Transcript of the meeting:

Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, Ms Aksyonova, Ms Sementsova and Mr Turov. I would like to start by congratulating you upon winning a tough competition in the primaries. I am glad to say that this method of selecting leaders of public opinion works.

I know that there is criticism directed at the primaries as well, and I acknowledge that this criticism is often justified. There are public servants whose interests are entirely self-serving, and their desire to hold on to power is obvious. There is nothing extraordinary in this. It's obvious that we need to improve the procedure, and I fully agree with this point.

In your presence, I would like to thank all those who tackle these problems on the internet and in the media. They are doing the right thing. What conclusions can we draw from this? That we should not give up on primaries, but rather, we should streamline them. In general, though, we are on the right path. The fact that you have fought to make it into the top ten out of dozens of nominees speaks for itself. This is excellent. As far as I know, you have never before engaged in public politics at the high level you have reached now. You have an excellent opportunity to make it to the top of the United Russia party tickets in Smolensk and become members of the State Duma. This is wonderful.

We talked about how we will be ready to get about 150 people into the Duma through the Russian Popular Front. However, when I talked the matter over with my colleagues in Moscow, we realised that this number could be even higher, judging by the results of the primaries. I congratulate you all and would like to wish you more success in the future. And in this connection, I would also like to ask you what your impressions of the process are.

Natalya Aksyonova: Mr Putin, I am Natalia Aksyonova and I am a doctor. I have never been a supporter of the United Russia party and I am not a politician, but when I found out about the Popular Front, I didn’t doubt for a minute about joining it. I am a presidium member of the National Medical Chamber headed by Leonid Roshal. He wrote to all the presidium members asking our opinion about joining the front. He said I was the first to respond. I wrote: “Mr Roshal, if this is going to be another platform, a rostrum to carry ordinary doctors’ ideas to the government, the president and the prime minister, then my answer is yes.” This was the straight and honest way I came to this organisation. I came to the Popular Front to understand yet again that there are good and honest people around us, and these people, who live here in the Smolensk Region, expect us to make a difference.

Vladimir Putin: You are at the helm of a public organisation with a good and encouraging name.

Natalya Aksyonova: Right, I head the organisation “Give the good to children” and it started from a remarkable story. As I was working my second term at the Smolensk Region Public Chamber, I found out quite accidentally what female teachers in one of the local villages did to prevent their school from being shut down: Thirteen women became foster mothers – a real feat of giving. They encountered very different responses to what they’d done, but they did it anyway.

So we decided to visit their village and see those children. Later we recruited volunteers and eventually registered a 5,000 strong public organisation. My colleagues know that our organisation is well known and respected across the Smolensk Region. We have implemented several major programmes in that village, and we haven’t stopped there – we still visit them regularly and provide assistance to the families and the children, helping them get into colleges and universities.

We would like to tell people at the Popular Front about our efforts. This is a way to revive small villages. These children go away after they finish ninth grade (the highest grade the village school offers), to high school and then college, but they want to return. We helped three kids get into the Cadet Corps. But they want to return to their village afterward, a place where they now have a home and a family. But they can’t find employment there. There is no housing available either. So we are thinking about various possible projects, with your support and the support of the general public, which could help resolve these problems.

Our organisation has held a large congress, The Continuity of Generations. It was the first forum to be held in Yelnya, the site of the historic Yelnya Offensive of 1941 associated with the creation of the veteran Guards units. We had more than 5,000 participants there. It was organised by our public organisation with the support of the Smolensk Region government and the State Duma. A deputy speaker attended the meeting. You should have seen the eyes of the 1,500 children we gathered, as well as the 2,000 war veterans from many Russian regions as well as from Bulgaria, Belarus and Moldova. We buried a time capsule containing a message written by the war veterans who asked to have it opened in 2045. The foster children from the village I told you about buried it. These are the good things we are doing and plan to continue doing.

Vladimir Putin: Ms Aksyonova, you are a practicing physician aren’t you?

Natalya Aksyonova: For the past 20 years I’ve…well, my record actually exceeds 35 years. I started out as a nursing aid, and rose all the way to a doctor of the highest qualification category, an aeromedical emergency professional. I specialise in obstetrics and gynaecology, and I am no stranger to emergencies. I have performed surgery in a wooden hut – I really have. We saved a woman then – a new mother – and her situation was…

Vladimir Putin: In 35 years, you must have seen it all – the rise and fall of the Soviet and then Russian healthcare systems. How would you assess its current condition? Do you feel anything changes?

Natalya Aksyonova: You know, I am actually jealous of my younger colleagues who have a chance to use such wonderful equipment. No one ever dreamed of such huge funds actually being spent on healthcare – a colossal amount I should say. I think this will lend forward momentum to the industry. I know that the reform is stalling at some points – we recently held a medical forum in Safonovo, and we heard practicing doctors talk about it. I understand that, and I am trying to convey this message to others. So I would like to tell you again how much I appreciate this new platform which has helped us convene this forum and explain to the people that these are only temporary problems.

Vladimir Putin: I just heard about “stalling” or “skidding” at a conference here. But overall, would you say you have seen any difference, perhaps under the Healthcare national project?

Natalya Aksyonova: There have been drastic changes due to this national project. We in the Smolensk Region have seen a sharp decline in the infant mortality rate. Those certificates and the assistance the government provided to obstetrician-gynaecologists like me really mean a lot. The demographic situation is rather tense in the Smolensk Region, and we need all the support we can get.

Vladimir Putin: Now we will take the next step in the regional healthcare modernisation programme. Was the medical community involved in drafting the regional programme?

Natalya Aksyonova: You know, I always speak openly and straightforwardly, and I want to say that, unfortunately (and this is something I have discussed with Mr Roshal), neither the draft law nor the modernisation programme have been discussed with ordinary doctors. I believe that this must happen: we could give a lot of advice. For example, the self- and mutual assistance centres that are being set up in rural areas (we only heard about them at forums in district centres) are indeed needed, but not everywhere; a selective approach is required. For example, a rural primary care facility closes in a village where there are three houses, home to five old women, all World War II veterans, and we allocate budget funds and ask them to help each other and themselves. I think that this requires a selective approach, not just rolled out across every village where a medical facility is closed down.

Thanks to the Popular Front our public organisation, Vrachebnaya Palata (Doctors’ Ward), which was founded in the Smolensk Region, had the opportunity of visiting all the district hospitals together with the public council for protection of patients’ rights. And I would like to say that patients and doctors are of one mind on this – some kind of personnel programme is needed. We now have doctors that are 50-60 years old. We still can teach young specialists something, but in five years, it will already be difficult.

Vladimir Putin: It seems peculiar that the medical community was not involved in drafting the regional healthcare modernisation programme. That was something I asked all regional governors to do. We will definitely pay attention to areas that can still be improved. Thank you for speaking up.

Artem Turov: Mr Putin, as you know, the Young Guard carries out large, very large projects, including volunteer projects. At last Saturday’s meeting, one of our colleagues told you about our volunteer teams. Within the Popular Front, we have taken it upon ourselves to collect proposals for the People’s Programme. As you know, we have collected over a million proposals from all across Russia. There were about 10,000 proposals in the Smolensk Region alone. Our activists worked hard.

I would like to say that the platform offered by the preliminary vote became a focal point for all those participating in the primaries, in the preliminary vote, to hear about people’s problems. It was a kind of opinion exchange, giving those people the chance to learn first hand about the problems faced by every municipality and every district. We travelled all over the Smolensk Region and have mapped the real actions to be taken at the regional and municipal levels.

As an authorised Popular Front representative, I have held over 20 meetings with public organisations and staff from different companies. Here I would like to draw your attention to something Ms Aksyonova has already said, that the government now invests huge sums in education and healthcare modernisation and to support rural areas. But the problem is that the average age of workers there is 50 plus. The problem is that in five or ten years’ time our efforts may not be enough, because there are no young professionals. So we – the Young Guard and me as its co-chairman – are now asking: how can we attract people to rural areas in our region and in other regions?

Let me give you a good example. In the Safonovsky district of the Smolensk Region, the administration gives young specialists apartments in apartment buildings that are being built. After they have worked there for five or more years, they become the owners of these apartments. So I would like to make a proposal: we need to draft a programme or a party project that will seek to provide personnel for the basic sectors of life, that is, education and healthcare.

As a platform, the primaries are a great opportunity, especially for young people. We have over 40 young people (not only from the Young Guard, but also from other public organisations for young people) who in the past were not involved in politics at all, but they have been able to participate, to prove their abilities and can now represent the interests of their student movements. For example, we have a very large student organisation at the Smolensk State University led by Viktor Shabelnik (Student Union Chairman at Smolensk State University) which has joined the Popular Front and received this opportunity for communication and interaction. He went over there on behalf of the student society and made proposals for the law regarding education. The Front provided him with the opportunity to communicate and discuss the most problematic situations in our lives. I think this is probably the most important thing – that the Front enables people to meet with their leaders, to tell them about their problems and to work them out together. A lot has already been accomplished and, most importantly, we are continuing to collect proposals for the People’s Programme in the Smolensk region, because people are still responding and proposals keep flowing in. We have already given part of them to Mr Fyodorov (Nikolai Fyodorov, head of the Institute of Socio-economic and Political Studies) and his institute. We are currently working on regional and municipal programmes in order to make them more specific… Say, this yard is demanding this and this, and we will make it happen. This is now our main focus.

Vladimir Putin: You just mentioned United Russia’s programme, which we call the People’s Programme because it is carried out via the Russian Popular Front. It represents a very important area of work, especially now as we are drafting these fundamental documents that will serve as the basis for the country’s development over the next few years. So I ask you to continue this work.

Artyom Turov: Mr Putin, we have prepared some materials.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much. Have you handed them over?

Artyom Turov: Yes. This is a distillation of data on almost all federal districts, as well as on our region, along with specific proposals from young people.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you. Ms Sementsova, please.

Natalya Sementsova (physics teacher, school No. 33, Smolensk): Yes, my name is Natalia Sementsova, I am a secondary school teacher. I am neither a public figure nor a politician, and I have never been involved in politics. I was nominated to the Popular Front by two organisations – the United Trade Unions of the Smolensk region and the Union of Retirees. Why did these two organisations in particular nominate me? First of all, I have been the leader of the school’s trade union organisation for a long time, defending the rights and social opportunities of the teachers of the Smolensk region. And why retirees? It so happens that my husband is a retired military man, with certain disabilities, so I live with these problems and they are all familiar to me. That's why. When the suggestion came, I was truly in doubt for a long time. People here have said that they did not hesitate for an instant to nominate me, but I did, and it took me a very long time. Many people tried to talk me out of it, saying, “What are you hoping to accomplish there? You understand what a party is, after all. What are you planning to say there? Who is going to listen to you?” It wasn't just my family that tried to discourage me – even teachers said that our job is to teach children, and when it comes to adopting laws… we will find a way to adjust to them. But I eventually made up my mind to go through with it, and I'll explain why. I did it because picketing is fine, and protesting is good too. But really, this doesn’t require a lot of thought, you just go out there with a poster and picket, and you try to protect your interests. But since an opportunity has emerged for me to really do something in this area myself… And what if I succeed?.. This does happen sometimes, after all. And so I agreed that I'm better off trying to come up with some ideas in order to resolve our problems. Perhaps these problems are not clearly visible from somewhere up above. Why not try to help you see the serious problems that we have? This is why I'm here.

What I'm trying to say is that it seems the situation that I have fallen into must be quite serious, when an ordinary secondary school teacher who doesn't know any of the people I have gotten to know here (I could have seen them on TV), speaking about problems in education, comes in 6^th place out of 47 in the popular vote. This shows that people of the Smolensk region are with us and that they care about the same problems that concern us today.

Vladimir Putin: This means they are worried about the same issues.

Natalia Sementsova: Exactly. And so I decided that if this is the case, it means that we are all on the same page and that something needs to be done. This is why I am here. And perhaps that expression… You said, “an influx of new people"… Perhaps these people can really accomplish something, rather than simply taking up a place that has always been there and has been guaranteed to them. But here the situation was such that… It was very difficult for me to compete, this is not my area of expertise. And for the people who were standing shoulder-to-shoulder beside me, it was also very difficult for us to compete with each other. But I think that the people of the Smolensk region have made their choice, and so we are sitting here before you.

Vladimir Putin: What is your general attitude… I already have a sense, but nonetheless… I watched the reaction of some of our colleagues from the so-called opposition parties when I suggested that all parties should select their candidates through a preliminary vote, and that this should be required by federal law. Many of our colleagues in opposition parties have responded negatively towards this. What is your attitude towards the procedure? I don't mean the Popular Front, but rather the procedure of a preliminary popular vote.

Natalya Sementsova: I'm for it. There are certain aspects that could be improved, but I support it for several reasons. First of all, in order to understand what to do, what proposals to suggest to the State Duma’s decisions, to become laws. Maybe people don't need this at all? It's important to listen, to understand whether or not people care about what you are going to talk about. And second – you know, it may not be a very good expression, but a group of cronies has been getting together for years and years. People don't understand anything about it, because they take no part in it, so they couldn’t care less.

Vladimir Putin: I think Ms Sementsova has hit the nail on the head. I think that those who oppose the preliminary vote are the same people who sell their places in these party lists and who do not want inter-party democracy – and therefore, democracy in general – to develop in this country. But this is up to them. United Russia will not impose these rules on other parties, even if it currently has a majority in the parliament; if they don’t want it, let them be. This will only lead to their parties’ stagnation. But public associations that do not fear open competition among people with fresh vision will live and have the chance to develop and gain support from the majority of the country’s citizens.

Natalia Sementsova: I agree with you.

Vladimir Putin: I have a proposal. There are people who want to talk to me, and we can do this together. You and I will hear about the current problems (although you are familiar with them already). It might be useful.

Sergei Ablakov: Good afternoon, Mr Putin, and welcome to Smolensk.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

Sergei Ablakov: My name is Sergei Ablakov.

Vladimir Putin: Sergei?

Sergei Ablakov: Yes. I have a problem. It sounds quite unfortunate, but it is the result of a medical error. Three years ago, I was wrongly diagnosed. I had an operation, but it was misdirected. When they realised the mistake, they said a second surgery could not be done. With the help of all my relatives, I was able to go to Moscow, because there was no other alternative and something had to be done. In Moscow, thank God, I had an operation at Sklifosovsky (the Sklifosovsky Emergency Aid Research Institute), and the surgery was successful. And now, three years have passed and doctors say that everything is on an individual basis, everything can recover, my body is young and it can still recover. If there is even the smallest chance, we should take it. I have done everything I can at home – I exercised, I fashioned some devices myself and now I have reached a point where I have begun to regain feeling in my legs. It seems that it has not gone up (I had a spinal cord clamp), rather, there have been positive dynamics.

Vladimir Putin: What part of the spine?

Sergei Ablakov: Thoracic. Now things have come to a halt: I need something more, but here, in Smolensk, in the Smolensk region… None of the rehabilitation centres we have here work with cases like mine. For me, they will just be like health resorts, just a form of support: some check-ups, some massages… But I would like…

Vladimir Putin: Specialised?

Sergei Ablakov: Yes, some specialised rehabilitation, because I am already able to move my legs…

Vladimir Putin: And you were not able to earlier?

Sergei Ablakov: Right. And now I can walk, wearing orthoses. I walk with them every day, for two or three hours. I have been walking in this way for a year, and I already feel that…

Vladimir Putin: The dynamics are positive?

Sergei Ablakov: Yes, but these primitive home-made methods have already exhausted themselves. I need something more serious, but in Smolensk, the Smolensk region…

Vladimir Putin: I understand. We really do have a problem with this, Sergei. There are only two centres in the country that rehabilitate people with problems like yours, and they are in Moscow and in the Moscow region. Let's agree: we will definitely resolve this problem... We will deal with this problem in a comprehensive manner. We will increase the number of rehabilitation centres and make sure they are evenly distributed across the country. However, you cannot wait until we get there, so let’s choose one of the available ones, together with Ms Aksyonova. She will take the issue under personal control, and I will be able to deal with your issue in Moscow via the Healthcare Ministry, and we will see how we can help you, all right?

Sergei Ablakov: All right, thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: Get well soon, especially now that you are showing steady improvement.

Sergei Ablakov: That is the most important thing.

Vladimir Putin: By all appearances, you are a courageous man and you don’t give up.

Sergei Ablakov: I have two little children.

Vladimir Putin: All the more so.

Sergei Ablakov: This is something my family needs even more than I.

Vladimir Putin: How old are they?

Sergei Ablakov: The boy is three and the girl is six.

Remark: She’s starting school next year.

Vladimir Putin: We will take care of it, Sergei.

Sergei Ablakov: Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: There’s nothing to thank me for yet, but we will do what needs to be done.

Sergei Ablakov: I appreciate it, thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: Good luck.

Sergei Ablakov: It was good talking to you.

Vladimir Putin: Sergei, say hello to your family for me.

Sergei Ablakov: Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: Please go ahead.

Igor Demyanov: Igor Demyanov, head of a farm.

Vladimir Putin: Please go ahead.

Igor Demyanov: Mr Putin, land relations are among the most sensitive issues for rural residents. Even though the land is left untended, it’s hard to establish a formal title to it. I will not go any deeper into the issue of unit plots of land.

Vladimir Putin: We visited a hospital here in Smolensk today before the meeting on health care. There was a lady who approached me with the same issue of unit land plots. Her family owns such a plot, but the area is not marked, either.

Igor Demyanov: Absolutely unmarked, we just have the title to the unit.

Vladimir Putin: Title to the unit. The land is not used by the collective farm, and as far as I understand, land aggregators have already started buying it with an eye towards re-selling. This is a nationwide problem, not just a local one.

Igor Demyanov: Yes, this problem exists not only in the Smolensk Region. Things are hard for people who work the land and try to do all the paperwork themselves. When other people buy land for other purposes, such as re-selling, they hire specialised firms with the necessary knowledge and skills that do that work. For ordinary rural people it’s always hard work.

I would like to touch upon a different land category. We in the Smolensk Region, as well as in the rest of Russia, have farm land that is federally owned. There are 50,000 hectares of such land in the Smolensk Region today. They use about 20% of it at most, the rest is untended. The land is owned by the state.

Vladimir Putin: Igor, it’s not just the state, it’s federal agencies, such as the Agricultural Academy… They own a lot, I think, 340,000 hectares…

Igor Demyanov: Still, it’s their property. The transfer of ownership to regional or municipal authorities is very complicated. In fact, the owner has to abandon the title to this land that he uses or leases. There’s no way anyone would renounce the title to it voluntarily, because the land tax is small and it is paid from the federal budget.

Therefore, I would like to request that either a commission be set up, or a land inventory be compiled. They do use some of this land and perhaps they do need some of it. The land that they don’t need can be taken over by collective and private farmers who will take good care of it and use it to grow produce.

Vladimir Putin: Let’s do so. I can see that you are slightly nervous, but you are saying the right things. First, we are already doing this: such work is already being done by certain federal agencies. However, we need to step up the efforts. We have also established a special agency that reclaims unused land located outside of major cities for future housing construction. However, you are talking about using farm land for its intended purpose.

Igor Demyanov: That’s exactly right!

Vladimir Putin: Let’s return to this later.

Igor Demyanov: Once again, I would like to touch upon the issue of drawing up the paperwork to transfer the deed from federal ownership to municipalities. The procedure is extremely complicated. If it’s done according to the law, it has to be cleared by all the relevant authorities. It would be very hard to do this in under a year.

Vladimir Putin: The procedure itself for transferring the deed from federal to municipal authorities.

Igor Demyanov: To regional or municipal authorities. If only the paperwork could be simplified… These lands could be used in the 2012 sowing season.

Vladimir Putin: I will not go into details right now. Honestly, I can’t remember all the details of transferring deeds from federal to regional or municipal authorities. But we will look into it, I promise. Next week I will issue instructions on this to the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Economic Development, which deals with ownership issues. I will look into it. That’s a very good question.

Igor Demyanov: That would be great.

Vladimir Putin: Do you have anything specific in mind that you would like to get?

Igor Demyanov: No, nothing specific. I am talking about the interests of our farmers’ association and other collective farms…

Vladimir Putin: What is the name of the association?

Igor Demyanov: The Sodeystviye association of farmers.

Vladimir Putin: Is it for the Smolensk Region only?

Igor Demyanov: Yes, it includes all farmers of the Smolensk Region.

Vladimir Putin: What is your phone number? Do you have a phone?

Igor Demyanov: Yes, I do.

Vladimir Putin: Write it down for me, please. And write down your name, too. We will keep in touch, and colleagues from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Economic Development will also be in touch, so that you understand what’s going on. All right? Agreed. Thank you very much.

Delegation?

Remark: Yes, good afternoon.

Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon. What’s your name?

Regina Sazykina: My name is Regina Sazykina. We have multiple children in our family. I came here to see you for personal reasons and also as a representative of all Smolensk Region mothers with multiple children. We are very glad that the state turned to us…

Vladimir Putin: Are they doing something for you, at least?

Regina Sazykina: Yes, they do, and they do a lot, because all the benefits that the state provides… And the maternity capital for the second child… I have heard that they will give us land soon. Is that true?

Vladimir Putin: Yes, it is.

Regina Sazykina: Because nothing is happening yet here in the Smolensk Region.

Vladimir Putin: It will, don’t worry.

Regina Sazykina: Will it be soon?

Vladimir Putin: The local authorities should start…

Regina Sazykina: We would also like to get something for the third, fourth and fifth child… We came here from Velizh. There are just two families with multiple children: we have five and the other family has nine. Housing is the most important issue. It’s a vital, sensitive issue, because we are worried… We would like our children to live in good conditions so that every child has his or her own room… If we could get a house from the state…

Vladimir Putin: We have operated on the assumption that maternity capital would be used primarily for solving housing issues.

Regina Sazykina: Surely you understand that this is not enough.

Vladimir Putin: Of course. That’s clear. You cannot buy a house with this money. This is just…

Regina Sazykina: Yes, an allowance. It works if you have two or three children, but if you have five or more then… You see, when the father has to work from morning till night to feed the family, we can’t save enough money to build a house. I’m not sure, but maybe the state could authorise the local authorities to give the green light to solve this issue. I am saying this because we are a family with five children. The children do great at school. Our son Veniamin will probably finish school with a golden medal. He is an excellent student with excellent marks for almost all subjects and just a few good marks. However, our house burned down in 2009, and we found ourselves homeless in winter. We asked for help, but they told us that they could not do anything for us alone. Do you understand?

Vladimir Putin: Why?

Regina Sazykina: Because they can allocate funds only for state construction, but not for an individual house… The governor helped us and allocated some money, but it was hard to do under the current law…

Vladimir Putin: Still, he did it…

Regina Sazykina: Yes they did. They helped us. They allocated 250,000 roubles, and we put a roof on our house. After the fire the community helped us build a new house. Some people donated 1,000 roubles, others 100 roubles… We were in a very difficult predicament this summer when we had to build our house after the fire. You wouldn't believe it – my husband and I slept in our car. There was simply nowhere else to sleep. The winter it was difficult too… They gave us a two-bedroom flat from the reserve fund for the winter, and we lived there. Now the house is standing but we still have…

Vladimir Putin: In the end, at least the house is built.

Regina Sazykina: That’s right.

Vladimir Putin: Is it large?

Regina Sazykina: Yes it is: there are four children’s bedrooms, a lavatory for the kids on the first floor.

Vladimir Putin: And where is the fifth little one?

Regina Sazykina: The fifth is a girl, Katyusha; she is with her dad back home.

Vladimir Putin: Is he keeping an eye on her?

Regina Sazykina: He is! You understand, this child is barely managing to cope, and it would have been next to impossible for a three-year-old. We are a good, happy family. My children take musical classes, they sing well and play musical instruments (guitar, piano), they play sports…

Vladimir Putin: You know, when it comes to family support, Ms Sazykina, where there are three children there can easily be four or five… At least at the current stage, it is for the regions to handle each particular case based on its individual merit. Let me be frank: I suggested the maternity capital and birth support programme because I wanted to help people and to stimulate birth rates nationwide.

Regina Sazykina: I am willing to have a sixth and a seventh child…

Vladimir Putin: The thing is, we have budgetary limitations. But I will tell you straight: Even if we did not have those budgetary limitations, we would just be encouraging birth rates in regions where they are already high. That is how the matter currently stands…

Regina Sazykina: So maybe the local authorities could be given permission so that they would have the power to do that. I saw it with my own eyes: people want to help, but by law they can’t.

Vladimir Putin: They can. There are no restrictions here. Any regional legislature could adopt a relevant decision and thus put an end to the problem. They can empower local administrations to make any decision. They certainly can, but we will still have a talk with them. But let's get back to your problem. What is the problem now?

Regina Sazykina: Well, as I was saying, we have debt now. My maternity capital allowance is all but…

Vladimir Putin: Used up?

Regina Sazykina: Yes. We have used 50% of the federal allowance and 100% of the regional one.

Vladimir Putin: What was the amount of your maternity capital?

Regina Sazykina: We received 132,000 from the region…

Vladimir Putin: No, no. The maternity capital comes from the federal budget. How much did you receive?

Regina Sazykina: At this point we have received 50%, or 169,000 roubles. Katyusha turned three years old in March, and we applied for this money. We have received it, and are now waiting for six months to pass so that we can receive the remaining 50%.

Vladimir Putin: You will receive it.

Regina Sazykina: Yes we will. But it was entirely used up in payments for the house construction. Right now, we don't even have anything to pay the children’s tuition fees with – but that's already another issue. The house is standing. But our children even wrote you a letter last April, asking if you could help by giving us some furniture. The walls are standing, but there is no floor. There is a heating system, but no boiler.

Vladimir Putin: Please, write down your address and telephone number for me.

Regina Sazykina: Will you come to the house-warming party? My children are inviting you.

Vladimir Putin: We'll see.

Remark: By the way, the boiler problem has been solved…

Vladimir Putin: I suggest that we address the problem as a whole, rather than dealing with the separate elements individually – a boiler, a staircase, the amenities, and so on. Is that all right?

Regina Sazykina: The children wrote to ask for help with furniture in particular. We are sleeping on mattresses on the floor.

Vladimir Putin: We will deal with the problem in its entirety. Mr Turov, who is in charge of the local Young Guard, will monitor the problem. We will do this together. He will be monitoring it locally, while I will try to do the same from Moscow.

Regina Sazykina: Of course, I'm all for it! This is a problem that has to do with having a family with many children. My husband is a construction worker, and he does jobs wherever he is needed.

Vladimir Putin: He is a builder?

Regina Sazykina: He does all kinds of jobs – plumbing and everything else… At Velizh, employment is hard to come by.

Vladimir Putin: Is that far from Smolensk?

Regina Sazykina: 120 kilometres. The town is very scenic, you should come visit. But jobs are hard to come by, of course, and people are forced to seek employment elsewhere, all over the country, anywhere they can find it.

Vladimir Putin: (addressing Venyamin Sazykin) What grade are you in at school?

Venyamin Sazykin: I'm starting tenth grade (this fall).

Vladimir Putin: What are your plans for the future? What do you want to do next?

Venyamin Sazykin: I want to move to St Petersburg to train as a hardware engineer. My plan is to enroll in the Leningrad Institute of Electrical Engineering.

Vladimir Putin: It's a fine Institute.

Regina Sazykina: Margarita here is going into her 11^th year at school. She wants to enter Smolensk Medical University to major in pharmaceuticals.

Vladimir Putin: We watched some of their graduates today. They are wonderful specialists. To think of the kinds of surgery they can perform – it is completely unique…

Regina Sazykina: We were considering Kursk and St Petersburg, but we got word that the Pharmaceuticals Department had been launched here. She says she does not want to go far from home. She might go back, but there is still the problem of finding work. The town is beautiful, but the jobs…

Vladimir Putin: Do you have a medical establishment over there? A clinic?

Regina Sazykina: We have an outpatient clinic and a hospital.

Vladimir Putin: I don't know what steps are planned under the regional healthcare modernisation programme. But I think there need to be some changes over there too. Maybe she can make it and then come back home later?

Regina Sazykina: We have built the house! Lots of people told us that we should leave for Smolensk. But we are very fond of our home town.

Vladimir Putin: Okay. It is a deal, Ms Sazykina. We will work it out and I have no doubt that we will do everything we need to. I'm sure you will like it.

Regina Sazykina: You are invited to our house-warming party.

Vladimir Putin: Great. Thank you.

Regina Sazykina: Do come visit.

Vladimir Putin: I'll try my best.

Regina Sazykina: My children would love an autograph. Could you sign these for them?

Vladimir Putin: My pleasure. And give my best to Katyusha.

Natalya Aksyonova: Mr Putin, with your permission, our NGO, Bestow Goodness on Children, would be happy to provide them with some targeted assistance. Our volunteers will do that. Among other things, we specialise in families with many children.

Vladimir Putin: Agreed.

Yury Kondratenkov: It is difficult, of course, to talk about serious matters after the children. Their eyes are so bright. My name is Yury Kondratenkov, District Council deputy and private entrepreneur. I have a problem on my mind, not festivities. I understand that many entrepreneurs around the country may have similar problems. Smolensk, in particular, is a very relevant example of this. The city is preparing to celebrate its anniversary. But a huge amount of houses look quite awful.

Vladimir Putin: Mr Kondratenkov, what business are you in?

Yury Kondratenkov: Wood working, lumbering, and house construction.

Vladimir Putin: You have your own business, correct?

Yury Kondratenkov: Yes.

Vladimir Putin: And you work through the entire cycle? You fell, process, and build. Is that right?

Yury Kondratenkov: Yes it is.

Vladimir Putin: Super.

Yury Kondratenkov: We want to improve and develop. It is going well, thank God.

Vladimir Putin: How many workers do you employ?

Yury Kondratenkov: It depends on the season. From 50 to 70 people.

Vladimir Putin: Are profits good?

Yury Kondratenkov: Normal.

Vladimir Putin: Very well. Mr Kondratenkov, what is your question?

Yury Kondratenkov: My question is this. We have a lot of buildings in Smolensk… Let me give you the backstory. There was a very old house in my town, Demidov, which I bought. It was on the verge of collapsing. I had it overhauled and it is going to be commissioned soon. But as similar offers start coming from some businessmen in Smolensk, we are running into a problem. We make enquiries about the facilities in question and often discover that there is nothing we can do. The buildings are protected as cultural heritage sites.

Let me explain what is meant by “cultural heritage.” There is a “commune,” as it is called, a building dating back to the 1930’s…

Vladimir Putin: Your governor told me about it.

Yury Kondratenkov: It has immunity as a cultural heritage site. I don't know how we can work through the whole procedure. It seems unrealistic. You run into this. It makes no sense whatsoever.

Vladimir Putin: Mr Kondratenkov, what can be done? Indeed, the problem exists. How can it be addressed?

Yury Kondratenkov: There is a problem. I think perhaps the first thing….

Vladimir Putin: But there is a flip side: if you let everything go, then we will lose all cultural landmarks. Everything will be taken over by businesses in a heartbeat. The thing is that such facilities are normally located in downtown areas, and location is what attracts businesses in the first place. Is there any way to preserve cultural heritage and not stifle entrepreneurial activity while doing so?

Yury Kondratenkov: If we want to preserve cultural heritage then we need to secure the participation of non-profit organisations. The Popular Front is a good example. Engaging a large number of people creates huge possibilities for discussion and for attracting fresh ideas and unconventional thinking. The same applies to engaging non-profit organisations. There are field-specific organisations that conduct expert analyses. A wide swathe of society should be represented in the commissions that will look into these issues. I believe that relying on public opinion is the best guarantee that things that should be preserved will not be destroyed.

Vladimir Putin: Have you tried? Did you buy this building?

Yury Kondratenkov: No, other people did, thank God. When they suggested that we take part in it, we got involved and ran into another wall.

Vladimir Putin: Did you try to change ownership?

Yury Kondratenkov: That’s not feasible.

Vladimir Putin: But still, did you try or not?

Yury Kondratenkov: Yes, we did.

Vladimir Putin: How?

Yury Kondratenkov: We addressed expert commissions. They instantly came up with amounts ranging anywhere from 100,000 to 500,000 roubles. This is basically a bribery racket.

Vladimir Putin: Corruption.

Yury Kondratenkov: They may ask for 100,000 or 500,000 roubles. And the officials take a cut of their own. This is corruption.

Vladimir Putin: Did they say so outright?

Yury Kondratenkov: No, not outright, but we have our suspicions. Why would we hide it? It exists.

Vladimir Putin: So, the thing is that the facility that you mentioned… I have just spoken with the governor. He described this problem in general terms.

Yury Kondratenkov: The structure of this building precludes any possibility of renovation. It will collapse. This is a special building. Mr Putin, the modern flax processing plant is what they also refer to as a cultural landmark.  

Vladimir Putin: Is it also part of the cultural heritage?

Yury Kondratenkov: Yes, it is, but it’s not on the list of cultural landmarks. These buildings have been built quite recently, but they are part of our cultural heritage, because their basements had been used to print the Iskra newspaper. Perhaps we should preserve absolutely everything and just sit on our hands.

I think that businesses aren’t always capable of accomplishing everything. Perhaps we should draw up an inventory of these facilities using state agencies?

Vladimir Putin: First, the building you referred to is part of the regional cultural heritage. The procedure is as follows: the local, or rather regional authorities, should contact the Russian government with a proposal to take this building off the list of cultural landmarks. However, they never did.

Yury Kondratenkov: It needs to pass expert analysis before that.

Vladimir Putin: Right, pass expert analysis. It’s hard to do without the expert analysis. That’s why I asked you what can be done. Let’s return to this. I promise I will immediately issue an instruction to the Ministry of Culture on this.

Together with the business community and regional authorities, we should make amendments to the procedure to make it less complicated and also to guarantee the preservation of the truly cultural landmarks, including the regional ones. Not shams like this plant, but other buildings and structures that are really valuable.

Yury Kondratenkov: These buildings have owners already, and they can do nothing about it.

Vladimir Putin: I understand. Let’s think it over together, because, as you just rightly noted, we need to enlist public opinion. Administrations of any level, regional or federal, may just botch the job and liberalise everything so much that we will lose everything.

Yury Kondratenkov: But public opinion will not let it happen.

Vladimir Putin: Right. You need to enlist public opinion, and you don’t seem to be very familiar this.

Yury Kondratenkov: Not very.

Vladimir Putin: It is hard to deal with, even harder than bureaucrats, but you can’t do without it, and I’m with you on this issue. Let’s try to tweak this procedure somehow. As far as this concrete building goes, let the governor come up with proposals. We will deal with it quickly.

Yury Kondratenkov: We will let him know.

Vladimir Putin: I did already. He mentioned this building while describing the general problem. I told him that the building was owned by the region. He was not aware of that. Talk to him again, the colleagues will help you, and I’ll mention it to him again.

Let him come up with a proposal, and I promise that we will tackle the issue with these buildings quickly. We’ll pass a corresponding government resolution and take them off the list.

Yury Kondratenkov: Mr Putin, let me speak for a moment about something pleasant. I am from the district council of Demidov, in the Smolensk Region. On October 1, we will unveil a monument to Yury Nikulin.

Vladimir Putin: Excuse me, but you are a council member. It’s up to you to make things change.

Yury Kondratenkov: Thank God we do not have this problem in Demidov.

Vladimir Putin: Do you mean that there is nothing left of your architectural heritage?

Yury Kondratenkov: Of course there is. We have been restoring cathedrals as well.

Vladimir Putin: That's great.

Yury Kondratenkov: So, we are going to unveil a monument to Yury Nikulin in Demidov on October 1, at 11:00.

Vladimir Putin: I'm aware of that.

Yury Kondratenkov: Even if you say that you might attend, it would mean a great deal to us and would help Demidov deal with its problems.

Vladimir Putin: The Smolensk Region governor has already talked to me about this, and he seemed proud of this project, so you can be sure that the ceremony will draw a lot of attention.

Yury Kondratenkov: I also have a request, on behalf of a youth group. I am assisting with the Popular Front and the United Russia election campaign. Young people are very active campaigners. They requested that I ask if you could make a comment on our booklet here. It is very important to them, and to all of us.

Vladimir Putin: I wish you the best of luck in every endeavour.

Yury Kondratenkov: Can I inform the people in Demidov that there's a chance you might make it to the unveiling ceremony?

Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much for inviting me and for paying tribute to the memory of a brilliant actor who was loved by millions.

Yury Kondratenkov: He was our fellow countryman – he was born here.

Vladimir Putin:  Exactly 100 years ago. Good-bye, take care. And we’ll take care of this problem, I'm sure of it.

Yury Kondratenkov: Not only in Smolensk.

Vladimir Putin: Right, not only in Smolensk, but in big cities especially. I remember in St Petersburg how we struggled to entrust cultural heritage sites to regional authorities instead of federal ones. There are a lot of buildings of this nature in St Petersburg. Is that all?

Natalya Sementsova: We have a request. You know about how teachers have been inspired by government initiatives to support them – to raise the respect and status for their profession and to improve their socio-economic status. We see that and we appreciate it. We also hope that this is only the beginning, that more drastic and more serious steps will follow, and that we will live to see teachers treated as civil servants performing an official duty for their country. But there is a problem here, which I feel we could help resolve, along with the Popular Front.

You understand that there are many different institutions that educate children and foster their talents – general schools and preschools, sports schools, and music schools. The classroom teacher does not do it alone. It is a complex system, whose balance is disrupted easily and difficult to restore. If we focus all of our support on classroom teachers while neglecting social workers, psychologists, daycare workers, music teachers, and so on, we’ll have problems further down the road. Considering the most pressing problems – such as schools being understaffed – I think we should create some incentives for them to stay, and to ensure social justice. How do you feel about this?

Vladimir Putin: I completely agree. We think about that too, and discuss it with the government and with the president. We will certainly try to resolve this problem.

Natalya Sementsova: If there is anything we can do, we are always ready to help.

Vladimir Putin: The important thing here is that you are looking at it from the right angle. This most certainly is a task for the regional and municipal authorities, since these institutions are always managed at the regional and municipal level. In fact general schools are also managed by regional authorities… My point is that schoolteachers are the first large group that we decided to support directly at the federal level. We will continue to discuss this problem and we will certainly get closer to resolving it.

I just don't want to get ahead of myself, because I prefer discussing matters with experts first – with ministries, departments, regional heads – in order to consider the possibilities among different regions as well as the federal budget, and to find an ideal solution. For preschools and kindergartens, I can tell you now that nearly all regions have agreed to raise the salaries of their staffs, along with those of general school teachers.

Natalya Sementsova: At kindergartens.

Vladimir Putin: Yes, at kindergartens, too. The same is true for all kinds of art schools and other educational institutions. We are keeping this all in mind, and we will move forward.

Natalya Sementsova: I am glad that you have noted this and that we’ll be able to move ahead.

Vladimir Putin: It has not escaped our attention, but everything needs to be done step by step. We took one step forward. But I should tell you – you must have heard – this is primarily a task for the regional authorities. This is the way the law distributes authority and responsibility, but…

Natalya Sementsova: There are not always enough funds…

Vladimir Putin: As for that question, there are never enough funds. It's more important to consider how to spend what money there is. You have some money, and you decide whether you spend it on renovating a building or on a new development project. What’s more important – a development project or higher salaries in kindergartens? The choice is not always obvious. This is a matter of setting priorities, and this is why it is so important for people in legislatures and city halls, especially in big cities and in regional legislatures, to understand what they are doing, where they are allocating money while compiling their budgets and signing them into law. The same holds true on the federal level. I hope you will work hard in parliament, and with that attitude, you’ll be able to make a difference.

Natalya Sementsova: Thank you.

Natalya Aksyonova: Mr Putin, I'd like to ask you for some advice. We are acting on your instructions and drafting the People’s Programme. For example, while working on healthcare issues we hold various medical forums. About 1,040 medical workers attended a recent forum in Safonovo. We weren’t actually calling on them to join the front, but they voted to join our Smolensk division. And now there is a question – they are calling me to ask if they can still join the Popular Front while being members of other political parties. Is that possible? I told them I would ask you.

Vladimir Putin: It is certainly possible. We aren’t trying to convert anybody, but if they make a conscious choice, then why not? They are welcome.

Natalya Aksyonova: That’s the answer they were hoping for. Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: They could promote their own initiatives within their own parties, and perhaps persuade the entire party to join the Popular Front. But this would not be easy. These parties have their own programmes and goals and their own perspective on the future development of Russia. It could be hard to convince their leaders. In that case they could join the front on an individual basis or in groups. We offer a broad range of opportunities.

Natalya Aksyonova: You know, for instance, the local branch of the Communist Party approached me and said: “Ms Aksyonova, you are a doctor and we have known you for years. If you join [the front], it won’t make any difference to us.” What I want to say is that the Popular Front is taking the right approach. This is the idea…

Vladimir Putin: This is the idea of the Popular Front and preliminary voting, for that matter. From what you are saying, the tasks we set to ourselves, rules and instruments we have developed are working.

Natalya Aksyonova: They do. I can confirm that.

Vladimir Putin: I'm very glad.

Natalya Aksyonova: Thank you for this meeting.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much.