Why Nizhny Novgorod Deserved High Praise from Putin: Experts' Opinions

      Nizhny Novgorod is one of the backbone bases of Russia. This high assessment was given to the city by the head of state, Vladimir Putin, during a meeting with representatives of the municipal community at the III All-Russian Forum "Small Homeland – Strength of Russia." This was reported by the chairman of the Nizhny Novgorod City Duma, Evgeny Chintsov, who attended the meeting.

      Addressing the participant of the presidential program "Time of Heroes," Evgeny Chintsov, the President of Russia emphasized: "Nizhny Novgorod, both as a city and as a subject, is developing very well, a powerful subject, one of the backbone bases of Russia. So please convey the best wishes and words of gratitude to all your colleagues – the deputies of the city duma."

      We suggested that experts reflect on the question: what does the head of state mean by the concept of "city – backbone base of Russia" and how have the residents of Nizhny Novgorod earned such a high assessment?

      Sergey Sudyin, Doctor of Sociology, Professor, Head of the Department of General Sociology and Social Work at N.N. Lobachevsky Nizhny Novgorod State University:

      Words spoken at the highest political level are traditionally interpreted with incredible caution and thoroughness. Counting words, formulating assignments and requirements based on them, reading positive and negative assessments of a particular phenomenon or process that has come to the attention of the head of state – this is just the tip of the iceberg. Special meanings are also attributed to every gesture, pause, intonation, glance, body position, facial expression, and other non-verbal moments that begin to be perceived as some kind of message. Even in slips of the tongue, one begins to see some special revelation, accessible to few who have retained the ability to "read between the lines." Perhaps there is a point in this. After all, it is understandable to want to hear a lot of good and kind things about one's region from the President in a relatively small fragment of speech. And if one does not hear it directly, then to consider, notice, catch the unspoken.

      I think, in our case, there is no need to overthink, since the fact that Nizhny Novgorod and the Nizhny Novgorod region have always been and remain one of the system-forming regions of the western part of the country is obvious. The President's assessment once again confirms this. Much more important is that our region does not lose its positions, remaining a recognized leader in the fields of industrial production, science, education, culture, and domestic tourism. Among the new achievements are positive trends in overcoming the demographic crisis, regional initiatives to increase birth rates, upcoming innovations in organizing medical care, plans to turn Nizhny Novgorod into a center for medical tourism, and much more. Previous experience suggests that nothing planned and promised turned out to be a mirage, which means it will work out in the future as well. Being a resident of Nizhny Novgorod, I see how dynamically the city is changing along with the region and do not want to lose optimism.

      If one thinks about the President's words, one can latch onto the idea expressed in the title of the forum itself: "Small Homeland – Strength of Russia." This is a direct acknowledgment that Russia lives, after all, not only in megacities and not only through megacities. For example, the special military operation has vividly demonstrated the contribution of almost unnoticed small towns on the map, unknown to most Russians, to the enhancement of our vast country's defense capability. On their territory, not only various types of armaments are produced, but also high-tech products, exclusive components of complex systems that work for both defense and peaceful life. There are such cities in the Nizhny Novgorod region as well.

      What does the head of state mean by the concept of "city – backbone base of Russia"? My thinking is very figurative, and my imagination is rich. I immediately pictured a huge building on a pile foundation. If one pile is removed, the house will not collapse in a second, but questions about the strength of the structure will definitely arise. The same goes for the country: the well-being of the entire country depends on the success of specific regions. In this situation, one can only wish for strength to the supports and stability to the entire building. Perhaps this sounds presumptuous, but it seems to me that the President means the same thing.

      Andrey Samsonov, Researcher at the Volga Branch of the Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Senior Researcher at the ANO "Research Institute of Social Management Problems":

      In general, 80% of the answer, as always, is in the question itself. Besides the most common meanings, the word "support" has synonyms such as foundation, protection, and assistance. In fact, the Nizhny Novgorod region fully corresponds to all three concepts. Firstly, since Soviet times, it has been one of the centers of the country's defense industry, fully contributing to both air defense and the nuclear shield. And this is just what is known even to ordinary citizens. The very status of a "closed city," which Gorky had, speaks for itself.

      Secondly, the foundation, the "support" of the modern economy is high-tech industry and information technology. Both are present and successfully developing in modern Nizhny Novgorod and the region. In recent years, the region has demonstrated growth rates, especially in the processing industry, machine engineering, and other priority areas for the country, that outpace the national average. It is one thing when a relatively small city or region grows at an accelerated pace. It is another when high rates are scaled up due to the initially significant share of the region in the country's GDP.

      In recent years, Nizhny Novgorod and the Nizhny Novgorod region have changed and grown very quickly and confidently in their indicators. It has already been written that despite the ambiguity of various ratings and assessments, it is impossible not to notice the city's and region's emergence as leaders in various indicators. It is also impossible to call the results demonstrated in various fields and recorded by various experts, who are not connected to each other, a coincidence. Ignoring or missing such a result is not in the President's rules. In fact, this was primarily gratitude to all Nizhny Novgorod residents, from ordinary citizens to those in power, and a high assessment of the already achieved results.

      Andrey Chugunov, Journalist:

      Undoubtedly, there is only one person who knows exactly what meaning the president put into the formulation "city – backbone base of Russia." And that is Vladimir Putin himself. All other opinions are merely interpretations or, as once joked in KVN, "intertrepations." We can only make assumptions about how the residents of Nizhny Novgorod earned the assessment of "powerful subject."

      I think one quote from the transcript of the meeting between the head of state and the Nizhny Novgorod governor on August 2, 2025, in Sarov is sufficient.

      "V. Putin: 'Gleb Sergeyevich, good programs. They will need to be discussed in the Government, in the Administration, and replicated. They will simply, I am sure, yield good results.'" (quoted from the transcript on the official website of the President).

      Perhaps such trust from the top leader is the basis for the unofficial (for now?) status of "backbone base of Russia." And although these words were spoken after getting acquainted with regional programs in healthcare and demographics, I believe they can also be attributed to other areas reported by Gleb Nikitin: industrial, socio-economic, investment, etc., including tourism.

      By the way, about tourism. Recently, an old friend from another city complained that he would not be able to come to Nizhny Novgorod with his family for the May holidays: he could not find a place to stay. And renting accommodation in Bor (even with a beautiful view across the Volga to the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin) for 8,000 rubles a day turned out to be too expensive for him.

      Elena Mozgunova, Historian, Candidate of Political Sciences, Associate Professor at the Nizhny Novgorod Institute of Management – Branch of RANEPA:

      More than once, a number of projects and initiatives implemented in the Nizhny Novgorod region have received high praise from the head of state. It is enough to recall the "salary for parents" – a measure aimed at overcoming demographic difficulties, which received approval for replication in other subjects of the Russian Federation. It is always pleasant when the work of regional authorities is on the right track and there are results: the region is developing, which is especially important – in significant areas. Yes, there are many difficulties, but efforts to overcome them are visible.

      I believe that the formulation "backbone base" in relation to Nizhny Novgorod means that the city is assessed as an important center both in a technological sense and in terms of addressing national security issues. The Nizhny Novgorod region is actively involved in the implementation of national and federal projects. For example, based on the results of 2025, our region entered the number of subjects with the highest indicators (the so-called "green zone") in major federal programs. Of course, it is worth mentioning technological sovereignty, in the formation and strengthening of which Nizhny Novgorod makes a significant contribution. For example, BAS, software development (we rank 3rd after Moscow and St. Petersburg), and the cultivation of IT personnel ("Neimark," "School