Russia’s government “continues supporting small and medium-sized businesses from the industries that were hit hardest by the pandemic but kept no less than 90% of their staff. The number of potential recipients of subsidies is growing and has already reached 1,730,000 companies and self-employed individuals whereas the number of their workers reached five million,” Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said at a videoconference with his deputies, government web page reports.
The authorities aim to expand “the list of industries affected by the spread of the coronavirus, providing support to small and medium-sized businesses, and upgrading procedures for individuals to receive government and municipal services,” he said.
Speaking specifically of the passenger rail and water transport, he noted that “In the first half of April, the number of passengers on long-distance trains went down by 77% compared to last year. Considering the massive amount of returned tickets, sales revenue decreased by over 90%. The situation for the industry became critical and could lead to irreversible consequences. It is important to prevent disruptions in the operation of passenger rail and water transport. Otherwise, this will primarily affect people.”