Agenda: review of the visit to Kyrgyzstan, reimbursement of consumer expenses for electricity in the new regions, and the progress of the education system’s preparation for the new academic year.
Meeting with deputy prime ministers on current issues
Meeting with deputy prime ministers on current issues
Dmitry Chernyshenko at a meeting on current issues with deputy prime ministers
Meeting with deputy prime ministers on current issues
Excerpts from the transcript:
Mikhail Mishustin: Good afternoon, colleagues.
Let’s begin with a review of last week’s working visit to Kyrgyzstan. We held detailed talks with the republic’s leadership, focusing on opportunities to further expand bilateral trade and economic cooperation. Discussions also covered progress on joint projects in industry, transport and energy – including peaceful nuclear energy – as well as enhanced collaboration in science, technology, and humanitarian fields.
The year’s second meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council took place in Cholpon-Ata. Let me remind you that on 1 January, the union marked its tenth anniversary. The President highlighted how the economic potential of the five member states has significantly strengthened over this period. With our partners, we agreed to accelerate the formation of shared markets for medicines and medical products to ensure their quality and safety, approving the relevant concepts.
We adopted a programme to develop exchange trading on the EAEU’s common commodity market. Its implementation will create additional opportunities for national businesses and expand the use of national currencies in mutual settlements.
The action plan for implementing the coordinated transport policy of member states was also updated.
Other key topics included customs controls on goods valuation, the climate agenda, the development of a shared labour market, and the integration of modern technologies into priority industries.
Colleagues, all agreements reached during the visit must be implemented in a timely and high-quality manner. I urge you to keep these matters under personal oversight and maintain close communication with your counterparts in the EAEU countries.
Let me elaborate briefly on supporting our regions.
The Government has been persisting with its system-wide effort to promote social and economic development in Russia’s new regions and ensuring that they are fully integrated in our single national space. This is the objective we received from the President.
To deliver on this vision, we have been building up power grids there, among other things. These grids have a direct bearing on power supply to single-family homes and apartment blocks, as well as businesses. In 2025, we have already managed to integrate the power grids in the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics and the Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions into a single entity. This enabled us to expand and expedite major equipment upgrades and renovation projects. In addition to that, we made sure that local specialists have better gear and equipment at their disposal, including machinery. Overall, the Government has allocated over 10 billion roubles to this effect.
We decided to spend another 1.5 billion roubles to offset electricity costs for consumers.
With this initiative, we expect manufacturers and service providers to have more funds at their disposal while ensuring that the power generation and distribution sector continues to comply with the required standards in terms of its reliability.
There is another important topic on our agenda.
Knowledge Day is right around the corner – we will be marking it on 1 September. Educational institutions across all the regions of Russia will open their doors to millions of school and university students.
Of course, it is imperative that all these young people enjoy their schooling and benefit from a modern educational environment and good equipment.
To achieve this objective, we have been carrying out major repairs and building new schools – these undertakings are part of the Youth and Children National Project. At the same time, we have been paying a lot of attention to improving the educational space and offering more mentorship opportunities.
Last year, over 40,000 schools in Russia welcomed 18.5 million pupils, including over 130 brand new school buildings with all the necessary equipment.
We are also upgrading our vocational training colleges. More young people are eager to learn specific trades and professions to be able to enter the job market.
Mr Chernyshenko, I know that the effort to develop educational infrastructure is currently at its peak. Could you please offer us a progress report on this matter?
Dmitry Chernyshenko at a meeting on current issues with deputy prime ministers
Dmitry
Chernyshenko: Mr Mishustin,
The education system’s preparations for the new academic year are proceeding according to your instructions and on schedule, to be completed by 29 August. As you noted, the education system is to provide modern and safe conditions across all education institutions in Russia, from kindergartens to higher education.
To achieve this goal, first of all, as per President Vladimir Putin’s instructions, we are actively developing an infrastructure comprising kindergartens, schools, vocational schools, and higher education institutions across Russia under two national projects, Youth and Children, and Family. We have already commissioned 1,732 kindergartens for 250,000 children. By 2030, we will build at least 100 more kindergartens.
By autumn, we plan to open 43 new schools for 40,000 students in different parts of the country, planning further to build at least 150 by 2030. We also plan to build 12 advanced schools in different regions, including three for 2,200 students in the Novgorod, Ryazan and Pskov regions to be built until the end of 2027.
Second, as per the President’s instructions, a major renovation programme is currently underway for kindergartens and schools, with 837 kindergartens and 491 schools to be renovated by 1 September.
Third, under the Professionalitet federal project, major renovation of colleges is underway. Seventy-seven facilities will be renovated by the end of the year, as well as some 200 more next year.
By the way, as you also noted, Professionalitet is the key driver of vocational training in Russia as 60 percent of school graduates choose colleges to learn a sought-after trade.
There are currently 506 clusters across Russia, focused on the most high-demand industries. These clusters are closely aligned with each region’s economic specifics and involve collaboration with 2,500 industrial partners.
Thanks to your support, Mr Mishustin, another 13 clusters have been launched this year in six industries in the newly incorporated and border regions. Another 95 selected clusters across Russia will be added next year.
Fourth, we are particularly focused on developing university infrastructure. The flagship initiative in this effort is the development of a modern campus network designed to provide comfortable living, learning and working environments for students, young researchers and scientists.
According to the President’s instruction, 25 campuses covering a total area of over 3 mln sq m, are already in development. They will provide accommodation for over 76,000 students and faculty members. The number of campuses is expected to reach 40 by 2036.
The Ministry of Education will determine the remaining 15 projects this year, to be approved by you.
Mr Mishustin, we follow the implementation of each project actually every day, as you have instructed us. And we know that the monitor in your study always reflects this current information.
As of today, apart from the construction of university campuses, over 3,000 university and research facilities measuring a total of 3.5 million square metres of floor space have been overhauled. These include 1,000 student hostels, something that makes it possible to improve living conditions for 420,000 students.
As you said, parents and children are also making active preparations for the start of the academic year.
As for the cost of school sets, we, as usual, have involved the Federal Antimonopoly Service and the Ministry of Industry and Trade. We have also employed the Ministry of Digital Development to organise feedback from parents via the Public Services portal.
Mr Mishustin, you have chaired several important meetings that produced decisions on improving the quality of education and training engineers.
All of these have been put at the base of the draft Education Development Strategy until 2036. We are finalising this key document at the President’s instruction.
We have discussed the draft with experts, lawmakers, scientists, and teachers. The upcoming National Teachers Congress to be held at the Rossiya National Centre on 19 August will become an important landmark in our work on the strategy.
Mr Mishustin, we are keeping the situation under control in order to finish preparations for the new academic year with good quality and in time.
Mikhail Mishustin: This is the most important thing. All assignments should be accomplished so that children and students come to comfortable modern schools and other educational institutions and study under professionally organised conditions. Everything needed by teachers should also be commissioned in time. This means that we have very little time left.
Please, keep the situation under control.
