Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
Upwards of 200 people gathered outside a district building, insisting the decision would push many deeper into hardship.
A rare public protest erupted in Russia’s Kursk Oblast this week as local families confronted officials over the sudden end of financial support meant to help them rebuild their homes, Meduza and The Moscow Times report, citing the outlet Pépel.
The residents had relied on monthly payments introduced earlier this year for people whose homes were damaged during Ukraine’s extended incursion into Russian territory.
The compensation totaled 65,000 rubles (about $730) and had been distributed since February to households in the affected areas, according to Meduza.
The surprise Ukrainian operation
Ukraine’s military operation, which began in August 2024, held roughly 1,300 square kilometers of territory for several months, a move that Reuters and other outlets reported was intended to distract Russian forces from the eastern battlefront and hinder plans for an advance toward Sumy Oblast.
The campaign ended in April 2025 after a Russian counteroffensive supported by thousands of North Korean troops pushed Ukrainian units back across the border.
Payments withdrawn
The Moscow Times reported that anger rose sharply on Dec. 6, when Governor Alexander Khinshtein announced the end of the monthly aid program.
He said the funds would be redirected to “give the region’s economy a new boost,” offering no alternative assistance for affected families.
Crowds from the Glushkovo and Sudzha districts soon assembled outside the Sudzha administration building, demanding the reinstatement of support.
They warned that without the payments, many would struggle to meet basic needs or repair war-damaged homes.
Voices from the protest
In a video message addressed to Khinshtein and President Vladimir Putin, residents pleaded for the decision to be reversed. “Canceling these payments will finish us off. We will become homeless and buried in debt,” the appeal stated.
The Moscow Times reported that police detained one demonstrator, Aliona Liskova, shortly after she read the appeal aloud. She was reportedly taken to a police station in Kursk.
Sources: Meduza, The Moscow Times, Kyiv Independent, Reuters
