Residents of Russia’s Primorsky Krai warned of delays in social benefits as war strains regional budget

Residents of Primorsky Krai, a region in Russia, have been warned that they may face delays in receiving social benefits due to the ongoing war straining the regional budget. The regional Labor Ministry stated that the budget is currently "operating under increased strain, including due to the need to address nationwide tasks connected to the special military operation," leading to the phased disbursement of certain social support measures.

The ministry expressed understanding for the residents facing this situation and acknowledged the concern of those waiting for the funds to be transferred. In Nizhneilimsky district, Irkutsk region, authorities plan to cut approximately 37% of the staff at district administration and public-sector institutions. The first to be dismissed will be night watchmen at schools, kindergartens, and community centers, as well as employees of municipal enterprises "Service Center" and "Clean City".

These cuts come amid budget problems, with the Irkutsk region legislature increasing the budget deficit to 38.7 billion rubles in October, accounting for about 15% of the region's own revenues. Governor Igor Kobzev stated that this increase is necessary to fund socially significant spending. In other regions, authorities have also taken measures related to the war.

For instance, Rostov region authorities did not raise public-sector workers' pay by 4%, while in Sakhalin, they froze pay indexation for medical workers. In Sakha Republic, pay indexation for public-sector employees was postponed by two months.