It's already warmer: heating has been turned on in the houses of 73 regions of Russia

Russia's energy system is ready for winter highs in energy consumption: by the end of that year, 1.5 GW of new generating capacity and more than 30,000 km of power transmission lines are planned to be commissioned in the country. This became known at a meeting between Vladimir Putin and the government on October 15. They also reported that 98.9% of apartment buildings are ready for winter, and heating is already turned on in 73 regions of Russia. In addition, the President discussed with the government the development of road infrastructure and harvesting. Vladimir Putin was told that by the end of 2025 it is planned to repair and build at least 28 thousand km of roads. The harvest campaign will result in the harvesting of 135 million tons of grain. This will not only ensure the country's food security, but will also allow for the export of significant amounts of grain.

Development of Russia's road infrastructure

Vladimir Putin held a meeting with the government on October 15. The main topic is the state of the road infrastructure. By 2030, 85% of federal highways and roads of the largest urban agglomerations, as well as roads of the backbone network of Russia, must be brought to a standard state, the president recalled. Among the regional routes, there should be at least 60% of them. By the end of 2025, it is planned to repair and build at least 28 thousand km of roads. The meeting itself was held on the eve of the Day of Road Workers and the Day of the Employee of automobile and Urban Passenger Transport. The President congratulated all the workers in this industry and announced the opening of a number of new facilities.

— Today we are taking another step in this large, complex work — we are opening a number of new road infrastructure facilities. This is a section of the A-215 highway in the Republic of Karelia, a bypass of the village of Sokury in the Republic of Tatarstan, as well as a southern bypass of Surgut with a bridge over the Ob River in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug. Congratulations to all of you on these significant events," the President said.

The movement on these new road transport facilities was launched right at the meeting.

Today, high-speed traffic is provided from St. Petersburg to Moscow, Voronezh, Rostov-on-Don, Krasnodar, Simferopol, Kazan, Yekaterinburg and Chelyabinsk, said Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin. Since the opening of the Durtyuli - Achit section of the M–12 Vostok highway, 1.8 million trips have been made along the new road. In 2026, this highway will be extended by another 300 km to Tyumen. Other priorities include the development of roads in the international transport corridors North–South, West–East, Europe – Western China, the Deputy Prime Minister said.

How the Russian Federation is preparing for the heating season

Vladimir Putin, on the eve of winter, asked about the readiness of housing and communal services facilities for frost. Minister of Construction and Housing and Communal Services Irek Fayzullin said that the heating season has already begun in 73 regions of Russia. At the same time, the overall level of readiness of apartment buildings in the Russian Federation has reached 98.9%. According to the minister, the regions have allocated 310 billion rubles to prepare for winter.

The head of the Ministry of Energy, Sergey Tsivilev, also assured that Russia is ready for winter highs in energy consumption. The authorities are continuing to modernize the system, and we are expanding the possibilities for infrastructure development: companies must receive certificates of readiness for the heating season by November 7.

— Everything is very timely and well-organized. I hope that everything will be like this," the president remarked.

Vladimir Putin asked Sergey Tsivilev to report separately on the availability of fuel in the regions of the Russian Federation and at electric power facilities. According to the minister, 2.2 trillion rubles will be allocated for repairs and investments in the energy sector in 2025. In addition, 1.5 GW of new generating capacities and more than 30,000 km of power transmission lines are planned to be commissioned in the country this year.

How many tons of grain will be harvested in Russia this year

Vladimir Putin asked Agriculture Minister Oksana Lut to evaluate the results of the harvesting campaign. According to her, 132 million tons of grain have been harvested so far, 91% of crops have been harvested.

— Currently, the cleaning continues in difficult weather conditions: There is already snow in some regions of Siberia, and heavy rains in the central regions. At the same time, we maintain the forecast for grain by the end of the year at 135 million tons in net weight," the minister said.

By the end of the year, Russia's food security will be fully ensured, and the high export potential for both raw materials and processed products will remain, Oksana Lut emphasized. According to her, the export potential of the Russian Federation for grain in this agricultural year (July 2025 – June 2026) is estimated at almost 50 million tons. The Minister stressed that farmers completely cover the country's food needs.

— This result means stability for Russians first of all. The country's domestic demand for grain is about 85 million tons, and the level of self-sufficiency exceeds 150%. This means that we not only fully provide ourselves with bread, cereals and animal feed, but also maintain the ability to export food," Yulia Ogloblina, deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Agrarian Issues, told Izvestia.

At the same time, a decrease in prices for bread or cereals should not be expected in the near future, since they depend on many factors: logistics, energy consumption, the cost of fertilizers and processing. However, the record harvest reduces the risks of shortages and price spikes, especially in the context of global instability, the MP concluded.