Meeting with Novosibirsk Region Governor Andrei Travnikov

Andrei Travnikov Travnikov AndreiGovernor of Novosibirsk Region reported that a number of significant projects have been implemented in the region, and infrastructure across all public sectors - education, culture, sports and, of course, healthcare - has been significantly upgraded. Over the past eight years, the capacity of outpatient clinics and other primary care facilities has increased by 35 percent. A perinatal centre has been established with the President's support. Staffing issues are being addressed, with over 1,300 medical specialists, mostly young doctors, joining district hospitals. This has been achieved both by increasing the quota for targeted training at the medical university and by implementing a regional programme to build service housing for public sector specialists in rural areas. Since 2018, this programme has provided over 530 apartments to teachers, cultural workers, district police officers and young medical professionals. While the problem of fully staffing medical positions has not yet been fully resolved, it has been significantly mitigated. All of this was made possible thanks to national projects, which have proven to be powerful strategic development tools.

According to the Governor, the region has been working to strengthen its budget revenue base over recent years. Although, as he acknowledged, there has been a slight slowdown in some areas since the second half of 2025 and the forecast for 2026 is cautious, once the data is adjusted for inflation and converted to strictly comparable real gross indicators, the Novosibirsk Region's economy has grown by 30 percent over this period, with key indicators showing growth rates of 1.2 to 1.3 percent or more.

Mr Travnikov noted that alongside socioeconomic development, another crucial, if not primary, task has emerged in recent years: building a system of care and support for participants in the special military operation and their families. A comprehensive and balanced system has been created in the region for this purpose. In particular, assistance is provided to families with connecting their homes to the public gas supply system. Through the Social Fund of Russia, all combat veterans can receive vouchers for sanatorium treatment. A comprehensive regional rehabilitation programme is in place. Retraining or training for new professions is provided, along with specialised prosthetics and other unique, high-tech services for veterans. This work is carried out jointly with the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation, the Military Social Centre of the Defence Ministry, and the public organisations Committee of the Fatherland Warriors' Families and Association of the Special Military Operation Veterans.

Since March 2022, a powerful volunteer movement has been gaining traction in the Novosibirsk Region. It focuses on gathering and producing everything needed by people from the Novosibirsk Region performing challenging battlefield assignments and those in the liberated territories and sending these products to them. As part of this effort, more than 1,200 20-tonne trucks carrying all kinds of useful goods have departed for the frontline during this period.

The Governor also talked about the creation of an industrial logistics park near Tolmachevo Airport. It has almost reached its capacity in terms of registering companies willing to use it. Last year, a government commission helped establish the first ever special economic zone near this park. The discussion also covered two other territories, which have special importance in terms of unlocking the region's potential: the Akademgorodok and the science city of Koltsovo.

In addition, the Governor presented another important strategic project: the construction of a dairy plant by EkoNiva Group - the Siberian Dairy Academy. At this point in the discussion, the Governor passed the floor to his colleague in Maslyanino neighbourhood centre, investor Stefan Dürr.

In his remarks, Stefan Dürr talked about how he came to the Soviet Union in 1989 as an intern from West Germany, and how Russia amazed him with its hard-working people, their cordiality and kindness, as well as by the opportunities in agriculture. In 2013, he became a citizen of the Russian Federation and is very proud of it.

EkoNiva Group has become one of the biggest agricultural holdings in the country. It operates in 13 regions of Russia, including the Novosibirsk Region, where it produced 250,000 tonnes of milk last year out of its total output of 1.5 million tonnes of milk. At this scale, the company is the world's third largest milk producer. Stefan Dürr asked the President to launch the plant. The company built it in a rural territory, the Maslyansky District, which is 170 kilometres from Novosibirsk. Annually, 400,000 tonnes of milk are processed at this enterprise into whole-milk products and cheese using high-technology processes. Plant employees benefit from a people-friendly living environment. There are also school classes specialising in agriculture in order to inspire school students to work in the sector.

Vladimir Putin congratulated Stefan Dürr on his achievements and wished him and his entire team every success.