The Prime Minister has chaired a meeting on army modernisation in Voronezh.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was in Voronezh yesterday to discuss the new look of the Russian Armed Forces with government ministers. The meeting took place at the Sozvezdiye concern created under Putin's decree when he was still president of the country, on the basis of an enterprise that dates back to 1958. Much of the plant still dates back to the Soviet times, and the same is true of our army. And yet the plant also produces some military equipment that has no analogues in the world.
Modernised APCs complete with notebooks and other electronic gadgetry were lined up in front of the enterprise office building. The enterprise representatives say Sozvezdiye has its order books full. Our army still uses 1970-1980s vintage communication stations, although they are supposed to be renewed every ten years.
Putin looked at the machines and decided to have a video chat with a soldier sitting at the wheel of a vehicle.
"Alexei," Putin addressed the soldier, "how do you like the vehicle?"
Alexei could only hear, but not see Putin. It took him some time to realise that he had been talking to the Prime Minister himself.
The Prime Minister was accompanied by Alexei Gordeyev, the current governor of the Voronezh Region and former Agriculture Minister.
"I would like to congratulate Alexei (Gordeyev) on getting a permanent residence certificate in Voronezh," Putin said.
From our information, the governor was lodging at a holiday home before he bought an apartment in Voronezh. Congratulations over, they got down to the real stuff. Putin pointed out that the development of the military industry drives the development of all the other sectors.
"I would like to stress that we need not only to modernise the existing complexes and systems," Putin said. "Let us face it, most of them are outdated. Our domestic enterprises have a good scientific and technical potential to solve that task and we should build on it competently..."
At the end of his visit Putin had a separate talk with Governor Gordeyev. He briefed Putin on the state of affairs in the region. Gordeyev is outraged that in the 21st century, households in Voronezh have water supply cuts every day. At the time he took office water supply cuts lasted 6 hours, now they last 4 hours every day.
"And in your apartment?" Putin wondered.
"It's the same as in all the other apartments," Gordeyev said.
"What about your house-warming party?" Putin asked.
"House-warming? I'll think about it. But I'll invite you for sure," Gordeyev assured Putin.
Nigina Beroyeva
