Leonid ROKETSKY, Governor of the Tyumen Region

Leonid Yulianovich Roketsky was born on March 15, 1942 in the village of Nosov in Ukraine. In November 1962, he was called up for active service in the Soviet Army. After leaving the reserve, he entered the Lviv Polytechnic Institute, graduated in 1970 with a degree in electrical engineering.

In 1966, as part of the first student groups, L. Y. Roketsky arrived in Surgut. After graduating from the university, he was sent to work in the system of the Ministry of Oil and Gas Construction. From 1970 to 1980 - foreman, foreman, Chief Engineer of the Department, Deputy Manager, Chief Engineer of the Surgutgazstroy Trust.

Since November 1981, he worked in the executive authorities, first Deputy Chairman, and since June 1988 - Chairman of the Surgut City Executive Committee.

In 1990, he was elected a deputy of the Tyumen Regional Council, then-chairman of the Tyumen Regional Executive Committee. In 1991, he was appointed First Deputy head of the administration of the Tyumen Region, and in 1993, by Decree of the President of Russia, L. Y. Roketsky was appointed head of the administration of the Tyumen region. In the same year, he was elected a deputy of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.

Roketsky was elected Governor of the Tyumen Region on January 12, 1997. He is Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Budget, Tax Policy, Financial, Currency and Customs Regulation, Banking of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. Member of the Presidium of the State Council of the Russian Federation.

- Leonid Yulianovich, for the whole country, the Tyumen Region is primarily a storehouse of energy resources. How does the far northern region of oil and gas workers live and develop?

- Indeed, the basis of the region's economy is made up of oil and gas enterprises. In 1999, the Severnye fields produced 200 million tons of oil and gas condensate, 540 billion tons of natural gas. cubic meters of gas. These indicators speak eloquently for themselves. However, our northern region lives not only on this. The leading industries are mechanical engineering, petrochemistry and woodworking. Enterprises of the light, food and processing industries are developing. The total volume of industrial output amounted to 228.9 billion rubles. Agree, the figure is also very impressive. According to this indicator, the Tyumen Region retained the first place among the subjects of the Russian Federation. Our region occupies a leading position among the country's regions in terms of foreign trade turnover.

The most significant growth in production was achieved in the petrochemical industry-110.5 %, mechanical engineering-131 % and woodworking - 115.7 %. In general, the previous year's production volumes in the industrial complex were exceeded by 2.1%, and in the south of the region-by 9 %. Electricity production was increased by 7.5 %. The growth of production in mechanical engineering is also fundamentally important for us. Production of automation equipment, accumulators, and equipment for oil and gas production increased.

It is significant that in today's difficult economic conditions, we not only maintain the old production facilities, but also create new ones. A motor oil plant and a mini-plant for processing gas condensate were put into operation in Bogandinsky settlement, and the capacity of the Tobolsk Petrochemical Plant was increased. This is a success in the development of hydrocarbon processing. Among the objects of the construction industry and the construction materials industry, I would like to mention first of all Zapsibgazprom's Tyumen Ceramic Products Plant, a new technological line for the production of small-piece cellular concrete products in Ishim. In the woodworking industry, processing enterprises have begun to create procurement units, which contributes to the restoration of timber industry complexes that have the best conditions for development and have increased sustainability. Due to the supply of new products of improved quality to the market, the demand for locally produced furniture has increased, and its production is increasing.

There is also growth in the food and processing industry, not only in terms of quantity, but also in terms of the quality of products, and their range is expanding to meet market requirements. This is also indicated by the high ratings awarded to our enterprises at the All-Russian level. For participation in the 3rd national specialized exhibition "Russian Food Products-99", 26 enterprises were awarded honorary diplomas, five of them received medals for the best food products. In the All-Russian competition "100 best goods of Russia" for some types of products, CJSC "Borovskaya Poultry Farm" was recognized as the winner.

In addition, the financial situation of agricultural enterprises improved in 1999, and animal husbandry is developing. 1,124 thousand tons of grain were collected. No less than this will be removed from the fields of the region this year. Already, the average yield of grain, which at the beginning of September was harvested from more than 60 % of the sown area, reaches 20 centners / ha. The region fully provided itself with bread until the new harvest. Vegetable growing, animal husbandry and poultry farming are developing.

Volume of investment in development

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the economy and social sector increased by 15 %.

All these results, of course, affected the living conditions of Tyumen residents. The following facts and figures indicate changes in the social sphere.

Nominal monetary incomes of the region's population are growing. In 1999, they increased by 1.6 times compared to the corresponding period of the previous year. During all the most difficult years, pension payments were not delayed.

The region is actively working to solve the housing problem. Housing with a total area of 787.7 thousand square meters was put into operation.

The decrease in the number of unemployed compared to the previous year was 39 %, in the whole region, including in its south - 52 %. The number of vacancies increased significantly, by 2-3.2 times, both in the autonomous districts and in the south of the region. The development of small and medium-sized businesses contributed to solving the problems of employment and filling the consumer market. There are about 20 thousand small businesses operating in the region. Products or services worth about 100 thousand rubles were produced or rendered per employee in this sector of the economy.

In addition, we have preserved and successfully operate all cultural institutions and libraries. New conditions are being built and improved in existing general education schools, secondary vocational and higher educational institutions.

This is how the Tyumen region lives. I am convinced that the Tyumen creative potential is huge, it is just beginning to unfold. We can state with confidence that our region is actively undergoing processes of stabilization and growth both in the economy and in the social sphere.

- The Tyumen "defense industry" is not as large-scale as in some other regions of our country. However, it was obviously not spared by the all-Russian troubles of our military-industrial complex. How do Tyumen defense specialists solve their problems?

- You are absolutely right that all-Russian troubles and problems have not escaped our production workers. A lot has been written about these difficulties, including in your journal, so there is probably no need to repeat myself. I will tell you about the positive experience of Tyumen residents.

Enterprises of the region are moving from one-time orders to long-term cooperation programs. For example, JSC Tyumen Engine Builders has an order for the production of special equipment under intergovernmental agreements for Rosvooruzhenie Group of Companies, as well as for the repair of gas turbine engines for Gazprom system enterprises. In 1998, the first such repair of two engines was carried out, in the next year - already 20 repairs, and in 3 - 4 years it is planned to increase production to 90 repairs per year. This makes it possible to significantly load existing production facilities, create additional jobs, pay wages on time, and make tax payments.

- Have the changes in the life and way of life of Tyumen residents, which you mentioned, affected the military personnel serving on the Tyumen land?

- Naturally, like every resident of the region. But in addition, the regional administration and local authorities are carrying out targeted work to create favorable conditions for military personnel. For example, the budget of the Tyumen Region includes an item of social assistance to military units. These funds provide real support: apartments are allocated, barracks in military units are being renovated, and the problem of clean water has been solved in two military towns. The regional administration pays special attention to the Tyumen branch of the Military Engineering University. Many former graduates of this military university not only successfully serve in military units, on ships and border posts, but also work in state authorities and local self-government bodies.

Of course, solving problems related to ensuring the vital activity of troops is not directly within the competence of the regional administration. However disastrous

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the situation in which the military is located forces us to take measures to solve housing issues (we allocate 8-10 apartments a year to them), provide financial support to the officer corps, and finance urgent measures to provide heat, food, and other necessities. We also provide material assistance to units of the Far Eastern Border District where conscripts from the Tyumen Region serve.

The regional administration does not forget about our fellow countrymen who are involved in the fight against bandits and terrorists in the North Caucasus. In addition to direct financing of everything connected with delivery to duty stations (and this, unfortunately, is not only the chartering of aircraft, but also uniforms, food, up to replenishment of ammunition), we do not forget military personnel on holidays and on weekdays. The forms are very different - from the transfer of sets of books to the libraries of military units and solving social problems, up to the purchase of overcoats and underwear, to gifts to military personnel of the Ural Military District for the New Year.

Governor's receptions dedicated to the Defenders of the Fatherland Day are held annually. On this and other professional holidays of military personnel, we encourage distinguished soldiers and officers.

We try to do this in a comprehensive way. In April 2000, a decision was adopted "On additional measures for social protection of citizens living in the Tyumen region who performed tasks under the state of emergency and during armed conflicts on the territory of Russia and the republics of the former USSR".

In short, taking care of the military in the region is not a one-time event, but a purposeful work of the regional authorities.

- The region has also accumulated some positive experience in meeting the needs of veterans. The fact that the governor personally heads the Board of Trustees of the regional hospital for war veterans speaks volumes. Please tell us about this work.

- In the hospital you mentioned, 1.5 thousand people improve their health every year. Recently, the hospital was presented with 2 ambulances. A rehabilitation center for veterans "Krasnaya Gvozdika", designed for 200 people, was opened. However, the range of issues of caring for such people is much broader. We work in constant working contact with non-governmental organizations dealing with the problems of veterans of armed conflicts, such as the associations of "Afghans", "Chechens", "Chernobyl victims", the committee of soldiers ' mothers, and others. They enjoy the constant support of the regional administration.

And of course, we have a special account of the participants of the Great Patriotic War. We successfully cooperate with their veteran associations. Elderly people have enough problems nowadays. We try to solve them. By the 55th anniversary of the Great Victory, all veterans were paid financial assistance from the regional budget, and interest-free loans were allocated to city and district councils of veterans. It is planned to use about 186 million rubles for the implementation of the Law on Veterans this year. Funding for free and preferential dental prosthetics and medical supplies has increased. Five hundred and thirty-seven veterans this year at the expense of the regional budget, from which more than 4.5 million rubles were allocated, have home telephones installed. On the eve of Victory Day, 19 women veterans were awarded cars, and by the end of the year veterans should receive another 100 cars. And in addition, every day you have to solve a lot of current issues: someone needs to help with repairs; someone has written a book, and it should be published or supported by the organizers of the veteran amateur competition; someone has problems with housing. By the way, from 1996 to 1999, 834 apartments were allocated to veterans, and more than 400 orders will be issued in 2000.

We also have younger veterans who also need social protection-citizens who have been dismissed from military service. In 1993, the Association of Reserve Officers was established, the main function of which is to help former military personnel adapt to the new conditions of civilian life for them, to join active labor activities. Its tasks also include the construction and purchase of housing for military personnel. By the beginning of 1999, they were provided with over 1,000 apartments.

The problem of employment of retired personnel and their family members is being solved in a new way. This work is based on a focus on the professions that are in demand today. Along with job search and presentation, retraining is organized. In addition, the principle of priority employment of reserve officers in the field of administrative and economic management applies.

More than 200 reserve officers received a second higher-civilian education. About 250 "reservists" are employed at the Association of Reserve Officers ' own enterprises. Former commanders, military engineers and technicians now successfully work in leadership and other positions in administrative and law enforcement agencies, various industrial and commercial structures.

The regional administration plans to further expand this area of activity, which means that we will better and more effectively meet the social needs of not only those who have been laid off in the reserve, but also their family members.

I note that the Association of Reserve Officers, with the support of the administration, is actively engaged in military-patriotic education of pre-conscription youth, schoolchildren, military patronage work, and, finally, purposefully participates in the training of those who will have to join the ranks of the Russian Army.

- I would like to know your personal opinion on the problems of the modern army.

- The regional leadership and I, as the governor, are far from indifferent to the problems of military reform and the fate of our army. На

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In practice, unfortunately, we are convinced that the regions somehow fall out of the legal space of transformations in the military sphere. Their role and significance, in my opinion, are not sufficiently reflected in the concept of military reform itself. Meanwhile, the regions can and already do contribute to this important national cause. And we are talking not only about the problems of the future, but also today's most pressing ones.

For example, given the difficult economic situation in the country, it would be very useful to simplify the financing mechanisms for military units and thereby reduce costs. In particular, payment mechanisms for housing, utilities and other services provided, food and fuel resources supplied. It is important to find ways of timely repayment of debts to the regional administration.

I am also concerned about other issues related in one way or another to the reform of the Armed Forces, the defense industry, and the entire military organization of the state. But among many of them, I would like to highlight social protection.

Take at least the issues that I have to deal with all the time - the reception and arrangement of dismissed people in the reserve. In this area of work, there is no systematic analysis and coordination of the activities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, and their real capabilities have not been fully studied and taken into account. There is no single all-Russian database of dismissed military personnel, their needs for housing, choice of place of residence, specialties, retraining for employment, and feedback is poorly established. Regions with weak financial and organizational support for the center are trying to solve the problems of social protection of those dismissed from military service themselves.

It seems that the reform of the army and ensuring the social security of military personnel, both serving and discharged, are so interconnected that their imbalance can lead to serious consequences. Just as it is impossible to achieve sustainable development of a country without social stability, so success in reforming the military organization of the state is unthinkable without it.

Much has already been said about the importance and ways of establishing the middle class in Russia as the basis and main creative force of any prosperous country. But in any prosperous country, military personnel are an integral part of this class, and above all at the expense of state subsidies and special benefits. We in the Tyumen Region have seen that the use of reserve military personnel as specialists and managers at various levels plays a positive role in the socio-economic development of our region. In many cases, they become the "new life-giving blood" that is needed both in rural areas and in government. In order to fully utilize the intellectual and labor potential of people with army training for the benefit of our country, both in defense and after being discharged from the reserve, in peaceful labor, it is necessary to raise the level and quality of their life to the standards of the middle class.

- What would you like to wish to the Tyumen soldiers serving in the Armed Forces?

- Today, those who are in the ranks bear a huge responsibility for the fate of the country, its security, for preserving military traditions and continuing them with dignity. Russian soldiers and officers have always been famous for their bravery and bravery, valor and heroism. There were no such military events in the history of our country where Siberian soldiers would not have distinguished themselves. They have always been examples of service to the Fatherland, true patriots. Nowhere and never did they drop the honor of a warrior. Today, this glorious baton is in the hands of the modern generation.

I wish you, dear fellow countrymen, and all the soldiers of the army and navy success in your hard and noble military work for the benefit of Russia. I would like to convey my warmest wishes to the families of military personnel, to parents whose children are currently serving in the ranks of the Armed Forces. I wish you good health, happiness and prosperity. We hope for you guys and believe that you will honorably fulfill your duty and return home alive and well.

Remember that you are always welcome at home. We will be happy to meet you on the Tyumen land, help you decide on your civic life, find a job that suits you, so that your labor contribution, joining the common affairs of your fellow countrymen, will serve the prosperity of our native Tyumen region, make life in it better and more prosperous.

The interview was prepared by Colonel Alexander KERDAN, senior permanent correspondent of Orientir magazine for the Ural Military District

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