Sergei Sobyanin: We are to make all social commitments and plans

We are to make all social commitments and plans

— Olesya Nosova: Sergei Semenovich, Moscow key programs are ongoing, including social ones. The city’s benefits have been improved since January. Does budget deal with the burden?

— Sergei Sobyanin: The more they are trying to suppress us, the stronger we become. Despite all the sanctions, we provided the estimated revenue last year.

We have budgeted for a 4.5 per cent growth for this year. In fact, the income is growing by 6 to 7 per cent. This is not a reason to take it easy or worry too much. Moscow budget is stable. We are to implement all social commitments and plans.

— Olesya Nosova: Why are budget revenues increasing given the current situation?

— Sergei Sobyanin: We have been working for 12 years to increase the budget revenues.

The input into the city, from landscaping to transport, pay off with multiple increases with attracting private investment.

We have developed an industry benefit system to increase production and tax revenues.

Moscow-based small businesses are very active and creative. A businessman or a self-employed person pays low taxes, it seems. But when it comes to millions of people, together they provide hundreds of billions of rubles, which is a quarter of Moscow’s budget.

There are traditional taxpayers: banks, insurers, builders, trade, IT and many others. All of them operate in Moscow, which means that taxes go to the city budget.

— Olesya Nosova: What about oil and gas companies?

— Sergei Sobyanin: Over the years, the share of oil and gas companies in the budget has decreased from 17 to 3 per cent. It is surely not prevalent. But, it should be borne in mind that these percentages are associated with profits. Tens of thousands of people work in Moscow, one way or another employed in the oil and gas industry, including management companies, research institutions and other organizations.

Three new radial lines are in the future

— Olesya Nosova: How is the city preparing for the launch of traffic on the next Moscow Central Diameters, MCD-3 and MCD-4? Can we expect that they will open this Autumn? New signs are being installed at stations, right?

— Sergei Sobyanin: Yes, they are, but MCD-3 and MCD-4 signs are sealed with tape so as not to confuse passengers. It has been an eventful year. Many countries are happy with launching one new line every 10 years. This year, we are launching three huge lines at once in Moscow.

In March, full-fledged train traffic opened along the Metro Big Circle Line. In Autumn, trains will start running along MCD-3 and MCD-4. Colleagues from Russian Railways promise to complete the work on time. We have launched new railway tracks, stations, metro transfers, rolling stock and traffic control systems. Connecting lines have been built to transform disparate radial lines into a full-fledged Zelenograd-Ramenskoye diameter (MCD-3) and an Aprelevka-Zheleznodorozhny diameter (MCD-4).

We will continue to partially reconstruct the stations and develop the related infrastructure after the launch. This is how we opened MCD-1 and MCD-2. When the new diameters are launched, the Moscow ticketing system and free metro and MCC transfers will be available on MCD-3 and MCD-4.

— Olesya Nosova: the construction of the Big Circle Line has been completed. Every day more and more passengers use it for travel. What stations will open this year and in the future?

— Sergei Sobyanin: This year, we will fulfill our promise made to the residents of the Severny District by opening a full-fledged metro line. Back in the late 2000s, when I used to get stuck in traffic jams at Dmitrovskoye Motorway, this area surprised me. Huge high-rise buildings and no prospects for improving the traffic. It seemed to me that people living there did not even expect that something could change.

We had to make a lot of effort. First, Dmitrovskoye Motorway was reconstructed, then MCD-1 was launched. This year, we are completing the construction of three metro stations on the Lyublinsko-Dmitrovskaya line: Yakhromskaya, Lianozovo and Fiztekh.

As part of the 2023 second project, the metro will be launched in Vnukovo. It will be convenient for both local residents and millions of air passengers of one of the Russia’s largest airports.

Three new radial lines are to open: the Troitskaya line in the southwest, the Rublyovo-Arkhangelskaya line in the northwest and the Biryulyovskaya line in the south. Each of them will improve the quality of life of 500,000–700,000, and sometimes even a million people.

In addition, several new stations on the existing lines are expected to be built: the Suvorovskaya station to transfer from the Lyublinsko-Dmitrovskaya line to Koltsevaya, Yuzhny Port and some other stations.

— Olesya Nosova: Will the Moscow High-Speed Diameter reduce traffic jams? How will the city change after its launch?

— Sergei Sobyanin: Today, the MHSD main section accommodates more than 300,000 cars a day, quite seamlessly. About 85 per cent of these cars are owned by Muscovites who used to choose other, longer and more inconvenient routes. Following the launch of the MHSD on many sections of the Moscow Ring Road and the Third Ring Road, the average speed increased by 15–17 per cent.

When we open the southern section, the number of cars using the MHSD will grow up to 400,000 a day. In terms of traffic intensity, the high-speed diameter will be included in the top three main Moscow highways. It will be a new transport reality for millions of drivers. The travel will take 20–30 minutes instead of more than an hour.

About elections and life

— Olesya Nosova: the Moscow mayoral election is scheduled for September 10. What influenced your decision to run for mayor again? How is the city preparing for the elections considering the current situation?

— Sergei Sobyanin: It was a difficult and very important decision for me. We are going through a difficult historical period. We have to contribute all our experience, knowledge and effort to overcome the difficulties with dignity and emerge victorious. In the face of the sanctions war, we have to support and develop the city economy, ensure social security of Muscovites and provide support to those who are defending our Motherland with arms in their hands.

Elections will be held at the scheduled time in conformity with the law.

— Olesya Nosova: May I ask you a personal question? Over the past three years, we have had a tough time – the pandemic, sanctions and the special military operation. How do you manage to endure all this? What makes you strong?

— Sergei Sobyanin: Real results and, of course, the trust of Muscovites make me strong.

We will offer more assistance to our defenders and their families

— Olesya Nosova: Moscow provides strong support to the special military operation members and their families. How does it work?

— Sergei Sobyanin: Following the mobilization, we came up with many ideas on how to help the special military operation members and their families. It turned out that the main thing was personal and direct communication. We have to talk to people, find out their problems and do our best to solve them.

If it takes a lot of time for a mother to take her child to a kindergarten, we need to find a kindergarten closer to their place. If there are problems with taking care of an elderly woman, we should provide her with home-based social services. If residents have any problems with applying for benefits, we need to help them collect their documents. And so on.

To do this, we have established a single support center where residents can contact specialists and get all the necessary assistance (8/2 Beregovoy Proyezd, Shelepikha metro station). It is not just a temporary institution. The center will operate on an ongoing basis, and assistance programs will expand depending on the real needs of our defenders and their families.