure was around 300,000 in 2021.

Looking ahead, I am confident that upon the system's full implementation, we will be able to provide assistance in several million cases, considering the 32 million citizens currently eligible for pro bono legal aid.

This concludes my report. Thank you for your attention.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

Mr Tsivilev said that this year’s Presidential Address to the Federal Assembly served as a starting point for the programme to switch to domestically manufactured, energy-efficient heating equipment. In fact, this programme predates the address. It stated in 2023 as part of the Ecology project. We expected the transition to this equipment to have a certain environmental impact.

Mr Kozlov, has his impact materialised?

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Alexander Kozlov: Mr President, colleagues.

On the topic of making our heating systems more eco-friendly, natural gas and electricity are the two best options. This is why we have been connecting households still relying on coal or wood for heating to gas distribution networks, or connect them to the power grid in 12 cities as part of the Clean Air federal project.

Almost 80,000 homes in these 12 cities out of 155,000 private households have already been connected to the natural gas distribution networks or the power grid, and the effort to extend our gas pipelines so that we enable more single-family homes to get subsidised gas connections carries on. I would like to thank our colleagues from the Ministry of Energy and Gazprom for lending us a helping hand and assisting us in these efforts. This paved the way to a decline in emissions from single-family homes by about 90 to 100 percent.

Let me use Krasnoyarsk as an example. In June, we started installing solid-fuel boilers there, just as Mr Tsivilev has said, in locations where we were unable to offer utilities connections. This is also an effective solution for reducing the emissions of benzopyrene and particulate matter, i.e., the substances which can cause cancers or cardiovascular diseases.

Within this four-month period, we installed over 700 boilers, and there is a plan to upgrade over 1,000 more by 2026. Next year, we will bring the clean air initiative to cities in Khakassia, Tyva, Buryatia and the Irkutsk Region with our plans covering about 35,000 households. All these projects will be carried out for free.

(The President then asked Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin to report on the opening of a new road in Kemerovo – a 50 kilometre bypass road. Mr Khusnullin went on to present several major projects in Kemerovo, including the completed effort to improve a 540-hectare territory in the centre of Kemerovo. This would have been impossible without a major reduction in car traffic in the centre of Kemerovo.)

Vladimir Putin: I would like to ask Mr Starovoit about the shipment of containers from the Far East, now that we are in Siberia, not far from the Far East.

What is the situation like there? We have discussed this issue actively in summer.

Minister of Transport Roman Starovoit: Good afternoon, Mr President. Colleagues,

Indeed, containers with imported goods have been accumulating at Far Eastern seaports since mid-2022. As you remember, we faced some serious difficulties at that time. Mr President, thanks to your support in late 2022, comprehensive decisions were adopted. Today, they also make it possible to expand the shipment of containers with imported goods and to rationally utilise the throughput capacity of the Eastern Operating Domain by reducing empty runs of open wagons.

(The Minister reported that, as of today, 11 trains laden with containers inside open wagons were departing daily. At the same time, railway transport has delivered 905,000 containers measuring 20 feet each from the Far East in the past nine months. This exceeds similar 2023 volumes by 4.5 percent. He noted that, acting in accordance with the President’s instruction, Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Savelyev had discussed the issue of accumulating containers at Far Eastern seaports in detail on September 12 at a meeting with Russian Railways representatives and those from seaport terminals. Following the meeting, the concerned officials were instructed to expand traffic volumes and to organise safe technological operation of seaports. Consequently, average daily traffic volumes reached 3,817 containers in September-October 2024 and exceeded August 2024 levels by 14 percent. Today, about 49,000 imported containers have accumulated at Far Eastern seaport terminals. This is 7,000 containers and 13 percent less on average daily September 2024 volumes.)

I would also like to note that, since April 2024, amendments to the Federal Law on Seaports have entered into force. Officials at seaport administrations in the Primorye Territory are personally responsible for monitoring the transhipment of freight consignments and their technological accumulation at seaport terminals. Additionally, we have approved a procedure for informing the captains of seaports about such monitoring processes.

The Ministry of Transport oversees the delivery of containers with imported goods from Far Eastern seaports all the time. We hold regular weekly meetings to address urgent issues at our headquarters. I receive daily updates and report them to the Government.

While taking into account the fact that the demand for transportation at Far Eastern seaports is constantly growing and realising that, as usual, traffic volumes will peak in November, December and January, we will continue this work.

That concludes my report. Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: All right.

Mr Starovoit, you should monitor the situation, no matter what, because they should not be stockpiled there … You understand and know everything yourself. I hope that you are cooperating with all transport services and Russian Railways. We simply have to prevent any overloads. Please be more attentive.

Roman Starovoit: Yes, of course.

Vladimir Putin: Mr Chernyshenko, we discussed the issue of promoting the Paralympic movement several times and planned to hold a meeting with our Paralympic athletes.

I know that the National Abilympics Championship for people with disabilities ended yesterday. How did it go?

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko: Mr President, it is true that one of the national goals you have formulated is to help every person realise their potential and develop their talents.

As per your instructions, the Government is creating conditions for the personal fulfilment of all our citizens. People with disabilities, with limited health capacities are one of the most vulnerable groups.

We launched the Abilympics movement in 2015 in accordance with your instructions. It is part of the Russia – Land of Opportunity presidential platform incorporated into the Professionalitet federal project.

We have come a long way over the past 10 years. The number of competitions and competencies has grown from 29 to 206. The main competencies we train people in include IT, public catering, services, construction and medical professions. There are winners in each competence who show by example that you can be successful and what people with disabilities can do as professionals.

Since the launch of the Abilympics project, the number of people taking part in our competitions has increased tenfold, to 25,000 this year. There are veterans of the special military operation among the participants. I would like to propose, and hope that you will support our initiative, that a separate championship for veterans of the special military operation be held next year.

Overall, more than 120,000 people have taken part in our championships. This figure should grow, of course.

Incidentally, championships for the new Russian regions were held in Moscow, and this year the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics and the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions have held such championships in their territories.

These championships are becoming an international venue. This year, we had competitors from eight friendly countries such as China, Belarus and Qatar.

Mr President, the final declaration of the BRICS Summit, which you and the heads of the other group’s countries have signed, has a special focus on the development of youth exchanges, notably, in education and the training and advanced training of personnel. We are considering the possibility of holding annual BRICS professional skills competitions for people with disabilities, and the Abilympics championship, in which athletes from other countries take part, will promote this cooperation.

As you said, the awards ceremony for the winners and medalists of the tenth championships took place literally yesterday. It was a round-figure event, and there were 450 winners who received certificates for training and for purchasing rehabilitation tools. But if we speak about the main outcome, it is the fact that 93.5 percent of the participants are now employed.

(Dmitry Chernyshenko said that the movement involves around 2,500 Russian companies today. There are industries where employers are actively seeking workers with disabilities – primarily, processing industries, trade, education, healthcare and social services. He also noted the industries where more people with disabilities should be employed, which are hospitality, public catering, culture, finance and insurance.)

In view of the positive experience around this championship, I would like to ask you to instruct competent ministries, in cooperation with regional officials and their industrial partners, to work on a series of measures to boost professional skills among children and youth with health restrictions and disabilities, so that they could realise their potential and find employment.

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you. This is very important work. Of course, draft instructions must be developed to this effect.

You know, I recently met with men who served in the special military operation and returned with a disability, including men who are now confound to wheelchairs. I asked them how they were doing, and they said: “We are great.” “Any problems?” “No problems at all.” But just in case, I asked my colleagues from the Executive Office to speak with each of them and see what their living and working conditions were. I believe there are many problems and issues. Some of these men have a job and others can’t even get one.

(Speaking to Dmitry Chernyshenko.) I would like to ask you and Ms Golikova to work with the Defence Ministry and develop a list of instructions to address this very important matter.

Formally, these people have received everything they were eligible for – but it is not enough. An individual approach is necessary. There is the foundation [Defenders of the Fatherland] and other things, but it is important that all this works well in the regions. I know that our colleagues are working hard and doing many things. It is not enough. From what I see, it is not enough.

So, this is a good idea. It is necessary to develop the instructions you talked about, first of all, and, second of all, this matter is extremely important as it is and we must work on it further.

Thank you.

Ms Lut, please.

Minister of Agriculture Oksana Lut: Mr President, colleagues.

Ensuring sustainable development for rural territories is one of the key tracks as set forth in the Food Security Doctrine. We launched the programme titled Comprehensive Development of Rural Areas in 2020 as per your instructions.

Let me begin by saying that the regions welcomed the tools they received under this state programme. It enabled them to achieve quality infrastructure improvements in rural areas. This is where 37 million people live today.

Over the past five years, we have managed to launch infrastructure projects in almost 12,000 communities, covering 40 percent of the rural population. By the end of this year, we will have built or upgraded about 5,000 units of social, housing, utilities and transport infrastructure, while also completing over 13,000 territorial improvement projects.

We created 248 schools, 155 kindergartens, 66 rural medical posts and first-aid stations, outpatient clinics, 338 cultural centres, 1,190 utilities infrastructure units, including 660 water supply and sewage facilities, and built almost 2,000 kilometres of rural roads – all this was done as part of the track titled A Modern Look for Rural Areas.

The improvement projects include building sports courts, playgrounds, and creating new public spaces, as well as improving street lighting.

Of course, we attach special importance to improving housing conditions for our people. More than 185,000 families bought new comfortable housing, including by taking out rural mortgages, which is our main mechanism in this sector. This effort amounted to about 11,000 square metres over a five-year period.

Most of those who used rural mortgages were young people under the age of 40 years, and half of them moved from cities to rural areas. Moreover, 80 percent of them opted for living in single-family homes instead of apartment blocks. <…>

The state programme received 263 billion rubles from the federal budget in 2020–2024. We can see that the corporate world has demonstrated its unwavering and steady interest in this state programme. Russian companies adhere to their corporate social responsibility and seek to take care of their employees living in rural areas. They voluntarily co-finance initiatives under the state programme to develop social and utilities infrastructure. Over the reporting period, these businesses invested about 17 billion in this programme from their own funds.

Next year, the programme is expected to receive 108 billion rubles from the federal budget as per the corresponding law, and another 185 billion in 2026 and 2027. This funding will enable us to undertake another 3,000 projects as part of the A Modern Look for Rural Areas initiative.

On a separate note, commencing in 2025, the Comprehensive Development of Rural Areas state programme will be launched in the four new regions. We have identified projects, and selections have been made. We will work on establishing social and engineering infrastructure in these areas.

(The minister emphasised the necessity of synchronising all sectoral programmes that are to implement measures in rural areas. These encompass 14 state programmes, including healthcare, education, culture, physical training, sports, tourism, and others. Priority within these programmes will be accorded to support core residential areas, enabling a 30 percent improvement in the quality of their environment and life by 2030.)

At present, the agro-industrial sector employs approximately six million individuals, who are instrumental in ensuring national food security. It is pertinent to note that even major holdings, offering competitive salaries which have increased by 60 percent over the past eighteen months, are experiencing significant staffing demands. Naturally, this impacts production rates within the industry.

Another objective is the execution of Technological Support for Food Security, a new national project necessitating leadership in areas such as breeding, plant and animal genetics, production of ferments, food and feed additives, veterinary medicines, agricultural machinery, and equipment for the food industry, all of which, unsurprisingly, require personnel for these sectors.

We recognise that one of our most crucial tasks is the establishment of a system for the training of agrarian personnel and ensuring the requisite quality of life for them in rural areas. The fundamental component in this endeavour is, unmistakably, agrotechnological classes, which must primarily be accessible in rural schools.

Annually, over 50,000 young specialists enter the labour market solely through educational institutions under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Agriculture. Naturally, we have tasked ourselves with ensuring their employment within our industry and their comfortable residence in rural areas.

Mr President,

The measures planned under the state programme for the comprehensive development of rural areas and the new national project Technological Support for Food Security will undoubtedly facilitate the attainment of the indicators outlined in the Food Security Doctrine and contribute to meeting national objectives and enhancing the living standards of the population, which you have designated as the key priority of our nation's development.

Thank you.

(After that, the President gave the floor to Viktor Tomenko, Governor of the Altai Territory, who elaborated on the progress of the Comprehensive Development of Rural Areas programme in this large agricultural region.)

Vladimir Putin: We have had this programme in place since 2020. We have seen a few achievements, to put modestly. We have indeed accomplished something in housing construction and roads, but we all know that much more needs to be done. Most importantly, we have seen a positive trend, a good proportion of rural population, which is the most essential aspect of rural development. As of January 1, 2024, rural population of the Russian Federation accounted for 25.1 percent of the total, while the target share is 25 percent. This is a generalised indicator that shows that the state programmes are generally working, promoting rural economic growth and production, which is the most important thing.

However, there is one more point I would like to make. Despite the increase in the funding, the number of projects implemented under the comprehensive rural development programme is decreasing. It is clear why – because of the rising costs. I do not want to go into details or bore everyone with figures now, but I would ask you to consider this matter.

You need to prioritise, and you need to collaborate – the Government and the regions – to preclude inflated costs of any of the projects being implemented in rural areas without good reason. This is a large and complex work, which must certainly be continued, and we must do it together. But on the whole, the programme is really making good progress.

Thank you. All the best. Thank you.