Outgoing trend: Putin noted a decrease in inflation in Russia

Russia's GDP growth from January to July 2025 amounted to 1.1%, while consumer price growth slowed in August, Vladimir Putin noted during a meeting on economic issues on September 15. Measures to combat inflation are yielding results, he stressed. On the same day, but in a remote format, the head of the Russian Federation took part in the opening of new Rospotrebnadzor laboratories in several regions of the country. They are also used to create a "Sanitary Shield" system that protects the country from epidemics from the outside. The first stage of an important federal project is being completed in 2025. What economic tasks are a priority for the government and how Russia's biological sovereignty is being formed can be found in the Izvestia article.

Putin outlined the priorities of the federal budget

On September 15, Vladimir Putin held a face-to-face meeting on economic issues. The Russian President said that the government continues to work on the draft federal budget for the next three years. The issues he must address include fulfilling social obligations, financing national projects, and ensuring the country's security.

The President stressed that the stability of public finances, as well as the implementation of planned projects and programs, directly depend on the state of affairs in the Russian economy. That is why it is necessary to ensure the necessary growth rates.

"We must not just keep pace with the global economy, but strive to stay ahead of its dynamics by unlocking our own potential in industries, regions and territories, developing ties with foreign partners, through the widespread introduction of advanced technologies, and exploring new promising areas of the modern economy," Putin said.

Russia needs to coordinate fiscal and monetary policy measures, setting them up primarily to support and stimulate growth. In this context, the President and the Government are constantly discussing how to combat inflation and at the same time strengthen macroeconomic stability.

— And the general opinion was also that it was necessary to walk along such a "sharp blade" — not to undermine macroeconomic policy, and not to "overcool" the economy, not to "freeze" it. We also discussed these issues with Russian businesses and various business associations," the head of state recalled.

The main economic indicators have already improved. So in July, according to Putin, GDP added 0.4% year-on-year, and in the first seven months of 2025, its growth was 1.1%. As for inflation, consumer price growth in annual terms decreased from 8.8% in July to 8.1% in August. Efforts to reduce inflation are yielding results, Vladimir Putin stressed. The Head of the Russian Federation drew attention to the need to improve the quality of the Russian economy, in particular, by combating the shadow sector and tax evasion.

Putin has opened new facilities of the "sanitary shield" of Russia

The results of sound financial policy are constantly being demonstrated, in particular, in one of the most important areas — healthcare. So, on September 15, the Russian President of the Russian Aerospace Forces took part in the opening of new laboratories of Rospotrebnadzor in the DPR, Volgograd, Voronezh, Simferopol and the Orenburg region.

Vladimir Putin began the meeting by noting the unique system of sanitary and epidemiological control created in Russia.

— Today it is recognized as one of the most advanced in the world and, fundamentally, continues to develop dynamically. Its main principles — prevention and prevention of risks — are at the heart of your work," stated the Russian president.

There are three levels of response and laboratory support in the Rospotrebnadzor system, the head of the department, Anna Popova, told in detail. The first, municipal or inter-municipal, has more than 560 laboratories. The second one, the regional one, has access to powerful and well—equipped laboratories. The third level includes research organizations.

The new laboratory building in Orenburg will allow for faster monitoring of the epidemiological situation and environmental quality throughout the region, as well as foci of infections and diseases near the border with Kazakhstan.

The reconstructed anti-plague institute in Volgograd is now 50% larger, and its capacity has been doubled. Another similar center has been opened in Simferopol: it will monitor the epidemiological situation for particularly dangerous infections in the Crimea, as well as in the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions.

"Thanks to your decision of 2014, you supported the Crimeans, you saved us from the threat that a laboratory for the creation of biological weapons could be created in Crimea. Within the framework of cooperation between Ukraine and NATO, funds have already been allocated for this, for conducting similar tests here," Head of the republic Sergey Aksyonov thanked the president.

A new center for hygiene and epidemiology has opened in Voronezh. Two thirds of its equipment is of domestic production, reported Governor Alexander Gusev. According to the head of the region, the new laboratory operates at the interregional level, so it is important not only for Voronezh, but also for the entire central Chernozem region.

It was important to open Rospotrebnadzor facilities in new territories of the Russian Federation, in particular in Mariupol and Volnovakha.

— Thanks to these laboratories in both Mariupol and Volnovakha, there is now no need to waste time delivering the necessary materials to Donetsk or another region. Everything can be done on the spot, both efficiently and quickly, which I would especially like to emphasize and pay attention to," said Denis Pushilin, the head of the DPR, during the meeting.

Development of technologies in disease prevention

Special attention was paid at the online meeting to the discussion of the Sanitary Shield system, which protects against the importation of dangerous infections into Russia. And here Rospotrebnadzor has a lot of experience gained during the years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

— The experience gained during that tense period largely formed the basis of the federal project to create the so-called "Sanitary Shield" of our country. Its main task is to protect citizens from new biological threats," the president said.

The Sanitary Shield system is based on such principles as the possibility of operational sanitary protection of the border with potentially epidemiologically unfavorable regions, as well as strengthening the laboratory capacities of Rospotrebnadzor and sanitary education. However, so far all the possibilities have not been used in a real situation, said Stanislav Stragnov, head of the master's program "Applied Data Analysis in the Medical field" at MIPT.

— The question is how it will work in a real situation. Indeed, in the case of the coronavirus, Rospotrebnadzor took the right measures. The Asian borders were very well covered. However, the disease came to us through Europe. In the Shield, everything is important in its interrelation," he said.

According to Popova, the first stage of the project is being completed in 2025. It is worth noting the mobile laboratories of Rospotrebnadzor, which are already operating in 27 regions of the Russian Federation, including Mariupol and Melitopol. Rapid diagnosis has become equally important. According to the head of the department, there are already 124 new rapid tests in the country that detect an infection in just an hour.

Currently, 82 reference centers are already operating in Russia that monitor biological threats, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said during the meeting.

— By and large, all the latest achievements are integrated into the Sanitary Shield system today, and so far it has not failed, — said Alexey Kurinny, Deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Health Protection.

Tatiana Golikova also recalled the state information systems in the field of biological safety.: there is data on microorganisms circulating in the territory of the Russian Federation and abroad, and information about patients suffering from infectious diseases.

"Thus, this global system, which operates on the territory of the Russian Federation, allows us to ensure biological sovereignty and protect the population of the Russian Federation from possible biological threats and infectious diseases," Golikova stressed.

Vladimir Putin also drew attention to the need to strengthen the logistical capabilities of Rospotrebnadzor units, more actively introduce modern digital technologies into their work, as well as improve working conditions and the level of training of specialists. Apparently, there are already successes in this area. The President noted that a large number of young people work in the structure of Rospotrebnadzor: the average age of the organization's employees is 48 years old, and 20% are professionals under the age of 35.