Putin talked to Tula gunsmiths about “battle carrots” and rotten potatoes

The Russian leader came to Tula with his statistics, which he announced to the meeting participants: the production of armor protection for soldiers has increased 10 times, uniforms – 2.5 times.

The president’s very first words were a balm to the soul for his listeners. Putin said that the vaunted NATO weapons are not so good.

– Of course, if we compare modern NATO weapons and the weapons of the last period of Soviet times, they are inferior in some ways. By the way, not always. And if we take our latest weapons, they are clearly superior to everyone, this is an obvious fact,” said the head of state.

Take the same Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile systems. They, as the president emphasized, are in high demand on international markets.

“They are in great demand, like hot cakes, just come on,” Putin clarified. But he immediately made a reservation: selling is, of course, good. But now we ourselves need it. We need to cover the border.

“We see how this government behaves,” the head of state noted, referring to the regular shelling of the Russian border area from Ukraine.

The gunsmiths expressed the hope that they – the entire sphere of the defense industry – are now also full-fledged friends of Russia. In the sense that, as Emperor Alexander III said, Russia has two friends – the army and the navy. So now there is a third one, the defense industry.

– Alexander III said that Russia has friends – the army, navy and church. Only in Soviet times they preferred not to notice this,” Putin clarified, but added that he remembers this about the church, but in general it needs to be checked.

In general, the Russian defense industry is doing as it should. 500 thousand new jobs were created. Orders, as the president put it, are “full to capacity.” And there will only be more of them: the defense industry will be loaded and reloaded.

But it is also necessary to provide support to manufacturers of equipment to counter UAVs, the head of state emphasized. And we also have an Achilles heel – microelectronics. A lot of money is being invested in it, Putin said, looking at Denis Manturov, who was present in the hall. But there is still something to work on. In general, it is necessary to work not only a lot, but also quickly – this was the president’s message to the gunsmiths.

“Whoever is faster wins,” he said. And for those who work like Stakhanov, there is now an award “For Valiant Labor.” This is almost like the Order of the Red Banner of Labor that was in the USSR. The decree establishing the award was signed only yesterday, and now the first recipient is the Tula enterprise NPO Splav. Its history dates back to 1945, producing anti-aircraft guns. In particular, the famous MLRS “Grad” is their development.

What worries the gunsmiths themselves is the same as everyone else: housing. So much so that the management is sometimes ready to go all the way to the president so that the employees in the shop don’t have a headache about the interest on the mortgage.

The head of a workshop at one of the defense enterprises, Vladimir Savinov, addressed the president directly: 40% of their employees at the plant are young people. A third rent housing.

“Many, unfortunately, took out a mortgage,” said Savinov.

– Why “Unfortunately? “That’s good,” Putin interrupted him.

“Yes, okay…” the shop manager hesitated and tried to explain that there was still something to regret. “Many people refuse when they find out the bank’s mortgage rate.”

He even told the story in person: Denis from the Bryansk region came to work with them at the plant. He brought his young wife with him. He works well, but he can’t buy an apartment. Although the company took care, it built its own housing stock. But when Denis heard the interest rate on the mortgage, he no longer wanted to celebrate his housewarming. This is unfair, his boss says. We should do it like in the Far East – there is a mortgage for defense industry workers at 2% per annum.

– Does Denis have children? – the president asked.

It turned out not.

“So give him some advice: Denis, have children, and you’ll get a preferential mortgage,” Vladimir Vladimirovich gave him the idea. And at the same time I reminded: for families with children, we have maternity capital for the first child, and 450 thousand rubles to pay off the mortgage. What’s there to lose?

“We need to talk to my wife about how she is…He alone cannot do this,” the president reasonably noted and explained why there is a mortgage in the Far Eastern Federal District at 2%. In the Arctic, by the way, too. Only 12 million people live outside the Urals. If we make such a bet throughout the country, who will go beyond the Urals?

But making rental housing more affordable is possible. Money has been allocated for rental housing for defense industry workers. This should help 38 thousand people, Putin said.

Many participants in the conversation decided to take the bull by the horns: they are full of useful ideas and inventions, including for the front. Some of them have already visited relevant officials. But the thing is that it’s better to go directly to the president…

One of these developments is fire-resistant equipment made from aramid fabrics for military personnel. Suitable for everyone, but most in demand among tankers and flamethrowers. The brains behind the development, Elena, told Putin that such clothing was originally intended for racing drivers. But now there’s no time for racing. Elena said that she had already been to the Ministry of Defense with her products.

“We burned rags there,” Elena said.

“Great,” Putin responded, “But do you need to move your idea forward?” Well, leave your details,” the president obviously understood everything from one sigh from the developer.

– Who should I leave it to? – Elena was inspired.

“And here, behind us,” Putin nodded towards Manturov.

They also told the president about the “anti-drone” trench system, which helps soldiers jam enemy drones literally without leaving the trench. And about an application for mobile phones, which also help fight UAVs. The developer of such a program said that Ukrainians also have a similar thing. But there, in order to report the detection of a drone in the air, the user must first watch three commercials.

“I recognize brother Fedya,” the president quipped.

Director of the Scientific Center for Reanimatology and Rehabilitation Andrei Grechko surprised the president with a story that soldiers who survived a state of “brain catastrophe” – a serious wound to the head and a long coma – ask to return to the front as soon as their speech is restored. Putin once again noted that we have amazing people. And I was even more surprised when the doctor said that he really loved his job.

– How can this be your favorite job – poking around in your brain? This is the mission. Like a priest’s mission,” Putin concluded.

He found the story of an entrepreneur from Crimea, Kirill Bespalov, no less surprising. A young man in a wheelchair told how he was transporting humanitarian aid to the Kherson region and fell under “big water” when the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station dam exploded. Then our special forces barely pulled him out, for which they later called him the “battle carrot.” Bespalov said that he was not asking the president for anything, but only wanted to say “thank you” to him for returning Crimea to Russia.

“I was sure that the Crimeans and all of Russia want the return of Crimea to their homeland, just as they want help for Donbass,” said Vladimir Putin and added that if Russia had not protected its people, it would have turned into a decrepit, useless country, “ They would pat us on the head and give us rotten potatoes as humanitarian aid.