Russia's Primorye region warns of delayed social payments as budget funds diverted to war

The regional labor ministry said financing for certain support measures is being carried out in stages, and some payments may be transferred with a delay. It did not specify which payments are affected.

The ministry said the budget pressure stems in part from "solving nationwide tasks," including the conduct of the "special military operation" — the Kremlin's official term for its war in Ukraine.

Officials said they understand the concern of residents awaiting transfers and promised to pay all owed money in full. No timeframe was given.

Kommersant reported that deputies in Primorye's regional legislature had earlier amended the budget and cut funding for several state programs. Healthcare development, the transport sector and affordable housing provision were among those reduced, along with spending on education, sports and social support for the population. At the same time, 1.5 billion rubles were directed into the regional government's reserve fund for material assistance to certain categories of citizens in connection with the "special military operation."

Budget problems are not confined to Primorye. In the Nizhneilimsky municipal district of the Irkutsk region, authorities plan to cut about 37% of staff at the administration and budget-funded institutions, district head Pavel Berezovsky said. Night watchmen at schools, kindergartens and cultural centers will be laid off first, along with workers at the municipal enterprises Service Center and Chisty Gorod.

7x7 reported that the cuts come amid problems with the regional budget. In October, the Irkutsk region legislature raised the budget deficit to 38.7 billion rubles — roughly 15% of the region's own revenues.

In late July, authorities in the Rostov region refused a 4% pay raise for public-sector workers without giving reasons. Sakhalin froze indexation of salaries for medical workers, citing the fact that wage growth in previous years had outpaced inflation. In the Republic of Sakha, indexation of salaries for employees of budget-funded institutions was postponed by two months.