"Today, the largest investor in the country is the population"
In 2025, it is planned to maintain the target of more than 100 million square meters. The number of housing units commissioned, but an alarming situation is already emerging — the commissioning of new projects has decreased by 24% and investors are suspending construction on those that have already begun. This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin in an interview with Izvestia. About 30-40 support measures have been prepared to stabilize the situation, which will be offered to the Cabinet. Among them are the preservation and expansion of mortgage programs, an increase in the volume of subsidized loans, targeted support for developers, and others. Also, according to him, a housing and communal services modernization program has already been developed on behalf of the president, which will have an impact on 20 million Russians.
"We have prepared about 30-40 measures to support the construction industry"
— Marat Shakirzyanovich, more than 107 million square meters were commissioned in Russia last year. m housing, which was comparable to 2023. This year, you said that there will also be stable indicators, but we need to develop a comprehensive plan to support the industry. Is this plan ready and what will it include?
— Due to the fact that from 2020 to 2024 we worked very systematically on housing together with the teams of governors at the government level, we made good groundwork. In 2023-2024, many new projects were launched, and mortgages, especially preferential ones, provided a strong advantage. They stimulated people to invest in residential real estate and improve their living conditions. And based on these achieved results, we entered the year 2025. According to the results of three months, the volume of housing commissioning exceeds the level of 2024. This means that this year we are guaranteed to deliver more than 100 million square meters. m housing. But at the same time, we are already seeing very alarming signals that indicate that there are risks ahead. Thus, new projects have already been built by 24% less. If in previous years they grew, every year there were more and more, now for the first time in its five-year history, the number of new projects decreased in the sixth year.
Secondly, we see that even for projects that have been started, investors are suspending construction. They have received a construction permit, but they are not going to the construction site — they are waiting for the key rate to decrease. We also see a decrease in mortgages by almost half compared to 2024. And what is particularly worrying is the decrease in mortgages in individual housing — it provides the largest amount of input. Last year, 62 million square meters have already been commissioned. m is the best result in the entire history of housing commissioning, but now banks do not issue mortgages for residential housing, which does not encourage people to invest in individual housing construction.
Such alarming signals worry us. Unfortunately, in two or three years, if we don't take any measures now, we may see negative consequences, including a sharp drop in the volume of housing starts. Therefore, we are really preparing a set of measures now.
— Tell us about them in more detail.
— We held a working group with all the governors, that is, a working group of the State Council, discussed all issues and proposals, gathered banking communities, developers, listened to people's opinions, and prepared about 30-40 measures that we will propose to the government, the president, in order to support the housing market. After all, the largest investor in the country today is the population. We must create such conditions so that the population can be guaranteed to continue investing their own funds in order to improve their living conditions. Because if you look at the results of the past year, the past five years, we have 21 million families who have done this. People buy a one-bedroom apartment, exchange it for a two-bedroom apartment, a two-bedroom apartment for a three-bedroom apartment. In other words, there is a process of improving housing conditions, and this greatly supports and influences demography, supports the development of the economy. For example, we have revenues in a number of regions today, and the consolidated budget from construction development is more than 15%. This is also the filling of the tax base of the regions in accordance with the fulfillment of all social obligations.
— You said that 30-40 support measures are being prepared. Which of them will affect people directly? After all, there is no preferential mortgage today, there is only a family one, but it does not fully cover all those people who want to buy a home or renovate it.
— First of all, it will be an extension of family mortgage measures, because such benefits are very expensive for the budget. No matter what the rate is, a person still pays only 6%, and the difference is reimbursed to the banks by the state. This year, this figure will definitely be more than 1 trillion rubles at today's key rate. Therefore, the first and most important measure is to keep the obligations assumed and pay mortgage interest to banks. Due to this measure, we want to keep the bar for those who have already received loans.
We also hope to expand the mortgage. For example, mortgages for the Far East are currently developing poorly — they have not yet reached the pace that we expect. We plan to increase the pace of mortgages in new territories. It is gaining volume, but at an insufficient pace so far. Another program, IT mortgage, has actually been suspended today because there is no additional support for banks.
The most important thing today is to create conditions so that people who have invested in housing know that it will be completed. Accordingly, it is necessary to support the developers so that they still introduce this housing, as today the cost of credit resources is increasing and there are risks of unfinished houses. We are also considering other incentive measures, such as installments from developers. If they want to give it today for houses that have already been commissioned, for apartments that have been sold, we are working on measures to ensure that they are protected. We are also considering various tax relief issues.
We also have a proposal to increase the volume of subsidized loans. This measure is widely supported, because today the state subsidizes loans mainly in Russia for 6 million rubles, and in four large regions — in Moscow, the Moscow region, St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region - for 12 million rubles. But in many regions, even a 6 million loan is not enough. That is, apartments have already become more expensive than 6 million and people are asking to increase this limit.
"One workplace in construction provides up to eight jobs in other related industries"
— How much are you planning to increase the limit?
— There is a discussion going on, because these are very capital intensive investments. From the point of view of supporting demand, this is, of course, very correct. But from the point of view of the budget, there are very large additional costs. That is why we are currently holding such consultations with the Ministry of Finance and all our colleagues on a daily basis. For us today, housing construction support is the first thing that gives people a guarantee that they will receive housing. Secondly, it is also a very powerful factor in the development of the economy, because the construction industry has a very large multiplier effect — for example, one workplace in construction provides up to eight jobs in other related industries. And when our construction industry starts to shrink, other industries start to shrink too. Production of building materials, transportation, services — everything related to the construction site. Therefore, we are thinking about how to comprehensively support this program.
— You mentioned the family mortgage, the IT mortgage, the Far Eastern mortgage, that is, all the programs already in force today. Are there any plans to introduce any new programs?
— No, we are not planning any new programs yet, we want to keep what we have. As I said, more than 1 trillion rubles will be spent by the budget on supporting existing projects, which, by the way, were not originally planned. We did not plan for the rate to remain at such a high level for so long. Therefore, we would like to keep the commitments that we have already made.
— You have raised the issue of developer support. And how many of them are at risk today — in a pre-bankruptcy or bankrupt state? What measures are planned for them?
— I can't say yet that the bankruptcy process of developers has begun. We don't see that yet. There is an agreement with the governors to strengthen control over developers. Because someone needs help, someone has their own financial situation, or maybe someone just needs to connect to the network on time or issue permits to rent a house. All this is monitored by local governors.
Today, it is alarming that the deadlines for the completion of about 100 thousand apartments have shifted to the right. This is not critical yet, but it is already an alarming signal. If 100 thousand. apartments are almost 100 thousand families, and the deadline is shifted by more than six months, which is already a potential risk. Therefore, we are monitoring the situation of developers and if any measures are required, we will promptly take them.
— Will these be targeted measures against each developer specifically?
— Dotted, yes.
"About 1.5 trillion rubles over six years will be used for infrastructure budget loans"
— Russia has approved a strategy for the spatial development of the country until 2030 with a forecast until 2036. What will the bet be on and how much money is needed to implement it?
— The scheme is constructed as follows. Firstly, new territories have been added in recent years, which have greatly influenced the spatial development strategy, and transport priorities have changed significantly. If we used to send a lot of cargo to the West, now the bulk goes to the East. All these changes lead to the fact that it is necessary to revise the development strategy of both transport corridors and supporting settlements.
These strongholds include all major capitals, million-plus cities, and so—called agglomerations - we have 105 of them. We have identified those that have their own strategic importance for each region. Because it is difficult to make improvements throughout the country at the same time. We have agreed that we will keep the existing support system the same for everyone, and allocate additional measures for key settlements, such as infrastructure loans, additional financing, and participation in national projects. There are 2,160 strongholds in total today, and we are currently keeping track of how much money is needed to raise the quality of life there by 30% by 2030. A lot of work is underway with the regions, and each stronghold is determined by the governors themselves. We plan to establish the required amount of funds by the end of the year. This will require several trillion rubles.
— For what period?
— Until 2030. After all, the goal by this time is to improve the quality of life by 30% in 15 key indicators. These are the development of the street road network, social facilities, the repair of schools, kindergartens, the creation of a comfortable environment, the improvement of life, public utilities, the volume of housing commissioning and major repairs of housing stock, and so on. In other words, this is such a very large integral indicator that we must achieve in 2030.
— You said that today infrastructure budget loans are actively used for the development of regions. How much money has already been disbursed in 2024 and is planned for 2025? What projects have been implemented?
— Last year, approximately 250 billion rubles were allocated for infrastructure budget loans. We have the same amount for this year. Some of these funds were transferred from the previously operating four-year program in the amount of 1 trillion rubles. Over the next three years, we also plan to allocate 250 billion rubles annually for infrastructure and budget loans. These are loans for infrastructure development for a period of 15 years at 3%. The projects include the construction of roads, networks, and social facilities. The regions are very interested in this, especially in loans for the modernization of public infrastructure.
We hope that about 1.5 trillion rubles over six years will be used for infrastructure budget loans. Other instruments include Dom infrastructure bonds.Russian Federation, which are issued at 4% for 15 years. This is also a popular mechanism that makes it possible to invest in various infrastructure. There are significantly more applications today than there is money. While the key rate is high, we plan to allocate 200 billion rubles for these infrastructure loans, but we hope to increase this limit by about 100 billion rubles.
— What major projects have already been implemented with these funds and which are planned this year?
— Of the major projects that are being implemented, the iconic ones are the metro in Nizhny Novgorod, Krasnoyarsk, Chelyabinsk, metrotramways, sewage treatment plants on the Black Sea coast, and in the Krasnodar Territory. These are also roads that are connected, for example, with the Tolyatti bypass. It also includes a large number of different engineering networks, roads within neighborhoods, and social facilities. 560 facilities have already been built with the money that has been allocated. We have never invested such a large amount of money in infrastructure before. But we see that the complex development of the territory is taking place in many localities, whereas previously they built mainly with dots only, now large housing construction projects are already appearing. Covering a large area, where complex networks are being solved at once, transport, social infrastructure, and jobs are being created, which is also very important when returning.
"The regions have already applied for more than 525 billion rubles for the modernization of housing and communal services"
— President Vladimir Putin previously instructed to develop a housing and communal services modernization program that will have an impact on 20 million Russians. How is her preparation going? What kind of financing is provided? And when will we see the results?
— We have indeed drawn up a program, but so far there is a shortage of funds for it. Previously, it was assumed that we would receive 150 billion rubles a year for the modernization of communal infrastructure, free money, and direct budget injections. 250 billion a year were supposed to be infrastructure and budget loans, of which at least 50% would go to housing and communal services. Today we see that the regions have already applied for more than 525 billion rubles for the modernization of housing and communal services.
Previously, many enterprises did not have investment programs because they did not have a 100% collection rate. We didn't have enough money for modernization, so now we have included a 1.5% investment fee in the tariff. And thanks to this, we believe that the source will appear, and we will begin to modernize all the networks more actively.
The plan for the next six years is to modernize about 50 thousand km of networks. This means reducing network losses, which is ultimately paid for by the consumer. This is the reliability of water supply and heat supply. The program has not just been developed, it is already being implemented. In total, we hope that at least 20 million people will improve the quality of public services provided to them.
— Will this somehow affect the utility bills?
- no. The tariff increase is proceeding as planned, there are no plans to overextend. We have coordinated this with the Federal Antimonopoly Service for each region, with the Ministry of Energy, with all those involved in this issue, and, first of all, with the regions, because they submit applications. That is, where which tariff can be applied. Therefore, such a tariff policy has been agreed upon, and I hope that it will yield results.
"All federal roads in new regions have been repaired"
— Until last year, the unfinished construction was financed under the federal targeted investment program. Now it is a comprehensive state program "Construction". What are the changes related to and how will they help solve the problem of long-term construction?
— Our approaches to the implementation of the program have changed. Today, every Thursday, in the headquarters mode, we review the progress of certain programs. Each governor and his teams look at all types of federal assistance, both direct investments and in the form of subventions, grants or subsidies. Due to this organizational work, we managed to introduce many facilities. First of all, we were able to finance 99.5% of the programs last year and significantly increase the number of facilities being commissioned. We hope that we will carry out this work this year as well. The task is not easy, because there are also imports in a number of complex facilities, as well as exchange rate differences, lack of labor resources, and transport restrictions. But thanks to such manual control, most of the problems can be solved.
Of course, there are facilities that are not built on time. We disassemble them manually, see why, and what measures need to be taken to complete them. And thanks to the fact that the president decided two years ago to allocate additional funds for the completion of long-term construction projects, we were able to complete a number of landmark facilities.
For example, we have completed the new building of the Tretyakov Gallery. I was there recently. This is a very good exhibition of Peredvizhnik artists, and it turned out to be a very worthy object in the center of Moscow. We are also finishing the Polytechnic Museum in Moscow, the Museum of the World Ocean in Kaliningrad, which was probably under construction for 15 years, and the historical building of the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory in St. Petersburg. We have finished these objects. We also plan to complete the Pushkin Museum within two or three years.
— Returning to the issue of transport infrastructure for connecting new regions with the rest of the country, what major projects are planned to be implemented here in the near future?
— We are moving through new territories in several stages. The first stage is the restoration of highways to a standard condition. We started by expanding the capacity of all checkpoints. Now all of them have a bandwidth 2-10 times higher than before.
Major federal roads are also being repaired. One of the most important sections is the road along the Sea of Azov, that is, the actual connection from the Rostov region to the Crimea, an alternative connection with the Crimean Bridge. She's been put in order. A number of sections have also been completely repaired, for example, from Mariupol to the border with the Rostov region, almost to Taganrog — we have made a full-fledged four-lane road. In addition, the Mariupol bypass route has been finally approved, and step by step, by 2030, we will modernize almost the entire road, bringing it to four lanes. It will be both as a transit corridor to Crimea, an alternative to the Crimean Bridge, and as a development of the tourism potential of new regions.
Plus, we've repaired all the federal roads, and they're already 60% up to standard. That is, according to them, we have reached an indicator close to the Russian average. We are currently allocating funds for regional roads and for bringing the street road network to a standard state. The goal for road construction by 2030 is to be at least the average Russian level in terms of road conditions. And based on the pace we are going, we are confident that we will succeed. This applies to road transport. As for the railway, we have restored some of the railways. For example, they are already ready to send passenger trains to Crimea, Moscow, and St. Petersburg. But the only thing is, the enemy is always trying to undermine the railways, trying to carry out some kind of sabotage. Therefore, for safety reasons, we are not launching passenger traffic yet. But we have everything ready for that. Including the completely renovated Russian Railways station in Mariupol.
The next step is the development of port facilities. So far, due to the operational situation, not everything has been able to be fully operational, but we also have plans to restore all port facilities and increase cargo turnover.
And finally, we are preparing for the restoration of Mariupol, Donetsk, and Melitopol airports. As soon as the operational situation allows, we will quickly restore these airports, and there will also be air traffic.
— Have you estimated how much money will be needed to restore them?
— On average, the airport will cost about 1.5-2 billion rubles. The situation there is more or less, they are not so badly affected. The airport buildings will have to be completely built, and the runways can be repaired. I think that in a year or two we will restore them all as soon as possible.
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