“For wider application of modern technologies in the economy, in the social sphere, and in public administration, a special legal regime must be launched in the Far East starting January 1 of next year. Its essence lies in the rapid and unhindered testing of the latest technologies—for example, unmanned aerial vehicles in agriculture, industrial robots, telemedicine, or artificial intelligence for medical diagnostics,” the President noted in his address at the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) 2026. He emphasized that at the state level it is necessary to create conditions that are as convenient as possible for testing and implementing technological solutions—without having to go from office to office or obtain multiple approvals. Feedback from innovative companies on improving regulation is crucial here. Vladimir Putin also announced a unified preferential regime for implementing investment projects across the entire territory of the Far East and the Arctic. “We are launching a support system for business that is unprecedented in scale and scope. Starting January 1 of next year, a unified preferential regime will come into force throughout the Far East and the Arctic. The idea is that support instruments should not be tied to any specific special zone or advanced development territory, but should be finely and effectively tuned to types of economic activity across the entire Far Eastern region,” Vladimir Putin declared. Under the new regime, every investment project will have its own “menu of benefits,” containing a set of available mechanisms, including reduced insurance contributions, tax and customs preferences, assistance with connecting infrastructure, and construction of production facilities. Existing benefits will be fully preserved, while current and new federal, regional, and sectoral preferences must complement rather than contradict each other, so that businesses do not face risks of double taxation or additional assessments. On Flexible and Innovative Approaches “To implement all these plans, bold innovative solutions and flexible approaches are needed, including updating the legal framework and improving conditions for doing business. In the Far East, as well as in the Arctic, a system of preferential regimes has already been successfully tested. These include advanced development territories, the Free Port of Vladivostok, the special administrative district on Russky Island, and the special tax regime on the Kuril Islands. With these tools, it has already been possible to attract trillions of rubles in investment and create 200,000 new jobs.” On Increasing Capacity in High-Tech Sectors “We also need to increase capacity in high-tech industries, and this will be our focus—shipbuilding and aircraft manufacturing, robotics, electronics, machine building, and the space industry, which is developing actively here. For example, we have built the Vostochny Cosmodrome—personnel are needed, and we will train them here… Traditionally important areas for the region, such as the forestry and agro-industrial complexes, marine resource harvesting, and aquaculture development, should also receive an additional boost.” On Sales Markets and Ensuring Demand for Products from New Production Facilities “For investors in such projects, for those opening new enterprises in the Far East and the Arctic, it is important to ensure stable sales of their products. To this end, among other things, the instrument of offset contracts should be used (developed with support from VEB.RF)—businesses investing in new production will be guaranteed advance demand for their products from the state, regions, and municipalities.” On the Introduction of Advanced Technologies “Construction of new enterprises and modernization of existing production facilities must be carried out based on high environmental standards and the most modern, advanced technologies. The Russian Far East and our Arctic must become a space for bold engineering thought, where the time from the birth of an idea to its practical implementation is minimized. We are on Russky Island, where an innovative science and technology center operates—one of a network of such complexes across our country. Its focus is applied solutions in the fields of information and biotechnology, biomedicine, and other areas. It is important to create conditions to attract both Russian specialists and foreign scientists and engineers—our friends—to such research centers and universities in the Far East.”