Published on: 2026-07-21
Source: Government of the Russian Federation –
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On July 21, the first meeting of the cycle “The Homeland is the People” was held at the National Center “Russia” as part of the all-Russian project “Where the Homeland Begins.” The event was dedicated to the theme “Healthy Family.” Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova participated in it. The focus of the discussion was on key directions of state policy, including strengthening the well-being of families and society. Participants considered three strategic areas: creating conditions for the birth and upbringing of children, developing employment, professional self-realization, and human potential, as well as improving the healthcare system, including preventive medicine and the introduction of innovative technologies.
“Our President has called Russia a family of families and has repeatedly emphasized that supporting families with children is a paramount priority, and that a large family with many children should become the norm, a role model, a philosophy of life, and a guideline for the entire state strategy. Currently, there are about 24 million families in our country, of which approximately 16 million have children. More than 3 million families are raising three or more children. In the last five years, the number of large families has increased almost 1.5 times. A healthy family is not only about physical health, which is undoubtedly valuable. It is also about everything that is important for every family member: education and development of children, stable employment and the opportunity for parents to realize themselves professionally, care and an active life for the older generation. Therefore, our main goal is to create conditions in which every Russian family can confidently look to the future, knowing that the state supports them,” said Tatyana Golikova.
The Deputy Prime Minister recalled that based on these goals, an Action Strategy was developed for the implementation of family and demographic policy and support for large families in Russia until 2036. According to her, the document is aimed at strengthening the institution of the family, increasing birth rates and the quality of life of families, and creating conditions for child development. Scientists-demographers, experts, regions, and the parenting community participated in its development.
She noted that the state continues to expand support measures for families with children. According to Tatyana Golikova, a unified status of large families has been established at the federal level, and in 50 regions support measures are provided without assessing need. This year, a family tax payment was launched, which has already been used by parents of more than 2.2 million children, with over 1 million payments issued in total. Special attention is given to young families: the status of student family has been officially established, 365 mother and child rooms have been created in 252 universities, and pregnancy and childbirth benefits for female students and postgraduates have been increased. The Deputy Prime Minister also emphasized that federal support for demographic programs is already yielding results: in June, an increase in the total fertility rate was noted in 20 regions, most notably in the Nizhny Novgorod and Ryazan regions, as well as in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. In addition, an increase in the number of third and subsequent children was recorded in 15 regions, with the leaders being the Nizhny Novgorod and Ryazan regions.
“Over the past three years, the number of large families in the Ryazan region has increased by 20%, and the number of student families has grown by almost a third. We have managed to reverse the negative trend of declining birth rates. And this is a very important result. We try to look at every decision through the eyes of the family. We have combined everything that affects its quality of life into a single ecosystem: healthcare, education, social protection, culture, sports, landscaping, and other areas. We have built a unified support path—from the birth of a child to old age. At each stage, the family receives the support it needs,” said Pavel Malkov, governor of the Ryazan region.
As part of the program, a large family, the Kuraevs in three generations, performed before the guests. Yefim and Olga are raising eight biological children, and both spouses themselves grew up in large families. Their brothers and sisters are also parents of large families, so having many children for this family is not a random choice, but a continuation of a family tradition.
Yefim and Olga Kuraev shared how the parental experience changes in practice within a large family, what measures the happiness of being parents, and how their children help in the family business – a confectionery where desserts are made according to recipes passed down through generations. The family is also actively involved in charity and public life, and they consider care and warmth to be the main recipe for family happiness. When asked how they manage everything, the spouses answered that the key is not to be afraid and to believe in their own strength. Also, according to the couple, support from the state and loved ones significantly helps.
A separate discussion block was dedicated to supporting participants of the special military operation and their family members. Tatyana Golikova emphasized that this direction remains one of the priorities of state policy. A unified support standard has been developed for them, free retraining programs are in place for 213 professions, 27 of which are specifically intended for veterans, and measures are provided to support employment, including subsidies for equipping workplaces. In addition, an important part of this work is employment assistance: since 2023, the state employment service in Russia has been undergoing modernization, by the end of the current year a network of modern personnel centers “Work of Russia” will be deployed in 60 regions, and the average job search time has already decreased by 41%.
One of the key topics of the meeting was health protection and access to medical care. Tatyana Golikova explained how the healthcare system is currently structured in the country and noted that the main focus is on disease prevention.
“One of the main priorities in the field of healthcare was prevention. Today we also place it at the forefront. This is one of the key directions for detecting both pre-risks and the development of diseases themselves. By the end of 2025, the number of citizens who have undergone preventive measures, compared to 2019 — the pre-pandemic year — has increased by one and a half times. What lies behind these figures? It is better quality detection and a greater number of people who may subsequently need medical assistance. We do this at places of study, work, and within medical organizations themselves,” continued Tatyana Golikova.
The Deputy Prime Minister also reported that more than 1.7 million people receive high-tech medical care annually. According to her, by 2025, the waiting list for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for children will be completely eliminated in Russia, and, according to WHO data, the survival rate of children with oncological diseases exceeds 83%, and for certain types – 98%. She also noted that thanks to the development of medical rehabilitation and the creation of two world-class children’s rehabilitation centers, more than 2 million children received care in 2025.
“But no projects or initiatives would be possible if they were not carried out by our people. It is only thanks to them that we achieve the results we do today. After all, it is always a matter of interaction with society, with our parents, grandmothers, and grandfathers, in order to understand what is important and necessary to develop our country – our Russia,” the Deputy Prime Minister concluded.
The meeting with Tatiana Golikova opened the cycle of seven thematic events “The Motherland Is Its People.” The focus is on the individual, the family, and the conditions necessary for a prosperous life. The series of events will become the second stage of the all-Russian project “Where the Motherland Begins.”
The project of the National Center “Russia” “Where the Motherland Begins” is aimed at strengthening each person’s sense of unity with the country, regardless of their ethnic background. The project is being conducted at the National Center “Russia” with the support of the Government in the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia, declared by President Vladimir Putin. The series of events consists of several stages, involving representatives of the Government, heads of federal executive bodies, regional leaders, and public opinion leaders. The upcoming stages of the project include motivational open dialogues and lectures “The Motherland is Service” and a series of meetings “The Motherland is Home,” dedicated to regional development, preservation of traditions, and unity of the peoples of Russia.
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