Meeting with Novgorod Region Governor Alexander Dronov

At the President’s suggestion, the discussion began with the performance of the special economic zone established in the region in 2021. The zone is focused on developing new high-tech manufacturing facilities. According to Alexander Dronov, investment commitments have exceeded 9 billion rubles, with 16 companies granted resident status and around 2,600 new jobs expected to be created. Eight residents have already launched production, investing a total of 4.5 billion rubles. These include a plant producing reinforced concrete slabs for the Moscow-St Petersburg high-speed railway and Sber Group’s GigaFactory, which has revived television manufacturing and assembly in Veliky Novgorod.

The Governor noted that the region is developing its workforce training system in parallel with the economy, tailoring it to the needs of local industries. One of the key projects in this area is a new university campus in Veliky Novgorod designed to accommodate 4,000 students, with the Novgorodskaya Special Economic Zone acting as concessionaire. The project is intended to create an integrated system bringing together high-tech manufacturing, research and workforce training. The campus will open in 2027.

The discussion also covered demographic issues, including support for large families and efforts to address staffing shortages in the healthcare sector. The region’s medical institute currently has around 2,300 students, including 461 residents. Nine support measures are available to healthcare professionals. In particular, since 2019, 283 apartments have been purchased for medical workers, who are entitled to privatise them after seven years of service.

Turning to education, the Governor reported on the establishment of education and industry clusters in partnership with local enterprises under the federal Professionalitet training project. Such clusters are already operating in the chemical industry, radio electronics, construction, agriculture, transport, and mechanical engineering.

Alexander Dronov also spoke about efforts to preserve the region’s historical and cultural heritage, an issue of particular importance to Veliky Novgorod, one of Russia’s oldest cities. In accordance with the President’s instructions, 37 cultural heritage sites of federal significance were identified, with five designated as priorities. Restoration of the Church of Sts Peter and Paul on Sinichya Gora has been completed, and the building now functions both as an active church and a museum. Restoration works have also begun on the Church of the Intercession of the Virgin and the Pokrovskaya Tower of the Novgorod Kremlin. The Governor also noted that, under a Presidential instruction, the State Transport Leasing Company had been re-registered in the Novgorod Region, which will make it possible to restore several major landmarks over the next five years, including the Millennium of Russia monument, a national symbol, as well as the belfry of St Sophia Cathedral and two 14^th-century churches.

Furthermore, the Governor reported that last year saw the opening of the country’s first branch of the Polytechnic Museum, Russia’s largest national museum of science and technology. Construction is ongoing at the National Historical and Archaeological Centre named after Academician Valentin Yanin, whose discovery and study of thousands of birch bark manuscripts in Veliky Novgorod fundamentally altered our understanding of literacy in Ancient Rus.

The Governor described the creation of comfortable living conditions and the development of a comfortable urban environment as a programme of paramount importance. In the Novgorod Region, 665 public spaces have been improved. All of the region’s cities have been recognised as cities with a favourable urban environment. Since 2019, the region has won 17 projects within the framework of the National Competition for the Development of Small Towns and Historical Settlements.

Alexander Dronov also outlined the measures in place to support participants in the special military operation and their families. A social coordinator is assigned to each family. Veterans participate in a dedicated training programme, and many have already secured employment. Individual pathways are being created for further professional development. The Help is Nearby project was launched on October 1, 2025. It is a mobile, interdepartmental commission that travels to municipalities, providing the necessary assistance on site.

Vladimir Putin noted that over 50 percent of the schools in the region require repairs. Alexander Dronov acknowledged this issue, emphasising that systematic and comprehensive work is underway. He explained that federal funds under the relevant programme are allocated exclusively for major repairs to the buildings themselves. The region, in cooperation with the municipalities, organises the process as follows: first, the building is repaired; then the classrooms are renovated; the school is equipped with educational equipment; and, in parallel, the school grounds are improved, with playgrounds, sports grounds and stadiums being built. Vladimir Putin recommended that the Governor keep this matter under his personal control.