Meeting with Leningrad Region Governor Alexander Drozdenko

Alexander Drozdenko began by briefing the President on the Road of Life marathon held the previous day, which took place despite temperatures of minus 17 degrees Celsius. The event commemorated those who defended Leningrad during its blockade by Nazi forces from September 8, 1941, to January 27, 1944. The Governor also reported on the launch of design work for a major Museum of Remembrance dedicated to the victims of the genocide of civilians during the Great Patriotic War.

The Governor also informed the President about the construction of 16 facilities to protect the airspace from unmanned aerial vehicle attacks, the establishment, together with the Defence Ministry, of a training centre for unmanned aviation troops, and the implementation of 100 regional support measures for participants in the special military operation and their family members. He spoke about the launch of a comprehensive rehabilitation support cluster for participants in the special military operation, where prosthetic care, training and employment assistance are provided simultaneously. As part of the Time of Heroes project, 15 individuals have already taken up various executive positions within regional government bodies. Alexander Drozdenko also reported on assistance provided to several cities in the Donetsk People's Republic.

The discussion also covered efforts to address issues related to drinking water quality and waste management, as well as plans to improve water quality in Lake Ladoga, which the Governor described as a strategic reserve, noting that no comparable volume of clean water exists anywhere else in Europe. He added that the region had concluded the year with several records, including in housing construction and investment.

Additionally, the Governor reported on fulfilling one of the President's instructions concerning Vyborg, Russia's only truly medieval city. Over this period, restoration work at Vyborg Castle has been fully completed, new exhibition spaces have been created, and the Town Hall Tower and Clock Tower have been restored. Restoration has also been completed at Monrepos, Russia's only landscaped rocky park, which has become the best in Europe. Three billion rubles have been invested in the major renovation of residential buildings in the historic centre of the city, Old Vyborg. Over the past ten years, the number of tourists in Vyborg has increased by 3.5 times, and in 2025 a record was set with two million visitors, including both tourists and other guests. For the second year in a row, Vyborg has been ranked first among Russia's small towns for event tourism. The Governor also noted that the Director General of the Bolshoi Theatre and the Mariinsky Theatre, Maestro Valery Gergiev, has recently proposed reviving the Vyborg Opera Festival.

Alexander Drozdenko also raised a complex outstanding issue which deals with renovating the historic Seta Solberg Quarter. A reconstruction project has been developed, and it was initially planned to be financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. This option is no longer available, and the issue of securing the necessary funding must now be addressed. The head of the region noted that support is required, as it is difficult to rely solely on the budget of the Leningrad Region and private co-financing for such a large-scale project. The President asked whether the relevant proposals were ready, to which the Governor replied in the affirmative.

Alexander Drozdenko also touched upon preparations for the 100^th anniversary of the Leningrad Region in 2027. Several projects are currently being prepared, primarily focused on preserving cultural heritage sites and initiatives for children. These include the reconstruction of the Ivangorod Fortress, the construction of a children's clinical hospital in Sertolovo, the establishment of a lyceum for talented children, a project to modernise the Road of Life memorial and landscape complex, which is nearing completion, the restoration, modernisation and upgrading of the status of Staraya Ladoga, and the full reconstruction of the central part of the regional capital, the city of Gatchina. In addition, three ice arenas are expected to open in the region to mark the centenary.