Transcript of the beginning of the meeting:

Dmitry Medvedev: Colleagues, before we start I’d like to say a few words about the situation in Krymsk. We are assessing the damage and the number of buildings that have been damaged or become unliveable, and we need to continue this effort. After the president visited Krymsk yesterday, the government is to draft the necessary proposals, and I expect you to report on the issue. One more important issue in addition to compensation and material damages is the rehabilitation of the city’s infrastructure, which was badly damaged in the disaster. We need to work on this. Mr Dvorkovich, I know that you’ve analysed the situation. Please, report in short on the situation and what we need to do.

Arkady Dvorkovich: Mr Prime Minister, colleagues, each involved ministry has reported on the situation as of 9 a.m. today. They report that power has almost been completely restored, with only one substation left unconnected to the grid because of flooding around the power poles.

That substation is to be connected to the grid at 10 p.m. today, that is, if everything goes according to plan and we complete all our work on schedule. So far, there are no grounds for concern. After that the last 500 people will have power, assuming they were hooked up to the grid in the first place. The houses where the ground floor was flooded are connected via temporary cables, beginning with the first floor or outside the house, in the yard, to ensure that all the necessary equipment is connected to the power supply.

Work to connect people to the gas supply system has been completed in Krymsk, the Krymsk District and Gelendzhik. There are only a few dozen houses that have not yet been connected to the gas network.

Regarding the hydro engineering facilities, we are monitoring the reservoirs and things are stable. Our main goal now is to assess that infrastructure to determine what should be done to protect Krymsk and other cities from this risk in future. We are considering several options, including the construction of additional protective structures, the reconstruction of storm water drains whose condition is absolutely unsatisfactory, and even the construction of additional diversion channels, but it is still unclear what we really need. I’d like to say once again that we are analysing the matter and will complete our analysis soon. Only then will we be able to determine what we need to do.

As for communications, nearly all mobile phone base stations have been reactivated. Only one of the 314 stations is inoperable, but the other stations ensure the full range of services to subscribers. As for land-line communications, all the main networks have been restored. But 6,500 subscribers still lack access to land-based communications because their homes were inundated, and this problem has not yet been resolved completely. More subscribers are being connected each day, but we still need several more days to fulfill this objective. All others will receive telephone service after being relocated to new residential buildings where communications lines are currently being installed. The communications lines will be completed prior to people moving in. Everything will be done on schedule.

In conclusion, I would like to say a few words about the transport situation. Railway traffic has been restored completely. The 25-40 kph speed restriction is being retained along some sections because some of the right-of-way structures, primarily bridge overpasses, were inundated. Repairs are underway, and speed limit restrictions are being lifted each day.

The situation on roads is more complicated. Although traffic is still being hindered, road service workers and traffic inspectors are ensuring two-way traffic to Krymsk basically with manual traffic direction. This ensures freight deliveries and allows people to travel normally. Despite the two-way traffic flow, again, it will be complicated to get it back to normal. Constant air traffic is maintained in order to evacuate children from the summer camps whenever necessary. This is almost finished. Moreover, children and adults will be relocated to temporary accommodations including holiday hotels.

And the last thing: namely, the situation with the reservoirs. The oil spill has been eliminated, and now things are back to normal. There are no problems.

I repeat, the main issue is to assess the need for rebuilding the utility infrastructure. We will have this assessment soon.

Dmitry Medvedev: Naturally, all this work must be continued and completed. All the main communications must be restored as soon as possible and to the maximum possible extent. As for the city's protection and for making any infrastructure modernisation decisions, these decisions must be adopted only after the most exhaustive assessment of current conditions because an array of theories exists. Naturally, all these theories must be analysed, but these technological decisions must be based on an assessment of actual events and, also, on specific protection measures which absolutely need to be implemented.

We launched an international space crew. How did the launch go (Addressing Dmitry Rogozin)?

Dmitry Rogozin: Mr Medvedev, Expedition 32 lifted off for the International Space Station. On July 15, a Soyuz-FG launch vehicle with the Soyuz-TMA-05M spacecraft lifted off from the Baikonur Space Centre at 6:40:03 a.m. Moscow Time. This large and impressive rocket weighs 300 tonnes and can carry a 7.5-tonne payload. The crew includes flight commander Yury Malenchenko from Russia and two flight engineers from Japan and the United States. The launch vehicle operated without any problems, and will dock with the ISS tomorrow at 8:52 a.m., Moscow time. On the whole we have intensified launches from Baikonur and have made some from Plesetsk… Our schedule is as follows: a Soyuz-FG will be launched on July 22, and we will also launch a satellite for the prompt monitoring of man-made and natural disasters, which is very important, especially considering the tragedy in southern Russia. We will also put a Belarusian remote probing satellite into orbit. In a few days – on July 26 – we will launch, also from Baikonur, a Proton M carrier rocket with communications satellites, and on July 28 a Rokot missile will be launched from Plesetsk (yesterday Plesetsk celebrated the 55^th anniversary of the building of the first test spaceport – a great occasion for our experts). On August 1, a Soyuz-U will take off from Baikonur; on August 13, a Proton-M will follow, also from Baikonur; on August 15, we’ll launch a commercial load from sea; on August 30, another Proton-M from Baikonur and on September 19, a Soyuz-2.1a will take off from Baikonur as well. Russia has a busy launching schedule. It will also proceed with the large-scale construction of the Vostochny spaceport.

Mr Medvedev, I’d also like to ask you if you could visit us, perhaps in autumn. We are now conducting a large-scale excavation and plan to start the construction of a launching pad by 2015, so in autumn we’ll be able to show you what we have done.

As for the next manned flight, it will take place next October. The heads of Roskosmos asked me to pass along to you their invitation to visit Baikonur at your convenience. It would probably be better if you could time your visit to coincide with the manned launch. These are routine activities. Before the end of the year our space industry will submit its proposals on the foundations of space policy. We will review all issues in detail, including reforms of the space industry with a view toward streamlining its production. We must leave the narrow segment that we currently occupy, what I call a space coachman, which gives us no more than three percent of the world space services market. We must use some elbow grease, so…

Dmitry Medvedev: It would be good to use our brains as well.

Dmitry Rogozin: Our brains must be used before elbow grease and this is why, Mr Medvedev, everything is normal.

Dmitry Medvedev: All right, good. I’m pleased to hear this.

Mr Kozak, our athletes will soon go to London for the Olympics. What can you say about the preparations in general?

Dmitry Kozak: On the whole, we have completed the preparations in Russia. The team is ready; we have organised accommodation for our athletes in the Olympic Village, as well as medical services. We have also coordinated the activities of different "Russian houses" with which we have had problems in the past. We hope that everything will go smoothly in London this time. We have coordinated a plan for public and political events so as not to distract our athletes from training.

Dmitry Medvedev: Why do athletes have to visit these houses? They must train for the competitions. Why do you have to coordinate the activities of the Russian houses? Let those who want to visit them go there, but the athletes must hold training sessions in order to remain in excellent shape at all times.

Dmitry Kozak: There is a tradition that after competitions athletes are invited to different places to celebrate their achievements. We had to coordinate this in order not to distract them from the main goal.

Dmitry Kozak: After competitions, athletes may go anywhere they like. What's important is that they don't loaf about before competitions!

Dmitry Kozak: We’ll take care of this.

Dmitry Medvedev: I see. So, the preparations are over?

Dmitry Kozak: Yes, we have created all the conditions necessary for our athletes to participate in the Olympics.

Dmitry Medvedev: Some people have looked into this. What about living conditions and preparations for competitions in London? Is everything in order?

Dmitry Kozak: Yes. The accommodations are comfortable; there is an Olympic attaché always ready to receive our athletes. There are no organisational problems at all.

Dmitry Medvedev: All right. We only have to wait and see what is available there and what accommodations they have. Thank you.

<...>