Meeting with Tula Region Governor Dmitry Milyayev

The Governor began his report with an overview of the region's social and demographic policy. The region's strategy in this area is titled, the Tula Region: A Territory of Family Happiness. Its objective is to create comfortable living conditions for people of all ages and social groups. State support measures include a 1-million ruble mortgage subsidy for large families and incentive payments for the birth of children. A low-interest mortgage programme for young scientists' families is also being launched. Since 2024, the region has been implementing a regional demographic standard, already adopted by 2,500 companies. Under this standard, companies provide support measures for employees' families. Engineering and defence industry enterprises have become the flagship of this social policy. The Governor highlighted the role of Rostec Corporation and its two major holding companies, High Precision Systems and Technodinamika. These enterprises sponsor sports and social initiatives. A corporate birth-rate support programme has been launched, with over 70 companies joining the initiative.

Vladimir Putin noted that the Tula Region is a highly developed industrial area, which has a considerable impact on the environment. The Governor explained that regional enterprises invested approximately 2 billion rubles in environmentally friendly technologies in 2025. An additional 8 billion rubles will be invested in 2026-2030. The region operates 23 fixed monitoring stations and two mobile labs to monitor air quality.

Dmitry Milyayev Milyayev DmitryGovernor of Tula Region also reported that the industrial production index grew to 108.5 percent in 2025. Agriculture likewise posted positive growth, with the index standing at 111.5 percent. Investment activity remained strong as well. Preferential economic zones, including the Uzlovaya Special Economic Zone, the industrial park of the same name, and the Aleksin and Yefremov priority development areas, operate as scheduled. For example, in the Uzlovaya SEZ, five major production facilities became operational in early 2025; by the end of that year, that number had risen to 12, with approximately eight more scheduled to open by the end of this year. These projects contribute both to import substitution and to strengthening technological sovereignty. New facilities include production of pea protein and citric acid for the food processing industry, sodium chlorate and lithium compounds for batteries in the chemical sector, as well as gas turbine blades and metalworking machinery in other industries. On the President's instructions, work is under way to create a Composite Valley innovation cluster, with total investment estimated at around 7 billion rubles.

According to the Governor, the region is improving healthcare staffing levels by providing targeted training for medical students and residents, with around 1,500 specialists currently enrolled. Additional payments are now available for medical professionals aged 60+, prompting 400 doctors and nurses to return to work after retirement, while the number of retiring professionals has also declined. Housing construction continues to expand, and major overhauls of educational institutions are under way. This year, 46 educational buildings will be overhauled.

The discussion also covered the municipalities. Football stadiums are being renovated, modular rural community centres are being built, and improvements are being made to housing and public utilities infrastructure. Considerable attention is being devoted to youth policy and sport. The Tula Region hosted the First All-Russian Congress of Physical Education and Sports Teachers, which brought together more than 600 delegates. Following the model of the school bus programme, the region has launched this year a sports bus programme to transport children from rural areas to training sessions at sports and fitness centres and to competitions in other municipalities, thereby improving access to sports infrastructure.

Dmitry Milyayev noted that the Tula Region is known as Russia's third museum capital and is home to 124 museums of various types, including federal, municipal, regional, and private ones. This work is being carried out together with the Ministry of Culture. Three branches of federal museums are currently being established in the region: the Polytechnic Museum, the Bakhrushin Theatre Museum, and the Andrei Rublev Museum.

The Governor also briefly addressed assistance to the region's sponsored territories. Between 2022 and 2025, approximately 6 billion rubles were allocated for rebuilding projects in Mariupol, including a school, a kindergarten, a church, a college dormitory, the college proper, a boiler house, and road infrastructure. Emergency response teams from the Tula Region continue to work there on a permanent basis. Humanitarian convoys are also being dispatched to border areas, as well as to Gorlovka and Kurakhovo in the Donetsk People's Republic and Lutugino in the Lugansk People's Republic.

Dmitry Milyayev focused specifically on providing support to participants in the special military operation, including assistance with the employment of veterans. To date, the total funding allocated for these purposes amounts to approximately 4.6 billion rubles. The employment rate among veterans stands at 73.3 percent. Around 15 different career paths have been established under programmes such as Realise Yourself in Sport, Become a Farmer, or Become an Entrepreneur. Each programme offers customised training and financial support where needed. The Governor noted that this work would continue.