For the first time since the beginning of the occupation, Russia has reduced funding for the temporarily occupied city of Mariupol, controlled by Russian forces. This indicates a financial crisis in the country.
This was reported by the head of the Center for the Study of Occupation, Petro Andriushchenko.
“For the first time since the beginning of the occupation, Russia has reduced Mariupol’s funding during the budget year. In just one month, the city’s budget decreased by 219.7 million rubles. For the main ‘showcase of reconstruction,’ this is a very telling signal,” Andriushchenko wrote.
He noted that the largest cut affected administrative expenses — minus 204 million rubles, or nearly a quarter of the funding.
“Another 120 million rubles were cut from ‘cultural propaganda.’ So even on this, savings are being made. At the same time, funding for housing and utilities increased by 37%. But even after that, underfunding of utilities remains up to 40% of real planned needs,” he said.
He recalled that Mariupol was and remains one of the Kremlin’s highest-priority projects. That is why the current budget cuts are seen as a particularly telling indicator of the financial situation, the head of the Center emphasized.
