Responding to journalists' questions after the meeting, Viktor Zubkov made the following statement:

“We have just assessed how the work to restore the New Jerusalem Resurrection Monastery is progressing, and we have held a meeting. We do this regularly. The last time we were here was three months ago, that is, on November 2, 2011.

Today, we examined the results of the work for 2011, and we have charted the tasks for 2012. I’ll say from the very beginning that the restoration project has made considerable headway. Work is proceeding apace. More and more specialists are being involved. Over 600 specialists are currently working here. Specially designed scaffolding enables them to work without interruption and without being dependent on the weather. We have just seen this for ourselves.

There are concrete results. We have seen them today. Construction work has been completed at the Sunday school, where the monastery’s brethren will live while the restoration work is carried out. The interior of the Gateway Church has also been renovated. Its cross has been repaired and put back up. They are restoring the iconostasis and paintings. There is good progress on restoring the chief components of the monastery, the Bell Tower and the Resurrection Cathedral.

The total cost of operations was 843 million roubles in 2011. There are plans to allocate nearly two billion roubles in 2012. This demands the utmost concentration from all of us and commitment towards the tasks that lie before us.

All the documentation is assessed by commissions, experts, scientists, and through round table discussions. Our main task lies not in building a perfect replica of the monastery, but in preserving the idea of Patriarch Nikon and keeping as close to the appearance of the monastery as it had when it was built. 

The current pace of work will enable us to complete this unique project on schedule, that is, by late 2016.

We are aware of the constant attention and support we receive from the co-chairpersons of the fund’s board of trustees, namely, President Dmitry Medvedev and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, as well as from large numbers of ordinary people who contribute what they can to the restoration of this sacred structure. I would like to use this opportunity to thank them for their attention and support.”

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During his visit, Mr Zubkov was shown the web cameras that are installed at the monastery and which make it possible to watch restoration work online.

“Who has access to these cameras?” the First Deputy Prime Minister asked.

“Organisations and companies involved in the project, including the fund to restore the monastery, the client and developer, the general contractor and the general designer,” a spokesperson for the general contractor noted.

“Let’s make sure that anyone wishing to check on the progress of the restoration work can do this at any time on our fund's website (www.ierusalimfond.ru), the First Deputy Prime Minister noted.

“We will do that in the near future,” a corporate representative replied.

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First Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov heads the board of a charity fund to restore the New Jerusalem Resurrection Monastery.

The creation of the fund was a joint initiative of President Dmitry Medvedev and Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia.