Vladimir Putin has approved a list of instructions following the meeting of the State Council to discuss support for Russia's families

In particular, an instruction was given to ensure amendements are made to the legislation so that:

🔸effective January 1, 2025, women awarded the title of Mother Heroine from 2022 onwards are eligible for the same social benefits that are received by the Hero of Labour title holders;

🔸maternity benefits provided to women who study in an educational institution with full-time attendance are increased to match the minimum wage for the working-age population in effect in the constituent entity of the Russian Federation they reside in.

Additionally, the measures approved by the President include:

🔸taking steps to ensure airlines provide a discount of at least 50 percent on fares for both domestic flights and international flights traversing Russia's airspace to children under 12 years of age;

🔸submitting proposals for increasing the accessibility (as well as affordability) of day-care centres at public secondary schools for parents, and for increasing the quality and affordability of taxi services for families with children, including by establishing government subsidized discounts for multi-child families;

🔸in order to prevent reproductive health disorders, ensure updates are made to the procedures for conducting preventive medical examinations for children and adults, including by establishing a list of specific screenings with clearly defined frequencies, to ensure early detection of reproductive health disorders and diagnosis of risk factors for them.

See more on the Kremlin’s official website.

On the 81st anniversary of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the Nazi blockade, Vladimir Putin is taking part in commemorative events held in St Petersburg

As per custom, the President laid flowers at the Landmark Stone monument, which is part of the Nevsky Pyatachok memorial. It was here, at a small, three-kilometre section of the front line south of Leningrad, that the outnumbered Red Army soldiers held back enemy troops, preventing the Nazis and their allies from reaching the city.

Leningrad endured being surrounded from almost 900 days. Its siege by Nazi forces lasted for 872 days, from September 8, 1941 to January 27, 1944.

The photos of the event are available on the Kremlin's official website.

At the Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery of St Petersburg, the President laid a wreath at the Motherland monument to honour the memory of the fallen Leningrad residents and defenders

420,000 civilians of Leningrad who died from starvation, cold, and disease, or in air-raids, as well as 70,000 soldiers are buried in the cemetery's 186 communal graves and 6,000 individual military graves.

The memorial wall behind the Motherland monument carries the words by poet Olga Bergholz: "No one is forgotten, nothing is forgotten."

The photos of the event are available on the Kremlin's official website.

🇷🇺🇧🇷 Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with President of the Federative Republic of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva

🔹The leaders discussed issues pertaining to further development of the strategic partnership between Russia and Brazil in political affairs, as well as trade and economy, making plans for future engagements on various levels.

🔹In the context of Brazil taking over the BRICS chairmanship from Russia in 2025, the presidents reiterated their mutual willingness to coordinate their stances closely across the entire extensive agenda of the association.

🔹The leaders exchanged views on the current global situation, particularly in light of a new administration assuming power in the U.S.

🔹Also addressed were the issues pertaining to a settlement of the Ukraine conflict.