Address of the Rais of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov to the State Council of the Republic of Tatarstan for 2026

On 17 October, speaking at the 14th session of the State Council of the republic held in the Saydashev Concert Hall in Kazan, the Rais (Head) of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov said in his address: “In the current year Tatarstan continues to develop and occupies a leading position in the country in terms of many socio-economic indicators. All successes and achievements of the republic are the result of joint work of our multi-ethnic people.”

He expressed gratitude to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian Government for their continuous support of implementation of initiatives and projects in the republic and also spoke about events held in Kazan during celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory in the Great Patriotic War (WWII). 

Rustam Minnikhanov also said: “We must always remember the price at which Victory was achieved – both at the front and in the rear. Creating the necessary conditions for the comfort and well-being of veterans and providing daily care for them is the responsibility of government bodies at all levels,” and expressed deep gratitude to those residents of the republic who are currently taking part in the special military operation (SMO) having reminded that 17 of them have been awarded the high title of Hero of Russia and 3 285 natives of the republic were posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.  

The Rais of the republic informed about work being done in the republic to perpetuate the feat of participants of the SMO in Kazan and municipalities of the republic and about the programme “Batyrlar. Heroes of Tatarstan” implemented in the republic by the errand from the Russian President. “I am convinced that each of them, being a true example of sincere service to the Motherland and patriotism, will make their contribution to the development of Tatarstan,” he said and proclaimed the year of 2026 the year of military and labour valor in the republic.

“In general, selfless help and service to people have acquired special significance today. In this regard, we have decided to establish an honorary badge "For contribution to the development of volunteerism in the Republic of Tatarstan", as well as the award of the Rais of the republic "Kind Tatarstan",” Rustam Minnikhanov said.

He also stated the importance of to popularize the courage and heroism of our defenders of the Fatherland, home front workers, and outstanding scientists through patriotic projects and the necessity of decisively stopping attempts of enemies of the country to rewrite history and constantly monitor the spread of fake news and stepping up the work on strengthening traditional spiritual and moral values.

Rais of the republic stated that constructive dialogue with national and religious amalgamations of the republic and creation of necessary conditions for preservation of inter-ethnic and inter-confessional peace continue to be the priority of the state policy and reminded about work being done for various confessions of the republic such as the reconstruction of the Kazan Virgin Monastery, the Bolgar Islamic Academy and the activities of the Regional Revival Fund headed by the First President of Tatarstan the State Counselor of the republic Mintimer Shaimiev.   

Rustam Minnikhanov also touched results of elections of the Rais of the republic and members of representative local self-government bodies held on 14 September and said:” I consider the election results to be a reflection of the work of the entire Tatarstan team.” 

Speaking about international situation and work of the republic in this aphere, the Rais of the republic said: “The modern international situation is rapidly changing, and the importance of a multipolar world is steadily increasing. By the errand of the country's leadership, Tatarstan is actively participating in integration processes within the framework of BRICS, the SCO, and the Eurasian Economic Union, and is dynamically developing cooperation with partners from neighboring countries, Islamic states, China, India, Asian and African countries.”

Rustam Minnikhanov put special emphasis on the economic situation of the republic and said: “Tatarstan economy has demonstrated stable growth over the past five years. The goal of reaching 5 trillion rubles in the GRP, as set out in Strategy 2030, has already been exceeded by the end of 2024. The basis for the further development of the economy of the republic is the oil and gas chemical complex.”

He told about work of the TANEKO refinery, the Tatneft Oil Company and projects implemented in the republic by the SIBUR Company, which also has already allocated more than 7bn rubles on sports sponsorship and implementation of social projects, the results achieved by the TAIF-NK and Ammonium Companies and the long-term strategic partnership with the Gazprom Company.

The Rais of the republic spoke separately about the engineering industry of the republic and trucks produced by the KAMAZ Automaker,, Sollers Company, planes and helicopters manufactured by Kazan Aircraft Plant and Kazan Helicopter Plant , civil and military ships produced at Zelenodolsk Ship-building Plant and other companies

Touching the issue of training specialists, Rustam Minnikhanov said: “Staffing is a strategic task for both the state and employers. In close cooperation with the federal center, the republic has created and is constantly improving a system of personnel training.”

He also informed about resource centers being created in the republic with the specialist’s ordering customers, advanced engineering schools, the corporate scientific and technological center of the SIBUR and Almetyevsk Oil High School and The University Technological Entrepreneurship Platform and the Student’s Startup programmes.

“I encourage all employers to plan ahead and attract future employees using targeted training. In addition, I give an errand to the Government of the republic to ensure the active participation of enterprises in the formation of a qualified state assignment for the training of personnel at all levels of education, to develop and implement a set of internship and practical training programmes for students and young professionals at leading enterprises and to encourage companies to create corporate training centers and retraining programmes,” Rustam Minnikhanov said.

Speaking about stimulating investments in the republic, he said that for the last five years 4.8 trillion rubles have been invested into economy and social sphere of Tatarstan, the developed investments infrastructure has been created  and added: “It is necessary to continue developing the infrastructure for business, creating new growth points, as well as to continue  coordinated work of all levels of government, enterprises and resource supplying organizations to implement investment projects and activities of the Plan to improve the investment climate.”

Rustam Minnikhanov specially emphasized that SMEs play a special role in social and economic development of Tatarstan and said: “Despite global transformations, business in Tatarstan has demonstrated high adaptability, and the number of SMEs and the number of people employed in them continues to grow.”

Having said that there are entrepreneurs in Tatarstan whose stories are inspiring, he wished them further success.

The republic is fully supplied with essential agricultural products. This is primarily the result of the hard work of the farmers, the deepest gratitude was expressed for their work!

In recent years, the republic has been actively working in this direction. We have decided to implement a new program of breakthrough IT-solutions. Special attention will be given to priority projects of digitalization in the social sphere

The republic has been actively working in a strategic task to accelerate the development of domestic digital solutions.

Particular attention will be paid to priority digitalization projects in the social sector.

Due to the sustainable development of the economy, as well as the support of the federal center throughout the republic, national projects and regional programs continue to be implemented, the main goal of which is to improve the quality of life of citizens.

Today, we are implementing 48 national programs, covering all urban regions and municipalities in Tatarstan. This year, 3,700 social facilities—schools, kindergartens, clinics, youth centers, sports facilities and cultural centers—will be built and renovated.

The education is the foundation on which the future is built. In recent years, a huge amount of work has been done in Tatarstan, the results of which can be seen in figures and, most importantly, in the qualitative changes of the educational environment of the republic. Tatarstan has achieved 100% access to pre-school education for children of all age categories.

The foundation of any society is the health of the nation. The republic consistently develops an accessible and high-quality health system. Since 2020, the infrastructure of the sector in Tatarstan has been significantly improved: more than 300 new medical facilities have been built - hospitals, polyclinics, FAPs, 586 medical institutions have been renovated, to which 50 billion rubles have been allocated, over 40 thousand units of modern equipment have been purchased. This is an unprecedented investment in the health of the people of the republic.

Tatarstan implements a comprehensive approach to the provision of social support to the population, based on the principles of targeting, accessibility and efficiency.

In recent years, Tatarstan has made a real breakthrough in the development of sports infrastructure. In 5 years, 220 sports facilities were built in the republic, 257 have undergone comprehensive modernization for a total amount of 19 billion rubles. This allowed not only to preserve existing sports facilities, but also to improve their quality and functionality.

In 2026, Kazan will become the Cultural Capital of the Islamic World. This opens new opportunities for developing the republic's rich cultural heritage.

All achievements and successes of the republic are the work of many generations of Tatarstan residents. And today, we all continue their legacy. Our strength lies in the grandeur of our historical heritage, the unity of the multinational people of Russia, our strong traditions, and our lofty spiritual values. All of this provides a solid foundation for the further development and prosperity of Tatarstan, for new great victories and a prosperous future for our homeland!