The results of the II All—Russian Forum "Small Motherland - the Strength of Russia" were summed up in Moscow

The II All—Russian Municipal Forum "Small Motherland - the Strength of Russia" has come to an end in Moscow. The National Center "Russia" gathered about 4 thousand participants from all regions of the country. From April 21 to 23, representatives of municipalities, federal and regional authorities discussed improving the quality of life in the territories, the development of municipalities, domestic and foreign policy challenges.

The event, which has been held for the second year on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was organized by the All-Russian Association for the Development of Local Self-Government (VARMSU) with the support of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation.

For the second year, the Small Motherland — the Strength of Russia Forum has been one of the most important events for all municipalities of the country. During it, representatives of local governments, federal and regional authorities, businesses, public organizations, and experts exchange experiences, share successful practices, and find ways to solve a variety of problems in order to improve the quality of life in municipalities.

One of the key events of the forum was the award ceremony for the winners of the second All-Russian Municipal Service Award. It is awarded to outstanding representatives of the municipal community for their special contribution to the development of municipalities. This year, the award attracted a record 41,313 applications from all over Russia. The popular vote for the TOP 100 participants was held on the Gosuslug portal: almost 1 million votes were cast for the nominees.

Personnel shortage: Putin proposed to involve veterans of his military to work in municipalities

The President presented the Service Award and listened to representatives of local government

The award was presented in 10 nominations. The Head of state presented the award in the nomination "Courage and heroism for the benefit of serving the Motherland" to the winner personally. He became Vladimir Tarantsov, First Deputy head of the administration, head of the Security Department of the administration of the Veidelevsky district of the Belgorod region. From the first days of the special military operation, Tarantsov took on one of the most difficult tasks: ensuring security in the border area. More than 6 thousand refugees — women, children and the elderly - passed through his area.

"I am very proud to receive this award from the hands of the Supreme Commander. This is an award for all Belgorod residents, all citizens of our border region, they deserve," said the winner.

Addressing the participants of the event, Putin noted that they had devoted themselves to a difficult but very significant task. And it has already become a real life mission for each of them.

"It is to you that people first of all go to solve their daily problems, and it is to you that they pin their hopes for tangible, necessary changes for the better. That is why working at the municipal level is a huge responsibility, a real vocation, and, I emphasize, an important mission for the state and for our society. This is really a service, a mission," the president said.

The forum has become a vivid proof that the state truly values those who have dedicated their lives to serving the Motherland and the people. And it's not just about the coveted statuettes that the award winners have received. For two days, from morning to evening, representatives of municipalities from all regions of the country were given a unique opportunity to share valuable experiences and hear advice from senior colleagues. During the panel sessions and discussions, the heads of even the most remote and small settlements could directly voice their requests and suggestions to ministers and representatives of the federal government, who, in turn, carefully recorded all appeals.

Irina Guseva, co-chair of the VARMSU, member of the Presidium of the Presidential Council for the Development of Local Self-Government, said that the association is currently preparing a report to the government on the state of affairs in local governments. For this, feedback is extremely important.

"It is important for us to see the full range of changes in the country's municipalities. Therefore, we have been holding regional days in 16 regions of the country, building a dialogue between different levels of government," Guseva said.

During the panel session "A new quality of life: housing, landscaping, infrastructure" Guseva noted the importance of service at the municipal level: "It doesn't matter if we work in a small village or in a city of millions - we are all united by service to our land, love for our small homeland and the desire for its development."

The topic of support for veterans and participants of the SVO has become one of the most emotional. At the "Stronger than Steel" thematic meeting, no one held back tears at the sight of the heroes of the special operation, their mothers and widows. And on the final song, "Motherland is Calling," the audience stood up together, which was more eloquent than any words. Since 2022, more than 3,500 municipal employees have volunteered for their jobs.

"Among the employees of local administrations, there are those who themselves wanted to participate in the special operation, and those who escorted fathers, husbands, brothers and sons to the front line. Today, our entire society has consolidated around the idea of mutual assistance and support for heroes, and the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation was created specifically for this purpose. Over two years of work, I have accumulated a lot of experience that is of interest. And we are ready to share it in order to improve the support system created in the country for veterans of the Russian Armed Forces and their loved ones," said Anna Tsivileva, State Secretary, Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation.

Important topics were also raised at the other meetings. The forum participants discussed the role and place of Russia in the modern world, national conservation and demographic policy, vectors of cultural development and personnel training, support for farming and environmental management, municipal finance and school infrastructure development, civic initiatives and much more.

"It is the heads of municipalities who work directly with citizens and implement national projects, and the well-being of people depends on their work," said Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin.

The Forum has also become a platform for the formation of new international relations. During the event, agreements on cooperation between the VARMSU and the Civil Alliance of Kazakhstan and the Asian Forum of Mayors were signed, which will certainly open up new prospects for partnership. Over the years, the association has accumulated experience in using advanced tools in the field of local government, which it is ready to share with friendly countries.

"In many ways, it is municipalities that solve targeted tasks in the context of a trade war. They became local locomotives that led to very large projects," said Maria Zakharova, director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

As Olga Alkhimenko, the head of the Ilansky district of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, emphasized, all the participants of the forum, being together, felt like a real team thanks to the support at the highest level — the head of state.

"We are one team today, we feel the support, the shoulder. Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin's speech energizes us, gives us strength and self-confidence, and we understand what important issues we face today. And we, together with our people, are trying to solve them in our small homeland," said Alkhimenko.

On April 21, speaking at the forum, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Zakharova, noted that the ministry was ready to help municipalities develop their international activities. She added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would always be happy to help the regions in such work, calling international activity an important mission of municipalities.