Marat Khusnullin: Russia’s greatest asset is its people

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The third meeting in the "Motherland Is People" series was held on 26 August at the National Centre RUSSIA as part of the All-Russian project "What Does the Motherland Begin With?". The meeting was titled "Quality Housing and Transport Infrastructure". The key speaker was the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Marat Khusnullin. Together with representatives of the construction and road industries, public organisations and youth organisations, he discussed the key areas of government policy aimed at creating modern, advanced infrastructure to improve people's quality of life under the national project "Infrastructure for Life".

"Today at the National Centre RUSSIA, we are discussing what the Motherland means. People are our country's greatest asset. That is why people and the places where they live are at the heart of our work. Housing and the urban environment are not simply facilities, but spaces for development, freedom and security. They are about ensuring that every family feels comfortable, that children have a future and that parents have confidence in tomorrow. We are implementing the national project 'Infrastructure for Life', which brings together everything people need in their daily lives: where they live, where they relax, where they work, and how and by which means of transport they travel. Housing is the central element around which all our future development plans are built," said Marat Khusnullin. 

He emphasised that more than 100 million square metres of housing are currently under construction. Marat Khusnullin noted that 108 million square metres of housing were commissioned last year, while the figure reached almost 150 million square metres when all types of property were taken into account. Per capita, this was the highest figure in the country's history, including the Soviet period. According to him, the volume of construction work has increased by 36%, while the construction industry accounts for more than 20% of the country's GDP.

Marat Khusnullin explained that mortgages remain one of the main factors determining the pace of construction and the affordability of housing. According to him, the state compensates banks for the difference in interest rates under preferential programmes, particularly the family mortgage programme. As a result, people who took out loans at 6% continue to pay that rate. He added that this support is one of the main incentives for housing construction, so the Government intends to continue developing mortgage programmes and is allocating significant budget funds for their implementation. 

The development of the road network was another topic discussed with the Deputy Prime Minister. According to him, this area has received a powerful boost in recent years.

"Transport accessibility is one of the most important factors affecting where people live. We are taking a comprehensive approach to major road projects. One of them is the 'Russia' Motorway from Saint Petersburg to Vladivostok. Over the past five years, 3,700 kilometres of high-speed roads have been built in our country without a single traffic light or intersection. They are well lit and equipped with flyovers and interchanges, allowing vehicles to travel at more than 110 kilometres per hour. The M-12 Motorway alone, which runs almost parallel to the M-7 Motorway, already carries 70–80 million tonnes of freight a year. This year, we will extend it and open the route to Tyumen, creating a complete four-lane, illuminated motorway from Saint Petersburg to Tyumen. We will then continue moving eastwards. We are also building bypasses around cities wherever traffic volumes require them," he said. 

Marat Khusnullin added that railways are another important mode of transport. It is crucial that suburban rail services are developed more actively in Russia. The Deputy Prime Minister cited the Central Transport Hub, the largest in the world, as an example. This network is continuing to expand from Moscow and the Moscow Region to cities across the Central Federal District.

The Deputy Prime Minister emphasised that construction work is also progressing actively in the reunified and border regions. According to him, despite the difficult operational situation, work continues every day: 25,000 facilities have already been restored, federal roads have been brought up to standard, utility infrastructure continues to be upgraded and housing continues to undergo major repairs. 

The Head of the M-12 Vostok Motorway Construction Project at the Avtodor State Company, Vitaly Shmarov, explained that large-scale infrastructure projects become a reality through the coordinated efforts of thousands of people involved in their implementation: "The rapid growth of infrastructure projects has become possible because, without exaggeration, the entire country is involved in such projects. Tens of thousands of people worked on the section from Moscow to Kazan during construction, with around 1,000 pieces of equipment in operation. Even the relatively short section from Murom to Arzamas required millions of tonnes of construction materials. We laid two million square metres of asphalt and built 136 engineering structures. To meet the deadlines, we introduced innovative solutions such as slipform technology and, for the first time in Russia, cable-stayed systems manufactured in our country. Previously, all cable-stayed bridges were built using foreign technologies." 

Marat Khusnullin also discussed the development of international transport corridors. He noted that it is already possible to travel along high-speed roads from Saint Petersburg to Sevastopol via the "North — South" route, while work to develop the road network continues. He identified the "Europe — Western China" corridor, which connects Saint Petersburg with the Orenburg Region and Kazakhstan, as another priority. According to him, individual road sections in the Republic of Tatarstan and onwards towards Orenburg are gradually being expanded to four lanes in line with traffic volumes.

The Deputy Prime Minister noted the special role of the All-Russian Contest for the Best Projects to Create a Comfortable Urban Environment in the development of small towns and thanked the National Centre RUSSIA for hosting important events, including the All-Russian Forum "Development of Small Towns and Historic Settlements". He also recalled that a separate contest for the reunified and border regions was launched for the first time this year. Residents' involvement in selecting improvement projects and the work of volunteers demonstrate the strong interest Russians have in developing their cities. 

"Where there is construction, there is life. Construction is about people. Today, 13 million people work in construction in our country. I recommend joining the construction industry. The country will continue to build and develop," concluded the Deputy Prime Minister.

The restoration of Russia's historical regions and the creation of opportunities for the younger generation also received particular attention at the meeting. Citing the young people of Donbass as an example, the Head of the "Young South" Interregional Youth Movement, Yulia Klimenko, noted that young people in the reunified regions are being given every opportunity for self-expression and to build a constructive, patriotic future. 

"Most young people remain in Donbass today because the region is developing very actively. New projects are being created, and young people enjoy being part of them. They understand that they are contributing to the development of their region, so most remain in the place where they were born in order to make it better. The youth centres that we are actively creating are places of attraction where any young person can come after school or college to spend time with friends, attend an educational programme, develop creative skills or, for example, help residents take part in volunteer or patriotic initiatives," said Yulia Klimenko.

"Motherland Is People" is part of the National Centre RUSSIA's original project "What Does the Motherland Begin With?". The series consists of several stages involving representatives of the Government of the Russian Federation, heads of federal executive bodies, heads of Russian regions and opinion leaders.