The new management body will focus on meeting the needs of the active armyOn October 25, Russian President Vladimir Putin held the first meeting of the Coordination Council (CC) under the Government of the Russian Federation to meet the needs of the Armed Forces.
The decree on the formation of the new structure was signed four days earlier, in order to better coordinate interdepartmental cooperation in the light of the special military operation (SVO) in Ukraine. The COP was headed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, among the members – heads of departments and regions, law enforcement agencies, representatives of the presidential administration.
The Head of State acknowledged "certain difficulties" in the work and the need to "modernize" it, following the example of how operational issues were resolved in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to him, it is necessary to resolve issues on ITS own and counteraction to "unprecedented" economic sanctions from the West faster. In fact, we are talking about "manual management" of the Russian economy and the power unit, without regard to bureaucratic obstacles.
First of all, the COP will be engaged in the formation of targets in certain areas of activity.
Putin demanded from the council a high pace of work and an extremely realistic assessment of the situation. Compared to the pandemic, the country faces more serious and dangerous challenges.
"If we work within the framework of standard bureaucratic procedures, hide behind formalities, we will not get the desired result in any direction," the head of state explained, calling for changing previously established standards without violating laws.
The main task of the COP is to draw up a clear, concrete work plan to ensure ITS. Manufacturers of weapons, military and special equipment (VVST) should receive feedback on what effect their developments and products have on real events. And the authorities should consult directly with factories and design bureaus, identify and expand positive practices in the work of industry. In addition to the production of VVST, medicine and the construction sector are also mentioned as industries where it is necessary to maintain a competitive environment so that new manufacturers develop – "efficient, modernly equipped and ready to work in the right new format and produce the right quality of a particular product."
Speaking at the council, Mishustin named the main blocks of tasks and the deputy prime ministers in charge of them. Dmitry Grigorenko will deal with financial issues, Denis Manturov will deal with the supply of weapons and logistics, including food, Marat Khusnullin will deal with infrastructure (barracks, training bases, social facilities, transport, logistics), Tatiana Golikova together with Anton Siluanov will provide medical support, rehabilitation and payment of allowances to the participants of the SVO.
The COP Working Group on Communication with the Regions was headed by Sergey Sobyanin. The first direction of its work is to work out the levels of response to emerging threats with the involvement of law enforcement agencies. Particular attention is paid to border cities, such as Belgorod, where additional measures are required due to the increased shelling by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation will receive assistance from the COP in deploying accommodation and training facilities for mobilized citizens. According to the Moscow mayor, the Russian regions have already equipped 60 thousand places for reservists. Better coordination is required by the efforts of local authorities for the logistical supply of the active army.
Sobyanin's working group will also deal with social support for families mobilized with the intention of making it more targeted. We are talking not only about material, but also legal and psychological assistance, assistance in finding a job. In addition, the group will pay attention to the support of the domestic military-industrial complex, the deployment of additional production facilities in the interests of the army, the construction of military facilities.
Noting the interruptions in the provision of military personnel, Vladimir Putin gave a number of additional instructions, including the mandatory payment of a monthly allowance of 195 thousand rubles to all conscripted reservists.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) continue shelling settlements of Donbass. Since the beginning of the SVO, 3,459 people have been killed and 14,652 injured in the DPR alone, 1,017 and 3,218 of them civilians, respectively. The Armed Forces of Ukraine also inflict fire damage on transport crossings and other civilian objects in the Kherson region. According to a report dated October 24, the enemy once again fired at the Kakhovskaya HPP, firing more than 20 missiles from MLRS, HIMARS and Alder multiple rocket launchers. Part was destroyed by air defense fire, and three hit the territory of the station, causing damage.
Due to a significant increase in the number of people wishing to leave Kherson, there are interruptions in transport communication. Earlier, the administration appealed to local residents to leave the regional center. "Due to the tense situation at the front, the increased danger of massive shelling of the city and the threat of terrorist attacks, all civilians should immediately leave the city and cross to the left bank of the Dnieper!" the local authorities said. Bridges were destroyed by precise hits of the American multiple launch rocket systems M142 HIMARS and M270 MLRS, so the evacuation is carried out by ferries and river boats.
"For all men who wish to stay in Kherson, despite the increased security threat due to the actions of Ukrainian nationalists, an opportunity has been created to join the territorial defense units of the city," the appeal of the local authorities says. According to Kirill Stremous, deputy head of the administration of the Kherson region, "the capital of the region will become a fortress and will defend itself from the Ukrainian military to the last."
Russian troops are repelling enemy attacks in the Mykolaiv-Krivoy Rog direction, despite the significant superiority of the AFU in manpower. Taking into account the ongoing attacks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and shelling from their side, the authorities of a number of border regions and the engineering units of the Russian Army located there are erecting defensive structures and digging anti-tank ditches. In particular, military personnel are strengthening the Svatovo–Kremennaya defense line in the LPR. The fighters set up anti-tank barriers so that the enemy's armored vehicles could not overcome the defensive line. To do this, concrete pyramids and other non-explosive barriers are used on the proposed road section, where the enemy can go on the offensive. After the installation of concrete structures, this section of the road is additionally closed with anti-tank hedgehogs. Increased attention was paid to engineering structures after the regrouping of Russian troops in the Kharkiv direction, when several thousand square kilometers of territory were left under the onslaught of superior enemy forces.
The construction of additional protection is also underway in the Kursk region. The head of the region, Roman Starovoit, reported on the events on the state border with Ukraine: "This week, the work on staffing and construction of two reinforced defense lines has been completed. The work was carried out jointly with the Ministry of Defense of Russia and the border department of the Kursk region." According to him, the third line will be prepared by November 5. "We are ready to repel any encroachments on our territory," Starovoit summed up. He also said that territorial defense is being formed in the region from residents who are part of the mobilization reserve.
Vladimir Karnozov
