ULAN·UDE, August 10. /TASS/. The depopulation of territories is unacceptable for such a vast country as Russia, President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with representatives of the urban planning and spatial development sector.

He also noted that Russia's cities must not lose their historical character amid modernization efforts.

TASS has compiled the key statements made by the head of state.

The depopulation of territories is unacceptable for such a great country as Russia: "For a country as vast in territory as Russia, allowing depopulation is unacceptable. This is why we need to steer a course between Scylla and Charybdis, we need to find an optimal, balanced solution, taking into account today’s opportunities to use modern technologies, the internet and artificial intelligence, and other IT opportunities."

The Russian government needs to support young people’s desire to live and work in their native towns: "A list of 2,160 key towns has been identified, in which 75% of Russia’s population lives." A development program has been prepared for these places, designed to strengthen the country’s economic, social, and infrastructure framework. And, crucially, [the program is intended to] improve the quality and standards of life for millions of people, to support young people’s desire to stay in their hometown or village and build their future there.

Active, systematic work is underway on all these projects and programs, and promising infrastructure projects are being implemented.

Veterans of the special military operation "should not just be returned to civilian life; they should be given the opportunity to find their way in life, to acquire some kind of profession again, to create the necessary barrier-free environment."

When modernizing Russian cities in line with modern trends and digital technologies, it is necessary to preserve their unique character: "By changing and rebuilding cities in accordance with modern trends and using digital information technologies, it is necessary to preserve their unique character: to seemlessly integrate new facilities into the already established space, to preserve the historical appearance of Russian cities and towns, their uniqueness, and to restore and give new life to cultural heritage sites."

This palette of diversity among cities and regions is the treasure of Russia.

There are many sites across the country that require the state’s attention: "I am convinced that together, as a single team, we can achieve maximum results in the development of large and small cities, villages, settlements, and historical settlements. And here, and in the Far East, and in Siberia, and in the Arctic, and in Donbass, and in Novorossiya - throughout the country."

The architectural appearance of cities should combine distinctive and national features so that local residents appreciate their symbiosis. "It’s important to link this in such a way that those who live in these spaces, who benefit from something, themselves come to the conclusion that one thing is impossible without the other, that one doesn’t just complement the other -- rather, this combination creates a force that allows local and unique things to be preserved and to develop on the basis of the power that represents a nationwide and unifying principle."

"As for the law on master plans, I agree, of course. What is a master plan? It says what needs to be built, when, what the goals are, what the returns will be, the feasibility study, and so on. Everything becomes a document that can be implemented not just as some kind of wish. And here, of course, it’s better if everything is described appropriately in a regulatory document. This is why I agree with you -- such a law is needed."

The Russian authorities are paying "special attention" to the development of the Trans-Baikal and Far Eastern regions.

Recently, a lot has been done to develop the economy, industry, and infrastructure in these territories; however, if creative spaces and conditions for people’s lives are not created there, "there will be no success: People will come here temporarily, and we will never create a stable environment here where people would want to live and raise their children."

Workers will be employed in remote settlements across Russia exclusively on a rotational basis if they do not have a decent living environment: "You can try as hard as you like to develop the economy, and invest. But if there is no decent living environment, then people will only work on a rotational basis and will not live permanently in these settlements.".