Putin thanked the Ministry of Emergency Situations for evacuating Russians from Gaza and working in new regions

President Vladimir Putin congratulated the veterans and personnel of the Ministry of Emergency Situations on their professional holiday. He thanked the department’s employees for their work in the regions annexed to Russia and the evacuation of Russians from the Gaza Strip after the start of the war with Israel. Congratulations published on website Kremlin.

“Today, Russian rescuers with their actions confirm the high status and authority of the department. This year, you promptly eliminated the consequences of floods and wildfires in the Volga region and Siberia, in the Far East and southern Russia. Our citizens were evacuated from dangerous areas, including from the conflict zone in the Middle East, as soon as possible,” the congratulatory telegram states. According to the president, the role of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in comprehensively ensuring the security of Russians is “growing from year to year.”

The President considers one of the key tasks of the Ministry of Emergency Situations today to be improving work in new entities. “I would like to especially thank the firefighters, rescuers, and sappers who, in difficult conditions, do a lot to ensure the safety of the residents of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions. We must continue to resolve all issues that arise there without delay,” he said. Another priority for the Ministry of Emergency Situations, according to the president, is the development of the civil defense system.

Head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations Alexander Kurenkov (his words are quoted in the congratulations on website department) said that 300 thousand rescuers are celebrating the holiday today. He said that Emergencies Ministry employees annually rescue more than 200 thousand people, extinguish about 400 thousand fires and eliminate the consequences of about 260 emergencies. During this year, Emergency Situations Ministry employees saved 50 thousand and evacuated more than 215 thousand people. Aviation of the Ministry of Emergency Situations made more than 15 thousand flights, including 560 sanitary evacuation flights, and also delivered more than 14 thousand tons of cargo.

As Alexander Kurenkov reported in November, more than 303 thousand rescuers work in the new regions. The head of the department has repeatedly asked grant department employees working in combat zones the status of veterans. Now for rescuers working in a military conflict zone, payments are provided in case of injury or death, but employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations are deprived of tax benefits, as well as benefits when using public transport, when paying for housing and communal services and government duties.