“We were able to respond to the challenge of enormous complexity”: Putin made an appeal to the Russians

President Vladimir Putin addressed the Russians, during which he called the coronavirus pandemic a challenge of enormous complexity and thanked citizens for their responsible attitude to their health, the safety of loved ones and mutual support.

The head of state noted that, despite the threat, there was no bewilderment in society, and citizens “were united by an understanding of the situation, an awareness of the real threat, that you can only fight and defeat it all together.”

“We acted on the basis of these values, and that’s why we were able to respond to the challenge of enormous complexity,” the president emphasized.

Russia quickly began to fight the epidemic, strengthening sanitary protection measures at the borders, which allowed to delay the spread of the disease by one and a half to two months, gain time and save tens of thousands of lives. At the same time, it was impossible to completely isolate oneself from the threat in the modern world, the president noted.

“And when this happened, we, relying on the recommendations of specialists, did what we had never done before. We took an unprecedented step - throughout the country we announced a non-working day: first for one week - until April 5, and then for a total of more than a month - until May 11. And as further development of the situation showed, they did it in a timely and reasonable manner. And again they achieved the main thing - they saved human lives, ”said Vladimir Putin.

He drew attention to the fact that in Russia - the largest country in the world by territory - from the very beginning a flexible model for combating COVID-19 was chosen. National measures were taken and are being taken at the federal level, and the subjects received additional powers to determine tactics of action based on the situation on the ground, with the coordination of the government. Putin noted that the chosen approach paid off and was adopted in other countries.

The President recalled that in a number of subjects the situation remains difficult, but the mechanism for rapid response has already been worked out in the Russian Federation.

“No one will ever be left in trouble. All of Russia will certainly come to the rescue. If necessary, we’ll put it all together: the resources of our leading medical centers, the Armed Forces, the Ministry of Emergencies, volunteers, ”he said.

In addition, Putin emphasized that Russia, among the few countries in the world, managed to establish its own production of effective drugs for the treatment of coronavirus, energy systems, utilities, transport, communications and trade, which provided citizens with essential goods, also demonstrated their reliability.

Speaking about the production of the vaccine from COVID-19, Putin indicated that 14 federal research centers are working on it, but recalled the need to make sure the drug is safe for all categories of citizens.

The decisive role in the fight against infection belongs to the healthcare system, the president added, noting both the systematic work of equipping Russian hospitals and the dedicated work of medical staff.

The head of state recalled that incentive payments were provided for medical workers who participated in the fight against the epidemic. However, in connection with the pandemic, he proposed to extend payments to social workers.

“They are now working continuously, in two-week shifts, to minimize the risk of transmission of infection and thereby protect the people they care for. Payments for such specialists are charged for the period from April 15 to July 15, I also propose to extend them for another two months - that is, until September 15, ”Putin said.

Taxes and Citizen Support

Also in his address, Vladimir Putin proposed abolishing the flat personal income tax rate and increasing the tax for citizens earning more than five million rubles a year from January 1, 2020 from 13% to 15%. The President emphasized that not all incomes would be taxed at a higher rate, but only that part of them that exceeds five million a year. According to him, this will give the budget about 60 billion rubles, which will be used to treat children with severe rare diseases, purchase expensive medicines, rehabilitation equipment and high-tech surgeries.

In addition, the head of state announced the payment in July of another 10 thousand rubles for each child under 16 years of age. He noted that the Russians, who had already received such payments last month, would not have to resend the application.

Speaking of self-employed Russians, Putin proposed granting such a status not from 18, but from 16 years old. Such a decision will allow three million people to also receive tax capital in the amount of one minimum wage.

In addition, during the appeal, Putin suggested distributing a 6.5% preferential mortgage for families to purchase new housing worth up to 6 million rubles, and in Moscow and St. Petersburg - up to 12 million rubles.

Finally, the Russian leader proposed to conduct a tax maneuver in the IT industry and reduce the burden on the payroll fund.

“I remind you that we have already halved, up to 15%, the rate of premiums for all small and medium-sized businesses. I believe that in the IT field we can and should go further. Now the premium rate for such companies is 14% for the period until 2023. I suggest reducing it to 7.6%. And not temporarily, but indefinitely, ”Putin concluded.

Previous appeals

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, Vladimir Putin has addressed the Russians several times. 

So, on March 25, the head of state declared a week from March 28 to April 5 non-working to prevent the spread of COVID-19. In addition, the Russian leader announced a number of social and economic measures designed to support the population, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises, which were in a difficult situation due to the consequences of the pandemic. 

On April 2, Putin announced the extension of non-working days in the country until April 30, inclusive, with salary remaining.

Later, on April 28, speaking during a meeting on the situation with the spread of coronavirus, Putin said that on May 6-8, the country would also be inactive. Thus, the period of non-working days lasted until May 11.

At the same time, the president reaffirmed the powers of the heads of regions to make decisions both on introducing restrictive measures and on getting out of them. 

At the same time, the head of state announced a new package of measures to support citizens and businesses. It includes additional payments to families with children and tax benefits for self-employed citizens.

On May 11, the president decided to end the holiday period in the country. 

Also on May 26, the head of state set a new date for the Victory Parade, postponed due to the situation with the spread of COVID-19 - June 24.

On June 19, the Russian president said that the country was able to adequately respond to the threat of the COVID-19 epidemic thanks to the consolidated efforts of society, the healthcare system, and vital sectors of the economy.

“We were able to give such an answer, because to a decisive degree we could rely on our own technological and production base, on what is called our own rear,” Putin said.

Putin pointed out that the national economy and critical infrastructure have proven their ability to "quickly adapt to serious challenges, withstand heavy loads and work smoothly in difficult conditions."