Vladimir Putin joked about the name of a department at a university in Nizhny Novgorod.

      29 November 2025 13:12 Science

      At a meeting with participants of the 5th Congress of Young Scientists, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a joke about the name of a department at the Nizhny Novgorod State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering (NNGASU). A video clip of the speech was posted on the university's social media.

      During a conversation with Alexander Smykov, director of the university's development department and a lecturer in the Department of Heating and Ventilation, the head of state asked what the department was called.

      Upon hearing the answer, he smiled and remarked: "To put it simply, heating and ventilation — money down the drain. I'm joking, sorry."

      The university took the president's remark in good humor. On NNGASU's official VKontakte page, university representatives noted that the whole country now knows about NNGASU's Department of Heating and Ventilation.

      "Vladimir Vladimirovich even joked about it a little. We're becoming more popular in Russia!" the university added.

      Earlier it was reported that measures to support young scientists were discussed at a commission of the State Council of the Russian Federation.

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