The Federation Council Speaker reviewed the upper house’s activities during the spring session.
Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko reviewed the senators’ performance during the spring session.
The Speaker said she had spoken with President Vladimir Putin, who thanked the senators for their work. “The President pays close attention to the Federation Council’s activities and always supports our constructive proposals and initiatives,” Valentina Matvienko said.
She pointed out that throughout the spring session, the Federation Council had been actively involved in all the key areas of state policy identified by the President.
“During the spring session, the Federation Council considered over 300 laws. Alongside other legislators, the senators introduced more than 130 draft laws. Each of them reflects painstaking work and responds to the needs and concerns of Russia’s regions and citizens,” Valentina Matvienko said.
The Federation Council Speaker described the meeting between members of the Federation Council’s governing body and Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin as productive, highlighting the constructive working relationship between the upper house and the Government in the legislative sphere and elsewhere.
She noted that 2026 had been declared Year of the Unity of the Peoples of Russia. Under today’s objectively challenging circumstances, she said, unity has become the defining strength of Russian society and the state. Valentina Matvienko thanked all participants in the special military operation for their heroic efforts to safeguard the country’s security. She also expressed special appreciation to the Federal Security Service officers for their professionalism in preventing terrorist attacks and thwarting crimes plotted by the Ukrainian special services in Russia.
“Thank you to all employees of the security and law enforcement agencies,” she said.
According to Valentina Matvienko, demography and family policy top the country’s list of priorities. “Much is being done. The Presidential Council is active. Regional demographic programmes are being implemented while federal ministries engage in sector-specific initiatives. Employers are expanding support mechanisms. We have approved the Golden Corporate Standard, and the movement of student families continues to grow,” the Federation Council Speaker noted.
She went on to say that a number of important demographic laws had been approved during the session. Among them, the amendments simplifying the procedure for granting a one-off means-tested family allowance to large families with incomes just above the eligibility threshold, as well as legislation extending loan repayment holidays following the birth of a second or subsequent child.
Valentina Matvienko turned the spotlight on the efforts to improve support for SMO participants and their families. “During this session, 52 laws relating to the legislative support of the special military operation have been approved. A dedicated working group continues to develop a unified corporate approach to help combat veterans get employed,” she said. The Federation Council Speaker also referred to the monitoring of regional budgets carried out jointly with the Ministry of Finance. She mentioned the legislation making it possible to postpone repayment of a portion of the budget loans from 2026 to 2030. “This measure was initiated by the President. He has also instructed the Government to postpone beyond 2030 the repayment of budget loans that regions had originally planned to repay between 2027 and 2029. At the beginning of the autumn session, we will promptly adopt the necessary legislative amendments,” Valentina Matvienko said.
She also highlighted laws introducing a state fee for issuing licences to sell tobacco products, as well as legislation aimed at combatting telephone and online fraud. “We have adopted a comprehensive package of legislative measures to improve procedures governing the protection and management of cultural heritage sites,” she added.
According to Valentina Matvienko, particular attention was paid to expanding the system of children’s recreation and holiday programmes.
“Seventy regions have joined the programme initiated by the Federation Council. Over four years, 336 residential buildings have been constructed, 136 infrastructure facilities have undergone major renovation, and the programme has created capacity for more than 200,000 additional children to benefit from annual recreation activities. We will continue this work.”
Reviewing the key events of the spring session, Valentina Matvienko noted the meeting of the Council of Legislators dedicated to the 120th anniversary of Russian parliamentarianism, the Rural Workers Forum, and the Christmas Parliamentary Meetings, which focused on the moral development of young people in the face of new challenges, and the international cultural and educational project Memory Train.
Among the new formats of activities introduced during the session, the Speaker highlighted a meeting with theatre professionals. “For the first time, we also held a ceremony to present the National Award for Folk Arts and Crafts, which was spearheaded by the Federation Council,” she said.
“The Federation Council’s events are not about abstract discussions or creating attractive optics. They are about practical results. The initiatives put forward on our platforms are always carried through to implementation,” Valentina Matvienko said.
She added that the Federation Council continued to expand systematic cooperation with parliamentarians from the World Majority countries during the spring session. “The senators made 35 overseas visits to 18 countries. At our invitation, 13 parliamentary delegations visited Russia. Six interparliamentary commissions met, including with our colleagues from the National People’s Congress of China. The 13th Forum of the Regions of Russia and Belarus in Minsk was also highly productive.”
Valentina Matvienko noted that senators also took an active part in the work of international parliamentary organisations and participated in election observation missions in several countries.
She further pointed out that the country’s election campaign was underway and that, for the first time, residents of the reunited historical regions would elect their representatives to the State Duma. “This is an important milestone marking the final stage of integration of Novorossiya and Donbass into the political system of the Russian Federation.”
Valentina Matvienko concluded by thanking State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin and deputies of the eighth convocation for the joint work and constructive cooperation.