"The events of the Russian Spring are a turning point in the history of our country"
For 11 years as part of the Russian Federation, Sevastopol has been fully integrated into the Russian space: large companies such as Sber and Promsvyazbank are already operating in the region, and the volume of investments in fixed assets, excluding federal budget funds, has already reached 246.8 billion rubles. Mikhail Razvozhaev, the governor of Sevastopol, told Izvestia about this in an interview. According to him, the city's population has doubled in 10 years. The tourist flow is also growing: this summer, the authorities expect twice as many tourists as last year. One of the tasks for the future is to solve the personnel shortage and increase energy and gas supply. The security system in the region is also effectively established, while the governor does not exclude possible provocations from Kiev against the background of the successes of the Russian Armed Forces on the front line. What do the "Russian spring" and the era of Minin and Pozharsky have in common, according to Mikhail Razvozhaev, in an interview with the governor of Izvestia.
"Sevastopol is actually a frontline city from day one"
— After 11 years, the country still perceives the "Crimean spring", which you in Sevastopol call "Russian", so excitingly. Why? How do you remember her?
— The "Russian Spring" began on February 23: then people — and that's more than 30 thousand citizens — came to Nakhimov Square to tell the whole world that they were returning to Russia. And that was the beginning of the events of the "Russian spring" on February 23, 2014, which ended with the all—Crimean referendum on March 16 and the presidential decree on March 18 on the creation of two new subjects of the Russian Federation - the federal city of Sevastopol and the Republic of Crimea. I was living and working in Krasnoyarsk at the time, but I perfectly remember my feelings of some kind of delight and pride in what was happening. The whole country then clung to the TV screens and watched the events in Sevastopol. At first, it was hard to believe that we were seeing all this here and now and experiencing this historic moment. I was a schoolboy when the geopolitical catastrophe happened and the Soviet Union collapsed, but I perfectly remember those events and the feelings I felt. And here is the year 2014: and I see the rebirth of Russia, our country has shown that it is ready and able to protect its geopolitical and geostrategic interests.
The events of the "Russian spring" in modern textbooks published by the Ministry of Education about the end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st centuries are already being assessed as the most important historical and political turn in the development of our country. But in the future, I am sure that this will be on a par with such events as the renaissance after the Time of Troubles, the era of Minin and Pozharsky and the new reign of the Romanovs. The same thing happened when the Russian land was being assembled after the Tatar-Mongol invasions. In other words, the events of the "Russian spring" are also a turning point in the history of our country, when we felt ourselves on the path of rebirth again.
— You have been in charge of the region since the summer of 2019, during which time Sevastopol has experienced a lot — from a blackout to UAV attacks. Do you think it was possible to end this "turbulent" period and return the population to a calm and measured life?
— There have been a lot of calls during this time. In fact, immediately after the "Russian spring" there was a blackout, then the Kiev regime made various tricky attempts to ruin the lives of Crimeans and Sevastopol residents. After that, the closure of the Crimean Canal, when the Dnieper water stopped flowing to the peninsula. During the dry period, this led to a certain shortage, but unprecedented measures were immediately taken. Of course, Sevastopol residents and Crimeans showed courage during this period. Naturally, the coronavirus that the whole country is facing. And then there are the tasks of a special military operation that require a lot of internal mobilization.
Sevastopol has been a frontline city since day one. He has always been particularly hated by the Kiev regime. It was expressed in constant attacks by drones and unmanned boats that were heading to the shores of Sevastopol bays. In attacks by British and American missiles. Sevastopol has always been a fortress, and in this case it is also well protected. Over the past six months, we have seen that everything is working effectively: if drones arrive — and this happens almost every night or every other day — they all get lost at a considerable distance from the coast of Sevastopol into the sea and do not cause problems to the residents of the city. Despite all these challenges and restrictions, we, of course, continue to operate a medium-level response mode and a "yellow" terrorist threat level. But the city lives fully: people go to work, children go to school, to kindergartens. Cultural events are held. The rear is fully operational from the point of view of helping the front, (they are working. — Ed.) our volunteer associations. The city lives and breathes life to the fullest, but with certain precautions. Sevastopol residents have learned to live during this period, and I am sure that we will cope with it.
— It is impossible not to recall the shelling that took place in Uchkuyevka...
— Yes, this is a monstrous tragedy that occurred last year in Uchkuyevka, when prohibited weapons were used on civilians relaxing on the beach in the summer. Four people were killed and more than 150 were injured. We now have an almost 100% available air alert system. Special mobile concrete fortifications have been created, so that you can be in shelter in 3-5 minutes, we have more than 500 of them throughout the city. But, thank God, there have been no such attacks in the last 6-7 months. Then we faced a new challenge, the American ATACMS.
A woman lays flowers at a spontaneous memorial in Uchkuyevka on the day of mourning for those killed in a missile attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Of course, there is always a risk factor, but we have done everything that could be done based on this experience. Again, the Kiev regime is capable of any provocation: we understand this, especially when it is quite obvious that there are fewer and fewer opportunities to resist the Russian army. Of course, this may lead to some additional provocations. But our air defense systems, like other systems, do not stand still. During this time, we have learned to work out such threats much more effectively.
"I think we've done it so far"
— Yes, a lot has been done in the region over the years. Has it been possible to finally integrate the region into the legal, economic, and business space of Russia?
— From the point of view of integration, it was a lot of difficult work. By the way, our historical territories are currently undergoing it, and they are conducting it more successfully and quickly due to the experience of Sevastopol and Crimea. I think we've done well so far. Both Sber and Promsvyazbank are working with us. VTB has announced its arrival on the peninsula and, accordingly, in Sevastopol since last year. In terms of investments, we have even exceeded our ambitious goal — from 2022 to 2025, we planned to attract 200 billion rubles of private investment to Sevastopol. Today, according to Rosstat estimates, the volume of investments in fixed assets, excluding federal budget funds, has already reached the figure of 246.8 billion rubles. We predict that the figure will increase even more by the end of 2025.
The latest projects that have been accepted are already being completed. And new ones are created according to all standards. This applies, for example, to healthcare. When we brought the system up to Russian standards, it was necessary to undergo licensing: currently, out of 120 medical institutions, 119 are fully licensed. In other words, they have finally switched to Russian standards of medical care. In addition, a new medical cluster is being built.: This is a new multidisciplinary hospital and cancer center.
I cannot fail to mention the urban planning policy: this year, the Sevastopol law adopted a new general plan of the city. Before that, there were restrictions that strongly affected various areas: both housing construction and territorial development, since many land issues were not settled and it was necessary to use documents adopted during the period of the Ukrainian leadership.
— And which areas are still "sagging"?
— One of the difficulties is the problems that have been accumulating for decades or even since the Soviet period. This is, of course, the development of an electricity generation system. The capacity itself has been created, but it will continue to increase, because both the peninsula and the city are developing. Additional capacities will be required. The second important issue is the completion and commissioning of the gas supply system. The gasification process has not been fully completed, we need to build another circular gas pipeline and complete part of the distribution networks there. Work is also underway to replace water supply networks. Sewage treatment plants are also important. We plan to complete the construction of the Yuzhny wastewater treatment plant next year. A branch of the Balaklava collector will also be completed to it: then wastewater there will stop being discharged into the sea and will flow to sewage treatment plants. This will make the city more environmentally friendly, and the Black Sea coast in the area of the Sevastopol zone will become absolutely clean.
Then, of course, housing construction — for a long time, land issues were not settled. Today they are allowed: we have six promising territories for integrated residential development. This will allow us to significantly increase housing construction, making it more affordable.
— Is there a rough understanding of how long it will take to solve these problems?
— Projects with sewage treatment plants and a new medical cluster are a three—year horizon. As for housing, the prospect is 10 years, but they will bring dividends every year in the form of apartments that can be launched into social programs and on the market. As for the electric and gas supply system, this is probably a five—year prospect.
"We are waiting for Vladimir Vladimirovich at any time, always"
— By the way, you met with the president not so long ago, and he drew attention to the need to attract teachers and increase the number of outpatient clinics in the city. Will these issues be resolved this year?
— It's a whole process, there's no magic wand. Vladimir Vladimirovich rather emphasized that our figures (on these indicators. — Ed.) differ from the average Russian. But this does not mean that we do not provide any medical services or that we do not have teachers in certain disciplines.
There is a certain shortage, yes. But we are constantly developing, creating new infrastructure. Somewhere in our country, buildings of medical institutions and schools are being built at a faster pace, which require personnel. And we are constantly looking for and attracting specialists. I think that the situation with personnel indicators in Sevastopol can be leveled up to the average Russian level in the next three years. Especially considering that we are actively launching the construction of new housing and plan to provide office apartments for teachers and doctors.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhaev (left)
But please note: Sevastopol has been reaching today's figures since 2014. No one had dealt with the personnel problem before. The population of Sevastopol has doubled in 10 years. That is, the entire infrastructure was designed for a completely different number of people. And new citizens who have arrived from other regions of the country are a large influx of migrants. And it's not the same here as in many regions of the Russian Federation, when growth proceeds in an evolutionary way. And before that, the infrastructure was Soviet, in the Ukrainian period it did not actually develop. In 10 years, all this has been done, and today there is no bright shortage. There is a slight lag behind the average Russian level, but we understand how to overcome it.
— By the way, Vladimir Putin said back in April that he could come to you again, visit Tauride Chersonesos. Do you expect the President to come this year, especially considering the opening of the New Chersonesos?
— We are waiting for Vladimir Vladimirovich at any time, always. Each of his visits to Sevastopol is always an event, it is a pride for people, because the president is very much loved in Sevastopol. In March 2023, he unexpectedly appeared at the newly completed and about to open art school. We were preparing to report on the opening of this facility remotely, but suddenly Vladimir Vladimirovich appeared and personally inspected the school. Of course, it was an amazing event, and the whole city still remembers it. Novy Chersonesos has become a point where every citizen of our country should visit in order to touch the origins of our statehood and our civilization. Therefore, I think that this visit will take place. But only when it is appropriate and when Vladimir Vladimirovich makes such a decision.
"We are optimistic about the upcoming summer period"
— The tourist season will begin in Sevastopol soon. How do you assess the prospects of the tourist flow for this summer? Especially considering the consequences of the fuel oil spill in December 2024?
— According to the first forecasts, it was assumed that we would not encounter this problem at all. Unfortunately, some of the fuel oil was carried by the current to the southwestern coast of Crimea, that is, to the Sevastopol zone. On January 3, we discovered these fuel oil emissions on Sevastopol Beach and immediately began to eliminate them. The townspeople themselves initiated the cleaning of the territory, especially where they like to relax. We have completely eliminated all visible consequences of this incident on the Sevastopol coastline. We continue monitoring.
Now, together with Rospotrebnadzor, we are conducting an analysis of the coast in terms of samples and permissible concentrations. The first samples show that the beaches are absolutely clean, there is no excess of the maximum permissible concentration (MPC). In addition, our divers examined the bottom in the area of Sevastopol bays. No fuel oil was found at the bottom. And there are no formations in the water column either. Therefore, the situation is stable and controlled today. Of course, there are some concerns about those ships that have not yet been raised, but I am sure that work is underway with the relevant services. We really hope that a solution will be found and there will be no new emissions on the territory of Sevastopol.
In general, we are optimistic about the upcoming summer period. Now we can see that there is a very positive trend compared to last spring — plus 40% of bookings. And for the summer period, we forecast an increase of almost double compared to last year's figures.
— This year, in September, the elections of the governor will be held in Sevastopol. Why did you decide to fight for the position again? What does hero city mean to you personally?
— We talked a lot about what needs to be done to solve the tasks set. And the active phase of the implementation of many projects, for example, the same medical cluster or sewage treatment plants, began in my first term. As a responsible person, I would like to complete these projects and tell myself that they have been implemented from beginning to end. It seems to me that this is a responsible and correct position — not to leave the case in the process. This is my main internal professional challenge.
I really love Sevastopol. I perceive him in two dimensions. One thing is that it is a symbol city, it is a kind of Russian phoenix that burns brightly and illuminates the historical path of our country. It burns down periodically in difficult times for the Motherland, but it is always restored from the ashes. And today is its new renaissance period, when it burns with a very bright light and, starting in 2014, illuminates our historical choice, the historical path. The second is a personal attitude. At some point in your life, you start thinking about where you would like to meet old age, although maybe it's a common stereotype. I would like to be in Sevastopol. I don't know how my life will develop further, but I would like to receive my grandchildren in Sevastopol. And to do this, you need to look people in the eye very openly and boldly, walk the streets so that you don't feel ashamed of what you are doing.
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