President Vladimir Putin arrived in Novosibirsk in the early hours of August 11, according to journalists from the Kremlin pool. His itinerary focuses on regional issues and scientific and technological development: the president is scheduled to visit the Siberian Circular Photon Source in the science town of Koltsovo and the student campus in Akademgorodok.
On the day of the visit, local residents were advised to "refrain" from going outside while the president's motorcade passed through the city, to stay away from windows, and "not to use electronic and optical devices," the outlet NeMoskva reported. Students remaining in dormitories at Novosibirsk State University received similar instructions: free movement around the campus was banned, and fencing typically used at rallies was erected around the new buildings of the educational and research center. Rental e-scooters were restricted across most of Akademgorodok and central streets.
Police officers began lining up along the motorcade route every 50 meters as early as Monday evening. A large number of State Traffic Inspectorate officers were spotted on Bolshevistskaya Street, which connects the city center with Akademgorodok.
The city was hastily spruced up ahead of the president's visit. Residents said that in anticipation of his arrival there was a "wild cleanup going on": municipal workers were relaying asphalt, repairing sidewalks and facades, laying lawns, and trimming trees. The road to Tolmachevo Airport was repaired in 10 days. Putin last visited Novosibirsk Oblast in 2018. Novosibirsk is the fifth city the president has visited in the past two and a half weeks, not counting Moscow and St. Petersburg: he previously traveled to Kazan, Irkutsk, Omsk, Krasnoyarsk, and Ulan-Ude.
On Tuesday morning, a fire broke out in the city center at Vladimirsky Spusk. Witnesses told the outlet Sibirsky Express that ambulances, fire trucks, and police vehicles with sirens rushed to the scene; a column of black smoke was visible from various parts of the city. According to preliminary information, a private house on Khakasskaya Street caught fire.