MOSCOW, October 1. /TASS/. Russia, in the process of restoring its historical regions, will proceed from the fact that its citizens live there, and intends to raise their standard of living to the average level across the country, President Vladimir Putin said during the plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club.
"We will proceed from the principle of expediency and from the fact that the people living in these territories are full-fledged citizens of the Russian Federation. And we will do everything to ensure that their standard of living is raised to the average Russian level as quickly as possible in all areas: healthcare, education, the economy, and household incomes," the president said.
Putin noted that this "generally works out both in Crimea and in that part of the DPR, LPR, Zaporozhye, and Kherson" that is under Russian control. "As for what to restore and which enterprises to relocate, that will be decided solely based on economic feasibility," he added.
"If we are talking about territories that should and will become part of the Russian state, then we will need to rebuild the economy and the social sphere. But what exactly to do there is another question. Of course, we should primarily focus on resolving the issues and problems that we are facing. This is an absolute priority."
