The Russian government will allocate another 3.9 billion rubles for soft loans for strategic enterprises.

The corresponding order was signed by the head of the Cabinet of Ministers Mikhail Mishustin.

It is noted that this will allow to continue subsidizing the interest rate on loans issued in 2020.

“The rate on a preferential loan is about 2.6% per annum.

The funds received can be spent, among other things, on wages, rent of premises and equipment, purchase of raw materials, materials and components, ”the press service of the government said.

According to the authorities, in 2020 systemically important companies received loans at a reduced rate for a total of 230 billion rubles.

In total, within the framework of the program, 319 loan agreements were concluded with the largest employers in the country.

“The decision to support backbone enterprises made it possible to ensure their stable operation in a difficult period.

And first of all - not to fire people, to keep labor collectives.

And also - to prevent disruptions in the payment of wages, ”Mikhail Mishustin said earlier.

Note that in 2020, the authorities have significantly expanded the list of strategic enterprises.

According to the Ministry of Economic Development, more than 1.3 thousand organizations were included in the list.

Among them, 43% belong to industry, 14% - to transport, 8% - to the fuel and energy complex, and the same amount - to the field of information and communications.

Also, a number of companies are associated with agriculture, food processing industry, construction, culture and education.

The backbone are organizations that are important for the industry, where a large number of people work, explained Artyom Deev, head of the analytical department at AMarkets, in a conversation with RT.

“We are talking about business, on the state of which many related sectors of the economy depend.

Concessional loans to such enterprises were issued not only to pay salaries, but also to replenish working capital, so that companies, for example, had money in settlements with suppliers, ”the expert said.

According to him, the opportunity to get loans at a reduced rate helped many industries to pass the peak of the crisis with the least losses.

At the same time, additional support from the state should help organizations that are still experiencing difficulties with the restoration of production capacities.

“The new aid is likely to affect the industries most affected by the pandemic - for example, air travel.

The allocated funds will help businesses save jobs and minimize investment activities, as well as avoid disruptions in production and supply chains, ”added Deev.

In addition, the affected business can use the received loans to cover old debts, said Natalya Milchakova, deputy head of the Alpari information and analytical center.

Thus, according to the expert, the initiative of the authorities will to a certain extent help the banking sector, since it will be possible to avoid an increase in the number of overdue loans.

“In general, the support of backbone enterprises is important both for individual regions and for the country as a whole.

Thanks to government action in 2020, the economy avoided a larger recession.

Russia's GDP decreased by only 3%, and not by 8%, as in 2009, "the interlocutor of RT said.

Against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic, for the first time in the entire post-Soviet period, Russia weathered the crisis better than the world as a whole.

So, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), in 2020 the fall of the global economy turned out to be deeper and amounted to 3.3%.

According to the forecast of the Ministry of Economic Development, in 2021 Russia's GDP may grow by 2.9%, and in 2022 - by 3.2%.

According to experts, financial assistance to business will accelerate the revival of economic activity and, at the same time, will contribute to the recovery of the labor market. 

“Of course, supporting the largest employment organizations will have a positive impact on job dynamics. Our unemployment peaked in August 2020, when the value rose to an eight-year high and reached 6.4%. Now the indicator has already dropped to 5.2%, and by the end of 2021, against the background of the general economic recovery, unemployment should be about 5%, ”concluded Artyom Deev.