During the video conference, the prime minister said that the victims of wild-fires in the Altai Territory will be provided with all the necessary assistance. He noted that all the resources needed for this are in place and the course of action has been developed. Mr Putin instructed the Ministry of Regional Development and Altai Territory Governor Alexander Karlin to report regularly on the recovery efforts and to get follow-up procedures on the right track.

The prime minister asked Mr Karlin to meet with all people affected by the fires personally and discuss with them all details on restoring housing "so that no problems or misunderstanding arise in this work either for the government or fire victims."

Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu spoke about the work of specialists on the bordering territory of Kazakhstan, which was also hit by wild-fires. Fire-fighting efforts were organised in cooperation with Kazakh colleagues. Altai Territory Governor Alexander Karlin promised that the construction of housing for fire victims will be completed by November 25.

Minister of Regional Development Viktor Basargin reported that the first cargo train with building equipment and materials for the construction of housing was dispatched today to the Mikhailovka District of the Altai Territory. The minister promised that a draft site design for the construction of new housing will be ready by the end of the day.

Transcript of the meeting:

Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon,

Unfortunately, the elements will not leave us in peace this year. The fires have already reached Siberian regions. Two villages were hit by fires yesterday. Nikolayevka lost 306 homes to fire, and four homes burnt down in the village of Bastan. Five residential communities in the Mikhailovka District of the Altai Territory are currently under threat. About a thousand people have been left homeless.

According to the latest information, nobody has been killed or wounded, thank God. But I'd ask you to double-check this information. People were evacuated and transported to shelters.

Aircraft, several hundred pieces of equipment, and 1,500 people from both the emergencies and defence ministries have been involved in the fire-fighting effort, which saved three residential communities with a population of 12,000 and 4,500 homes.

As in other such cases, we will render the necessary support and assistance to the Altai Territory. We have just decided to allocate 1.4 billion roubles to the Altai Territory at the meeting of the Government Presidium. This money is intended to restore housing, build new homes and reimburse victims for lost property - 100,000 roubles, as in other areas affected by wild-fires. Please also pay out 10,000 roubles for day-to-day expenses. We expect the Altai Territory to pay out another 100,000 roubles in compensation from its own budget.

Neighbouring Kazakhstan, where the fire originated, is in a difficult position. Our specialists are now working there. We are giving our Kazakh friends the support they need. Our fire-fighters are working side by side with their Kazakh colleagues. Russian aircraft are also involved.

Let's start working. Please report on the current state of affairs. We have the Altai Territory on the line, and I'd like to hear from its governor first. Please go ahead.

Alexander Karlin (governor of the Altai Territory): Good afternoon, Mr Putin. We started working virtually as soon as we were hit by this disaster, this cross-border crown fire. Today we set up operational headquarters, which is working under my direct command. All executive bodies and federal agencies involved in these issues are represented in the headquarters.

Today we have already paid out 10,000 roubles each for day-to-day expenses to 40% of the fire victims. We have drawn up a timetable for restoring housing. I have passed the relevant resolution. In the next few days, we will adopt a regional law on additional payments from the regional budget to reimburse people for lost property. As you said, these payments will be 100,000 roubles.

According to the schedule, we have started recruiting construction companies as contractors for housing construction. We will bring the first teams of builders here on September 11. They will start construction work on September 12. On September 15, we will begin mass reclamation of land for the construction of housing. According to our schedule, construction will be completed by November 25.

We have compiled a list of fire victims and are now double-checking it. Not a single person has been forgotten, Mr Putin. All children - 117 in total - attended the local school. By the way, all public facilities have been saved in Nikolayevka, where I am reporting to you from now. All public buildings have been protected from the fires, as well as one third of residential buildings. The core of the village has been saved.

We are planning to restore the village and even make it better by the end of November of this year. We will provide housing for all those who would like to continue living in this village with its good traditions. It has decent agricultural companies and 150 permanent jobs. Many people have private farm holdings or are involved in business. This is a village with good traditions.

We, following the...

Vladimir Putin: Mr Karlin, what accommodations have been provided for people for the time being?

Alexander Karlin: They have been taken to temporary shelters.

Vladimir Putin: What are these shelters like?

Alexander Karlin: There is a rural secondary school in the district village of Mikhailovka and medical facilities as well. In the next few days, we will transfer primary school kids to the children's sanatorium in our territory. They will stay there during the first academic quarter, where they will be able to recover psychologically.

We have found accommodations for 27 children from the local kindergarten. Other children will attend schools in the district centre during the first quarter. We are planning to bring education back to normal in Nikolayevka starting from the second quarter.

Vladimir Putin: Mr Karlin, if your schools are already occupied, you should really begin preparing for teaching immediately. This is the first point. Second, temporary shelters must have food and medical services. They should also provide people with new documents as soon as possible if they have lost their papers in the fire. And, of course, it is important to provide transportation. People must be taken to their jobs and children to school if some of them are attending other schools far from where they are living.

Alexander Karlin: Mr Putin, we resolved these problems today. Today we provided passports to 16 people who lost them yesterday during one working day. Deeds for housing and other property are being restored. All expenses involved in this work will be paid from the regional budget. All relevant regional and federal agencies are playing a direct role in this work.

We have arranged for hot meals for people in the temporary shelters and provided them with warm clothes. More clothes are being brought to the shelters.

Autumn is already starting here, and so we are focused on health issues. We have set up medical treatment stations, and anyone who wishes to can have a check-up there. Those who need treatment at regular facilities are taken to hospitals.

We have one more concern - the elderly, especially those who live alone. Elderly people have been given the option of staying at public welfare facilities in our territory until their housing is finished.

Vladimir Putin: Homes in the fire-struck regions in the European part of Russia will be completely restored in three months. You mentioned that you are planning to complete the construction of housing by November 25. But this is faster than three months.

Alexander Karlin: The weather simply does not allow us...

Vladimir Putin: I also wanted to draw attention to this point. You are quite right in taking on additional commitments regarding deadlines. I'm hoping you will observe the deadline because autumn is already setting in there. Autumn is severe and frosty in your territory, and so you have to hurry. At the same time, it is important to monitor the quality of construction. Despite the need to do everything on a tight schedule, quality must be guaranteed. It should meet modern standards.

Alexander Karlin: Several enterprises were recently set up here that produce factory-assembled rural housing that does not even require trimming. Mr Putin, we will closely monitor not only the time schedules but also the quality of construction.

Mr Putin, on behalf of the residents of Nikolayevka and the second village that lost housing, I'd like to thank you and the government for such a prompt decision to allocate a sizable sum for us from the federal budget. Let me assure you that we will spend it quickly and effectively.

Vladimir Putin: Mr Karlin, you have headquarters. A federal commission tasked with this issue will work here. I'd like to ask you personally and instruct the people appointed by you to meet with all the people affected by the fires and discuss with them all the details on housing restoration. There should be no problems or misunderstanding either for the officials or the fire victims. This work should be carried out steadily, with the approval of the fire victims and, as I've already said, with a focus on quality so that everything conforms with today's standards.

My colleagues are here with me in the government situation room. Let's start with the healthcare ministry. What have you done to arrange medical treatment for the victims?

Vladimir Belov (Deputy Health Care and Social Development Minister): As the governor said, the people are naturally turning to us. There are no serious incidents, but just in case, we have reserved space in the hospital - God forbid if something happens - so there will be no issues.

Currently - yesterday and today - a number of emergency teams as well as counselling and therapy teams were present at the fire site, and they assisted both the public and staff, the fire-fighters.

As of two hours ago, there were 60 people who sought medical attention - non-urgent care, and 44 citizens were rendered assistance in the temporary shelters.

For our part, we issued all the instructions to all the funds - pension funds, social insurance and the mandatory medical insurance fund. The chairman of the mandatory medical insurance fund is there, and I asked him to coordinate the operations of the funds to ensure that all documents that may be required to access pensions and medical treatment are issued. In the territorial department of the Pension Fund, work has begun on mobile client services, for pension fund workers to come to the people, to disburse pensions, including a small advance, to pensioners.

We are in constant contact with the territorial government. That's everything in brief, Mr Putin.

Vladimir Putin: Alright. Mr Shoigu, how's the situation?

Sergei Shoigu: Mr Putin, we worked with our Kazakh colleagues tonight to organise operations in Kazakhstan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and border services acted in a timely manner issuing permits to cross the border. As of this hour, of the six major fires moving in the direction of Russia at different distances with different fronts and a total length of about 18 km, four active fire zones have been extinguished completely and two active zones have been contained. We hope that in the course of the day they will be extinguished completely. The task force we need for this work is in place. During the night we returned twice to the town of Bastan. That night, sizable forces were dispatched on the railway - we sent two fire-fighter trains with the necessary supply of water - this helped to defend the district centre Mikhailovka.

Otherwise, everything has been arranged, and all the teams are on the ground. Mr Putin, any additional support from the centre in this regard is no longer required. All the forces have been deployed.

Plus, by lunchtime today, our colleagues from Kazakhstan helped drive 12 fire teams and their equipment to the Mikhailovka District. Naturally, as is usually the case with good neighbours, they wanted to help put out fires in the Mikhailovka District, and we accepted their offer.

All other issues have been resolved. We are organising the implementation of today's executive order on the ground and in our centres.

Vladimir Putin: Mr Karlin, your principal partner for restoring housing in the government is the Ministry of Regional Development. What suggestions and issues do you have? What other issues would you like to raise?

Alexander Karlin: Mr Putin, the representative of the Ministry of Regional Development and the chief of staff in the fire emergency response team have been in our region since this morning. We are working together here on site, preparing the necessary administrative paperwork, coordinating all ongoing issues. Therefore, our cooperation with the Ministry of Regional Development is very close and meaningful, Mr Putin.

Vladimir Putin: Mr Basargin (addressing Regional Development Minister Viktor Basargin), do you have anything to add?

Viktor Basargin: Mr Putin, the only thing that would add is that given the complexity of the situation, our representative informed us today that work in the region is being conducted in a very organised manner. The governor and local authorities have implemented all measures, a house-by-house inspection has been conducted and village commissions are working. Moreover, an architect will be there soon. By the end of the day, a draft plan of this village will be completed. And now we are conducting an analysis of building materials with the region, although we know - as Mr Karlin said - that in keeping with the schedule today, the first transport train - meaning a few trucks - with construction machinery and materials is headed towards the village of Nikolayevka. All operations are underway.

Vladimir Putin: Alright. We have perfected a strategy for collaborative work; we know what to do - it's clear that we have the necessary resources for this - they have already been distributed. The main concern of the federal and regional authorities is the people affected by these fires. Of course, they are now in a state of shock - this is understandable because they experienced a real tragedy during the night. We need to help people, and they should know that the authorities will do everything in order to provide the necessary assistance and support; we will not leave them to deal with their troubles on their own.

I would like to ask everyone to work hard, in an organised manner, and jointly address the challenges facing us today in rendering assistance to the victims.

I ask the Ministry of Regional Development and the governor to report regularly on how things are going, and to ensure that regional and federal authorities are monitoring the reconstruction of lost housing.

Thank you very much. Let's get down to work.