Patronage assistance: 32 regions of Russia are involved in the restoration of the LPR

In 2024, the regional chiefs of the Luhansk People's Republic restored almost one and a half thousand social infrastructure facilities there. Restoration work is continuously under control from the center – Sergey Kiriyenko, First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation, regularly visits construction sites in the republic. Izvestia reports on how the social sphere of the LPR is being restored.

Working with the whole world

Dozens of Russian regions are involved in large-scale work on the restoration of social infrastructure facilities in the Luhansk People's Republic. As the Minister of Construction and Housing and Communal Services of the republic Igor Zharkov reported in January, a total of 32 subjects of the Russian Federation took part in the restoration of the LPR last year, taking over the patronage of the region. "According to the reconstruction block, last year we had 1,472 facilities improved by 32 regional bosses in our 28 municipalities. This is starting from linear objects — roads, schools, hospitals, kindergartens, boiler houses, and so on," Zharkov said.

First of all, the regional chiefs are restoring facilities necessary for establishing a peaceful life in the republic: housing, communal infrastructure, and social facilities. For example, Kostroma builders built a paramedic and obstetric center in Kalmykovka, Melovsky district, and specialists from Bashkiria carried out large-scale repairs in hospitals in the city of Krasny Luch, equipping them with new modern medical equipment.

Patronage of new territories is not limited to assistance in construction. For example, doctors from the Altai Territory are working in the Slavyanoserbsky district, helping to establish medical care for the population. In addition, the Department of Research and Methodological Work of the Astrakhan Regional Scientific Library named after N.K. Krupskaya handed over educational materials to Lugansk – a series of video reports with successful practices and relevant research.

Coordination and control of the restoration of the LPR is carried out at the highest level – the first deputy head of the presidential administration, Sergei Kiriyenko, constantly keeps his finger on the pulse, regularly visits the republic, inspects facilities, and communicates with specialists on the ground.

So, in January, he visited the Cathedral in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Rovenki. Together with the head of the LPR, Leonid Pasechnik, Kiriyenko talked with Archbishop Arkady of Rovenkovsky and Sverdlovsk, and after learning that the cathedral needed funds to repair the roof, he promised to provide the necessary assistance, both financially and organizationally. "We will need to invite experts to look at it and make an assessment. We will do this ourselves in order to understand exactly how much we fit into and which specialists are needed," Kiriyenko said.

At the same time, he visited Sverdlovsk School No. 6 and assessed the result of the renovation, which was carried out thanks to the help of two regional bosses.

Social assistance

The restoration of the residential, communal and social infrastructure of the new Russian territories is one of the priorities of federal social policy, and the constant monitoring of the process by the presidential administration in this regard seems not only logical, but also necessary. This is not so much a guarantee that the necessary work will be carried out without delay, but also a sign that attention to the new territories will continue to be relentlessly paid, and the federal authorities will tirelessly take care not only of their restoration, but also of their further development.

In the republics of Donbass, Sergey Kiriyenko is well known as the main representative of the federal center in the new territories, who regularly monitors the progress of reconstruction work and delves into the needs of the local population, initiating the development of new social projects. This strategy is bearing fruit: there is no doubt about the effectiveness of federal control in the republics today, and Kiriyenko's award of the highest regional award, the Star of the Hero of the LPR, is another confirmation of this.

However, the federal center is well aware that in order for the new territories not only to be restored, but also to develop, the help of the regional chiefs is not enough. It is equally important, and perhaps even more important, to give residents of the republics the opportunity to develop their own social programs. The republics themselves are also well aware of this, which is why they are increasingly participating in various grant competitions every year, providing assistance in the development of social programs.

So, in January, the coordinating committee of the Presidential Grants Fund, chaired by Kiriyenko, determined the winners of the first grant competition this year, including 11 projects from the LPR. The total amount of grants allocated to them exceeded 15.6 million rubles. Of these, the Republican Center for Social Rehabilitation of the Disabled will receive the largest grant — more than 3.3 million rubles. The Center plans to implement the "Life on the Move" project, which is designed to support people who have been injured, members of their families who have experienced injuries or illnesses, in their further socialization, rehabilitation and adaptation.

The project "Focus on NGOs", prepared by the NGO "Resource Center for Support of Non-Profit Organizations of the Luhansk People's Republic", will receive more than 3 million rubles to strengthen support for the activities of NGOs at the local level. Luhansk regional public organization for social protection and initiatives "The Future of Donbass" will also receive a little more than 3 million rubles for the project "Family intellectual game "The power of family- the power of traditions." The Kotopes Animal Shelter from Sverdlovsk, using funds it will receive from the Presidential Grants Fund, plans to purchase a modular building for temporary overexposure of animals, as well as several dog enclosures.

The Foundation's experts highly appreciated the quality of the submitted applications, which the representatives of the LPR and DPR who participated in the competition owe, among other things, to the training program organized by the Foundation for representatives of the republics of Donbass.

Service in action

This year, reconstruction work in the LPR will continue on an even greater scale. Already in March, Sergey Kiriyenko visited the republic, together with the head of the LPR Leonid Pasechnik, assessing the progress of reconstruction at several social infrastructure facilities at once – in educational, sports and medical institutions.

Kiriyenko and Pasechnik got acquainted with the reconstruction of two schools in Severodonetsk – specialized school No. 17 and sports school No. 1. The first deputy head of the presidential administration and the head of the LPR also visited the Lugansk College of Information Technology, where it is planned to renovate a gym and sports halls, as well as a dormitory for 300 people this year.

During a visit to Lugansk polyclinic No. 12, renovated by builders from Moscow, Sergey Kiriyenko presented the LNR doctors with well-deserved awards. An orthopedic traumatologist, Roman Sinitsyn, received a letter of thanks from the President of the Russian Federation, and two nurses were awarded letters of thanks from the leadership of the presidential administration.

The work being carried out is already bearing fruit today: with the support of the federal center and the regional chiefs, the municipal and regional services of the LPR are functioning more actively, starting new and continuing old programs to improve people's lives. They will be able to receive an assessment of this work pretty soon: on March 31, the public vote for the winners of the second All-Russian municipal award "Service" started on the Gosuslugi portal.

To note the merits: in the Russian Federation, the popular vote for the winners of the Service Award starts

The winners will be awarded at the forum "Small Motherland — the strength of Russia" in April.

The award was organized on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Sergey Kiriyenko was appointed Chairman of the Supervisory Board. Its purpose is to highlight the best practices in the field of local government. This year, the new territories of the Russian Federation are participating in it very actively: last year, 126 applications were received for the award from the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions, this year there are already 540 of them. Of these, more than 100 applications were received from the territory of the LPR. The topics of the projects are very diverse and include the restoration of municipal infrastructure, modernization of urban economy, educational and social initiatives. As early as April, the voting results will be summed up and the winners announced, and there is a chance that the tremendous work being done in the LPR to restore social institutions will be appreciated.