What problem do Russian governors consider to be the main one in the “new reality”

The heads of the regions, who are due to have elections in the autumn of 2023, spoke about the directions in which the regions are developing in the “new reality”. Such a discussion at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) conducted the Expert Institute for Social Research (EISI) close to the Kremlin. The main conclusion reached by several heads of regions at once is that now it is important to think about long-term development plans and give young people the opportunity to realize themselves in Russia.

Russian entrepreneurs were able to adapt to the new reality faster than anyone could think, said Ivanovo Region Governor Stanislav Voskresensky. He gave the example of a company that operates in the region (without mentioning its name), whose revenue in 2022 fell by 77%. But recently Voskresensky visited this enterprise and was told that “they are going to be a plus by 2021.” According to Voskresensky, just one of the signs of adaptation to the “new reality” is a “strong business class” that has survived several major crises.

“And in recent years we have come to terms with ourselves. We have a complicated history of the country, there were “different countries” – and that’s all of us: we are the Russian Empire, we are the Soviet Union. And now, against the backdrop of sanctions, interest in their own country is growing,” the governor said.

Acting Governor of the Smolensk Region Vasily Anokhin emphasized that it is important for him that young people do not leave the region and that they have the opportunity to develop where they were born. Therefore, the regions compete with each other to create the best conditions for young people to stay in their small homeland, he said. According to Anokhin, investments will not come to the regions if there is no one to work there, so it is necessary to create good conditions for young people and their development.

The head of Yakutia, Aisen Nikolaev, spoke about the same thing, but went from the other side. He said that in Yakutia the authorities are working to ensure that their plans are long-term, and they need to learn how to plan for the long term in the country as well. He was supported by the Acting Chukotka Vladislav Kuznetsov, who also agreed with the need for long-term planning. He also stressed the importance of training personnel in the regions. According to him, the personnel potential of Chukotka in the investment projects that are now in the region is involved at a low level, but at the same time there is an understanding that it is expensive and inefficient to bring people to permanent work from other territories: “Therefore, it is necessary to form a personnel training system directly in the regions – not just two-month courses, but special classes at schools, then colleges and universities, then work experience.”

The main problem of the regions is not sanctions, not the lack of money or technology, but the lack of people, said the governor of the Kemerovo region Sergey Tsivilev. Therefore, it is necessary to radically change the attitude towards people, increase their numbers: “This challenge is more important than others, including sanctions.”