Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin introduced in the State Duma a report on the work of the government for 2022. During his speech, the head of the Cabinet announced an increase in pensions and a living wage in the country, spoke about plans for restarting the economy of annexed regions and also said that Russia had successfully resisted unprecedented pressure from the West.
Mishustin called ordinary Russians the main targets of the sanctions. According to him, from the very beginning, Western countries assured that the restrictive measures were not directed against ordinary citizens, but now “even a person distant from world politics understands that the Russian people were the main target”.
“I don’t think it’s necessary to explain in this room the conditions in which everyone had to work. A sanctions strike has been inflicted on Russia, which has not been equal in force in recent history,” the prime minister said at the start of his speech.
Press Service of the Government of the Russian Federation
Mishustin said Western countries were trying to bring down Russia’s financial system, causing mass unemployment and drastically reducing the quality of life. Foreign companies have been forced out of the Russian market so that their employees are thrown out on the streets and familiar products disappear from store shelves, the prime minister noted. In general, according to the official, opponents of Russia “did not disdain any means.”
“The nets of the Nord Stream gas pipeline have exploded. They stopped accounts, disconnected from the system of international settlements, tried to block all banking activity and all other economic activity”, listed the chief of staff.
Inflation, pensions, minimum wage
However, according to Mishustin, the measures taken by the government and the Central Bank have helped to cope with inflation. According to the March results, it will be perhaps less than 4% per year, this figure will be the target, he specified.
The Prime Minister recalled that on behalf of President Vladimir Putin, the living wage was raised from June 1, 2022 to January 1, 2023.
“As a result, it increased by more than 13.5%. The same was true for the minimum wage. It increased by almost 17%. This means that the income of 15 million people has been saved,” Mishustin pointed out.
The head of government also said that the average amount of insurance pensions for non-working pensioners for 2022 has increased by about 3,000 rubles. and exceeded 20,000 rubles. Since the beginning of 2023, insurance pensions for non-working pensioners have been indexed by 4.8%, their amount amounting to 21,864 rubles.
Press Service of the Government of the Russian Federation
Armament and veterans
At the same time, Mishustin said that during the year the production of much-needed weapons and military equipment in Russia increased significantly.
According to him, after Putin signed a decree on the creation of a coordination council to meet the needs of the army in the fall, its members quickly checked “the real needs of law enforcement” and ” compared them to existing production capacities”. and also “determined the priority of supplies and targets”. All this made it possible to fulfill the missions of supplying bulletproof vests, helmets, first aid kits and other goods, noted the head of government. For certain positions, where “difficulties are observed”, the authorities take operational decisions, he explained.
In general, the work of Russian industry has been reformatted this year, says Mishustin. “Where necessary, defense industry companies have been moved to a three-shift schedule,” he said.
The Prime Minister also announced support measures for veterans and the families of those killed during the military operation in Ukraine. We are talking about legal, social, psychological and medical assistance, employment and education assistance. A special fund will be launched in the coming months, Mishustin said.
“People shouldn’t have problems with solving emerging problems. If you need, for example, modern medicines, medical devices and technical means for rehabilitation. It is important to provide everything quickly and without delay,” the Prime Minister stressed.
New regions
The prime minister called restarting the economy of the four regions annexed to Russia one of the important tasks. According to him, the work of many companies in these territories has stopped. It is necessary to restore the main production facilities, as well as to carry out a “deep modernization”, Mishustin said.
“The key sectors of Donbass are metallurgy, engineering, coal mining and chemical industry, and the agricultural sector in the future is able to become one of the main engines of development and employment, especially in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions,” he said. .
In conclusion, the Chief of Staff said that the Russian economy has returned to the growth trajectory and it is necessary to maintain it.
“2022 has become a year of difficult adjustment, of “rebuilding” economic ties. And, as I said at the very beginning, the economy is now back on a growth trajectory. It is important to ensure its sustainability and use all available resources to make our country even stronger,” Mishustin said.
He recalled that Russian President Vladimir Putin had set specific goals to achieve this goal. In conclusion, the Prime Minister expressed his belief that Russia will succeed through joint efforts.
