OREANDA-NEWS. April 13, 2012. Transcript: Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, colleagues. Let’s start with the Trans-Baikal Territory. Mr Geniatulin (Ravil Geniatulin, governor of the Trans-Baikal Territory), what is happening in the Aginsk Region? What are the causes [of the wildfires]? What have you done to resolve the problem and help people? Please, tell us about this in brief.

Ravil Geniatulin: Good afternoon, Mr Putin. Here’s my report. We have had a storm warning in the Trans-Baikal Territory for three days running; wind speeds are 18-20 metres with gusts up to 30-35 metres. Some buildings and electricity grids have been damaged but we can deal with this. A steppe fire has reached Onon-Baza, a village in the south of our territory, near the border with Mongolia. Twenty private houses have been burnt, but 15 houses, a local school and a community centre have been saved. We have evacuated 65 people; there are no victims. We have extinguished this fire together with units of the Emergencies Ministry. We have also saved another major village from fire but the conditions remain difficult. We are continuing to work with the Emergencies Ministry. At present 178 people and 33 pieces of equipment are at the site, including 86 people from the ministry. Regrettably, we cannot use aviation because of the strong winds. The wind is horrible and our lakes are still covered with ice and we cannot get water out of them. We have evacuated 65 people, including 26 children. Nobody needed psychological assistance. At present there are just 12 people at the evacuation centre – the rest are staying with relatives.

We have already resolved a number of issues. We have opened a bank account for relief; the social protection ministry has organised a clothing drive for the victims. I have made a decision to allocate 10,000 roubles per capita from the emergency fund for basic needs. Together with the administration of the Aginsk Region we have decided to help people restore the damaged houses. These small houses were made of wood. We will allocate the timber and money and will start restoring them very soon, probably in early May. Next to me is the leader of the Siberian Federal…