Yevgeny Lyulin: "It is planned to build schools and develop infrastructure in the districts"

      The Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, Evgeny Lyulin, held a traditional press conference for federal, regional and district media on December 22. The most pressing issues were touched upon, the main results of the outgoing 2025 year were summed up, and plans for the future were outlined.

      We remember and support

      – The year 2025 was marked by the 80th anniversary of Victory. In honor of this event and as a sign of gratitude from post-war generations, the regional parliament decided to confer the title “Honorary Citizen of the Nizhny Novgorod Region” on all residents of the Nizhny Novgorod Region who are veterans of the Great Patriotic War. A unique initiative of the Youth Parliament under the Legislative Assembly to beautify the graves of Great Patriotic War participants has been implemented, emphasized Evgeny Lyulin.

      This year nine veterans of the special military operation (SMO), participants in the regional project “Heroes. Nizhny Novgorod Region,” undertook internships at the Legislative Assembly. They learned about its work and took part in Parliamentary Days. According to Evgeny Borisovich, at the initiative of the interns it was proposed to create a regional registry of land plots provided to SMO veterans and their family members. The second stage of the internship will begin in January next year.

      To encourage Nizhny Novgorod residents who assist our fighters and those who are restoring peaceful life in the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, deputies established the medal “For Support of the Special Military Operation,” which up to 500 people will receive annually. At the final meeting, parliamentarians approved a list of awardees numbering 216 people. The award is also conferred posthumously; it was awarded to deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Nizhny Novgorod Region Alexander Efremtsev, who from the very beginning of the SMO was among the first to go to Donbass with humanitarian aid, visited the very line of combat contact, and by his own example showed what a true patriot should be.

      Building bridges and caring for health

      In 2025 our region became the center of a number of important all-Russian and international events. In summer Nizhny Novgorod hosted for the first time the 12th Forum of Regions of Russia and Belarus, attended by the heads of the Federation Council and the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus. The work of deputies of our Legislative Assembly on developing interparliamentary cooperation received the highest praise from Federation Council Chair Valentina Matvienko. The IV Congress of Small Towns in Mosty confirmed that cooperation between the Nizhny Novgorod and Grodno regions is not a formality but a working mechanism of “people’s diplomacy” that serves the interests of our regions and the Union State.

      Throughout the year deputies, together with the government, worked on the regional budget law, directing additional funds to fulfill social obligations, support families with children and develop infrastructure. The year 2025 ended with the adoption of the budget for the next three-year period. The main financial document was formed in difficult economic conditions. A law was adopted to support responsible businesses that invest their own funds in implementing social and environmental projects.

      In 2025 the region adopted a law prohibiting the sale of energy drinks near educational, cultural, social and sports institutions. Parliamentarians put forward an initiative to restrict the spread of vapes. The Nizhny Novgorod Region was among the first in the country to call for increased effectiveness in the legal regulation of this area.

      Capital can be family

      The main event in the sphere of social policy this year was the introduction of parental basic income — the so‑called family capital. Payments reach one million rubles and allow mothers to receive them monthly like a salary. A new regional holiday was established in the Nizhny Novgorod Region — Large Family Day. At Evgeny Lyulin’s initiative the honorary title “Honored Donor of the Nizhny Novgorod Region” was instituted.

      Orphans received additional support in the form of a regional one‑time housing payment of 3.7 million rubles. In 2025, 785 orphans will be provided with housing thanks to a combination of two mechanisms — direct housing purchases and the provision of housing certificates.

      In 2025 the regional parliament adopted a law allowing enterprises to invest their own funds in the construction of rental housing for their employees. This should help solve the staffing shortage.

      Large families were granted the right to park all their vehicles free of charge in paid parking lots, regardless of the number of cars. To address the shortage of public transport drivers, Nizhny Novgorod legislators proposed reviving a system of secondary vocational education in this specialty nationwide.

      The law adopted by the Legislative Assembly late last year increasing the size of the housing payment for young specialists at agricultural enterprises to 2 million rubles came into effect on January 1, 2025. More than 50 young specialists have already submitted applications for the subsidy. The opening of agro-classes, where pupils become acquainted with the profession in practice, continued. There are 144 such classes. In the future agricultural classes will appear in every municipality.

      The Council of Legislators grew out of an association

      In 2025 the Association of Legislators of the Volga Federal District was transformed into the Council of Legislators of the Volga Federal District. Evgeny Lyulin was unanimously re-elected its chairman. During the year the Council of Legislators made decisions on the most important topics — the development of unmanned aviation, the improvement of investment legislation, and support for children’s recreation and tourism.

      The contribution of the Nizhny Novgorod Legislative Assembly to ensuring information security in the field of digital technologies was recognized with an award at the All‑Russian competition “Regional Information Security Cup.” The Nizhny Novgorod parliament was named the best in the “This Is a Breakthrough” category.

      Plans for the future were outlined at the press conference. The seventh convocation of the parliament will complete its work. Ahead are elections for deputies of the eighth convocation of the Legislative Assembly. They will be held simultaneously with elections to the State Duma.

      – The year 2026 will demand maximum composure and responsibility from deputies due to global crisis phenomena in the world and Russian economies. We will support business and industry, constantly analyze the economic situation and propose solutions to emerging difficulties, emphasized Evgeny Lyulin.

      On the elections

      Answering journalists’ questions, Evgeny Lyulin said he intends to run for deputy of the Legislative Assembly and does not plan to run for the State Duma. “It is important for me to feel the life of the region at my fingertips, to meet people, learn what concerns them, and visit enterprises and collective farms. All this is part of the work of a deputy of the Legislative Assembly,” he explained.

      According to statistics, the composition of deputies of the regional parliament changes by at least one third after each election. In 2026, SMO veterans, who will become a new powerful public force, will compete for deputies’ seats. Efforts to promote these people, who proved on the battlefield that they are true patriots of their country, are in full swing.

      With informational support

      Journalists asked many questions on a variety of topics — participation in the elections, economic forecasts, the fight against vapes and unlicensed alcohol outlets, ensuring safety in schools, reviving the bison population in the Nizhny Novgorod Region, support for young entrepreneurs, solving the problem of duplicate settlement names and celebrating the New Year.

      The press conference concluded with an awards ceremony for media representatives. Journalists and editors of print media and TV and radio companies were honored for effective cooperation and objective coverage of the regional parliament’s activities in 2025. Winners of the contest for the best journalistic material covering the regional parliament’s activities in local media and social networks received their awards. Among the awardees was MAU “Information Center ‘Dzerzhinsk Vedomosti’.” Journalists of the publication received an honorary diploma from the Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of the Nizhny Novgorod Region for first place in the “Topical Interview” category.

      In 2025 the Legislative Assembly of the Nizhny Novgorod Region continued to promote the region’s stable development through its decisions. Over the year, at 12 sessions approximately 200 laws and more than 430 resolutions were adopted. Special attention was paid to supporting families with children, participants in the special military operation, and to the development of the economy, industry and the social sphere.