Translation disclaimer: machine-assisted translation may contain inaccuracies. Always refer to the original source for authoritative text.
Vladimir Putin: How are things, Denis Vladimirovich?
In the Soviet Union, Donetsk Oblast — now the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) — was considered one of the most developed regions in the country. It was one of the largest industrial and infrastructurally advanced regions of the Soviet Union: in terms of both industry and agriculture. Heavy industry, agriculture — everything was well developed. So Donetsk and Donetsk Oblast truly and rightfully counted among the most developed centers of the Soviet Union.
The damage sustained over recent years is, of course, enormous, but reconstruction is proceeding at a fairly rapid pace. We are in regular contact, but looking at the data I have: despite all the problems — and there are still very many, with active combat operations ongoing in some areas — the region is developing at quite a swift rate overall. Under your team's leadership, we are seeing solid forward momentum and real progress.
Please go ahead, Denis Vladimirovich — you wanted to meet and discuss what I understand are some of the most pressing issues. The floor is yours.
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Denis Pushilin: Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich!
Thank you for the high assessment and, most importantly, for your understanding of what Donbas represents — what Donetsk Oblast was and what it is today as the Donetsk People's Republic.
We are genuinely taking every possible step, within our power and beyond, to restore its former glory and to be of benefit to the entire country. Because the entire country is helping us right now. I want to start with that, because it holds special meaning for us.
You declared this year the Year of the Unity of the Peoples of Russia [a thematic designation for the year 2025 in Russia]. What we see — and not for the first time — is people of different nationalities, ethnicities, and faiths standing together in the same trench, side by side, liberating territory; and also people of all different backgrounds working together on construction sites. And even in emergency repair crews. Water supply is one of our most difficult challenges, yet we can see the whole country pitching in. We naturally feel indebted. We both must and will make ourselves useful to the entire country — we are actively searching for ways to do that and taking concrete steps.
We are paying a heavy price. We do so knowingly, and we understand what it is for — for the future, for future generations. We are holding firm and are prepared to fight through to victory, which is inevitable.
Vladimir Vladimirovich, just a few words, though they are deeply felt — on the issue of water supply. A great deal of work has been done since my last report. We focused on stabilizing the situation, because while it is difficult, it must be predictable and stable for residents — even if difficult. We have also concentrated on reducing water losses. We currently have 223 emergency repair crews working at any given moment.
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Putin: I understand that is not straightforward either, given that so much of the infrastructure is in a state of disrepair.
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Pushilin: That was the situation before, and now it has been further complicated by extended water outages — which, of course, cause the pipe networks to deteriorate even faster.
Of those 223 crews, 117 have come from our partner regions [Russian regions assigned to support specific areas of the DPR under a formal patronage system], and we are enormously grateful — especially to Moscow, which does the most for Donetsk. Sergei Sobyanin [Mayor of Moscow] hears us and acts accordingly. There are currently 700 specialists from partner regions working in our water and heat supply crews, which is a critical matter for us.
In figures: last year, 126 kilometers of pipe networks were replaced; this year we plan to replace a further 165 kilometers. To stabilize the situation, water transfer pipelines for internal redistribution were built together with the Ministry of Construction and Housing and Utilities and the Territory Development Fund [a federal body overseeing reconstruction in the new regions of Russia]; we are also drawing on underground water sources. Here too, Moscow and the Territory Development Fund are contributing.
I will say honestly that we are now looking at the situation with cautious optimism: the winter has not been as snowy as in Moscow, but compared to previous years the situation is considerably better, and the reservoirs are filling up — which allows us to manage water supply more confidently. We will continue this work, Vladimir Vladimirovich. It is very much felt by all residents.
There is another fairly difficult issue. It is challenging, but it must keep moving forward — we keep it in focus: work in the liberated territories. It is a constant flow of activity, because people need passports, documents, pensions, benefits, lump-sum payments, and of course work to restore heating infrastructure so that people can live there...
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Putin: Quite recently, we estimated that around 25 percent of the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic was under the control of the Kyiv authorities — literally six months ago. In your assessment, how much remains under the control of the Kyiv regime now?
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Pushilin: Approximately 17 percent, as of now.
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Putin: I am being briefed that it is 15 to 17 percent.
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Pushilin: Yes, within that range.
Vladimir Vladimirovich, a few key points: electricity is critical for people. We can see that even in, for example, Kurakhove [a town in the DPR recaptured from Ukrainian forces in late 2024] — our power engineers, and they deserve enormous credit, they are true heroes — had to first clear mines and then work under very difficult conditions. In Kurakhove, they managed to restore electricity before the New Year. During that period, more than a thousand people were already living there, and since then another 260 have returned.
The same applies to Avdiivka [another recaptured town in the DPR]. This year we plan to build a road to Kurakhove — there is already demand for it. Public transport is already running there, and the roads, worn down by war on top of everything else — well, that goes without saying. If everything works out this year, it will be a significant help. We will continue that work. There is truly a great deal to be done. The most important thing is the people, caring for the people — as you always emphasize. We set that as our own objective as well.
On healthcare, Vladimir Vladimirovich — just a few words. An extraordinary amount is being done. I will be honest with you: I am not a medical professional, but our specialists say they have never seen equipment of this caliber — the high-tech equipment now appearing in our medical facilities, meeting the high standards of the Russian healthcare system.
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Putin: The key is that specialist training keeps pace.
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Pushilin: You are absolutely right, Vladimir Vladimirovich. We are working on that together with our Donetsk Medical University.
Right now, the challenge is not just retaining graduates — you have to retain them while they are still students. We have also identified a problem with dormitories, which is an important issue for them.
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Putin: Yes, of course.
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Pushilin: And now, Vladimir Vladimirovich — we have made a decision and are gathering all the necessary documentation: there is a request regarding kindergartens. Medical training takes a long time.
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Putin: You have remarkable people there — true devotees in every sense of the word — and skilled specialists. But if new equipment is coming in, I will of course speak with the Minister again to ensure that training is organized in a timely and high-quality manner. As I understand it, that process is broadly on track.
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Pushilin: Yes.
Now the task is to expand it. And most importantly, to keep specialists in place — and to distribute them evenly across the republic, so that every corner, every municipality, has proper accessible medical care.
On digitalization: we have a number of initiatives planned for this year. We are, of course, behind on infrastructure and other fronts — but we are catching up. Fortunately, the healthcare system is now being integrated with the national messaging platform Max [a Russian state-backed messaging application], and we are setting up chatbots for finding and ordering medications and for booking doctor's appointments. These elements are being introduced gradually, but they are making things more convenient for people. We want to eliminate queues and minimize waiting times as much as possible, as quickly as possible. There is demand from residents, so we will certainly continue this work.
Vladimir Vladimirovich, Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin [the federal official overseeing construction and infrastructure in Russia] has already briefed you on roads — and we really are transforming the situation at a breakthrough pace, to the point of changing what high Russian road standards even mean in practice.
It may be hard to imagine now, but in 2022, when we carried out an initial assessment, no more than 14 percent of our federal, regional, and inter-municipal roads were in regulatory condition. In other words, the roads were in a terrible state. The situation now is completely different. We have built and brought 2,500 kilometers of roads up to standard; 36 engineering structures [bridges, overpasses, and similar constructions] have been built. By modern standards, it is an entirely different picture — something we had never seen before. We still have 3,500 kilometers planned by 2030, so there is indeed a great deal of work ahead.
What have we done? I consider it a very sound step on our part. We looked at the emphasis you place on technological sovereignty across the country, and how relevant that is in the current geopolitical environment.
What did we encounter at the regional level? In 2022–2023, when we started all of this, everything had to be brought in — all the building materials, everything. That meant enormous volumes of heavy traffic and queues at checkpoints. We took a different approach: we began building our own production base — recovering what had been destroyed during the years of Ukrainian governance.
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Putin: You mean in terms of building materials?
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Pushilin: In terms of localization in the road sector, for example, we are now at 85 percent. Everything is produced on our territory: crushed stone, sand, cement — all of it, fully.
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Putin: Denis Vladimirovich, is the ring road around the Sea of Azov [a coastal road project connecting the regions along the northern shore of the Sea of Azov] coming together?
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Pushilin: Our section — we are genuinely ahead of schedule. Last year, across the republic, we had planned 450 kilometers at the start of the year, but ended up completing over 800 kilometers — well ahead of plan.
We have a systematic process in place. Credit goes to Rosavtodor [the Federal Road Agency] as well as to the Ministry of Construction and the Ministry of Transport overall. The work is coordinated and it is delivering results. Most notably, we now have even high-voltage power line supports installed, fencing, galvanized metalwork — and we plan to add road lighting this year. All of it is being produced locally. And that means tax revenue and jobs — all of it stays in the region, which is important.
Vladimir Vladimirovich, at the regional forum on United Russia's [Russia's ruling political party] People's Program, I would like to draw particular attention to an initiative — it has a pilot name, a working title: "Zemsky Veteran of the Special Military Operation" [modeled after existing "Zemsky" programs that offer land and financial incentives to professionals who relocate to rural areas; this initiative would extend similar benefits to veterans of the special military operation]. What does it involve? It was endorsed and is planned to be submitted as a proposal for inclusion in United Russia's federal People's Program. We have many servicemen who are already connecting their lives to the territory they shed blood for — where their comrades were wounded — and who feel it as their own. The issue is housing.
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Putin: Housing, generally speaking, is growing at a good pace in your region.
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Pushilin: Yes.
On land. We also need to address demographic challenges, Vladimir Vladimirovich — so the "Zemsky Veteran of the Special Military Operation" program envisions granting land plots of up to 15 sotki [approximately 1,500 square meters, or about a third of an acre]. The idea is to make it simple and easy to access the existing programs that are already in place by your decision — the two-percent mortgage [a subsidized mortgage program for participants in the special military operation], which covers house construction, military mortgage, and many other instruments. But to make it simple: here is the land — already demarcated and ready — here are the options, here are the programs, laid out in a clear and transparent way for the servicemen who wish to stay. For us, this also means workforce for reconstruction.
Why 15 sotki, around that figure? Because it allows families to expand their homes — and we need large families.
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Putin: Your land is of course "golden" in every sense of the word, but 15 is on the low side. That is a Soviet-era standard.
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Pushilin: Vladimir Vladimirovich, back in the nineties we were grateful for six sotki [approximately 600 square meters]. This is only a pilot program, Vladimir Vladimirovich — if you support it, things will move much faster.
Vladimir Vladimirovich, just one more brief point. I know how deeply you care about our fighters, our heroes.
We have a young man from Samara — 21 years old. He served his conscript service, then signed a contract and took part in offensive operations, including assault operations, commanding assault groups in the Krasnarmeysk [known in Ukrainian as Pokrovsk] direction, in the area of the settlement of Grishino.
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Putin: Grishino is being encircled from all sides.
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Pushilin: Yes.
But to make that possible — what was his contribution? When his assault group moved in, he was left essentially alone. He held the position for 68 days, Vladimir Vladimirovich. 68 days. I have spoken with the command — that is the 51st Army, Southern Military District.
68 days — can you imagine how many enemy counterattacks there were? They tried to drive him out. He somehow held on; supplies were delivered to him because it was impossible to reach him any other way.
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Putin: Delivered by drones?
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Pushilin: Delivered by drones — ammunition, mines, food — just to keep him going through it all. They tried at night and during the day, with artillery preparation, from the flank. He held them off for 68 days. He has now been successfully evacuated. He completed all his assigned objectives; the other fighters have moved forward. After all those days holding out, he walked out on his own feet — but unfortunately, doctors had to amputate both feet. He is currently in hospital.
It is an exceptional story. So I would ask for the appropriate commendations to be arranged, of course in coordination with the Ministry of Defense.
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Putin: I will definitely speak with the commander, and the decoration will match the feat he performed.
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Pushilin: Thank you, Vladimir Vladimirovich.
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Putin: Of course, we will do everything — to help him from a medical standpoint, to support him, to do everything possible so that he feels like a full and complete person.
Thank you.
*[…]*