"Republic" on verge of economic crisis: salaries, pensions and meat in kindergartens

The situation with a delay in wages in the "Donetsk People's Republic" is not new. It is rooted in 2014, when people with posters "Putin, help!", "Russia is our home" and the like appeared in the Donbass. "Great Russia" did not take long to ask and extended a helping hand to the suffering people. So, actually, all the problems started in this territory since then: Ukrainian banks stopped working, enterprises stopped paying salaries, social and pension funds - pensions and various kinds of financial assistance.

After some time, Russian rubles appeared in commerce and people somehow started to come to their senses - rejoice at low utility rates, tours of extinct Soviet pop stars, endless fireworks for various reasons and agricultural fairs, where you could buy vegetables two cents cheaper than in the market.

Soon, the friendly nation began to count the money that was intended for social assistance, salaries, support for the communal sphere and some kind of economy in the "LDNR" and realized that the debit did not match the loan. A commission was sent to the "republic" to identify inappropriate use of the allocated funds. As a result of inspections of the financial activities of enterprises and institutions, many bosses lost their posts, and some were even held accountable under Article 160 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation "Misappropriation and embezzlement".

The Republican Bank (the only one in the uncontrolled part of Donetsk oblast) was introduced into the unified banking system of Russia for reliable control of financial flows. For that reason, confusion with new settlement accounts began in all branches since September. The operators were nervous, because all the work was done manually, which took a lot of time. The clients were also nervous because they had to stand in line for many hours.

But this, as it turned out, was not the only reason for the bad mood of the "republic's" residents - they began to delay payment of social benefits and salaries again.

At first, people were assured that this was a temporary phenomenon associated with the replacement of "bank codes", which would last only a few days. But October is already running out, and the estimated payment deadline is postponed from day to day.

In September, state employees of Donetsk, Horlivka, Khartsyzsk, Makiievka, Shakhtarsk, Dokuchaievsk and other settlements did not receive salaries on September 5th, 6th, or even 10th. Only on the 15th, transfers of net salaries to bank cards partially began - without allowances or ratios. Then people were warned that the salary would be accrued in one payment in the near future, that is, there would be no advance payment and previously raised salaries would be reduced to the previous level.

There were a lot of indignation in social networks on the part of residents of the territories of Donbass that were temporarily uncontrolled by the Ukrainian government: "My sister called today. She is a doctor. She says that the campaign with the increase in salaries has ended. They returned everything to normal. But the campaign with the increase in communal services will continue".

"Some have been raised from five thousand to three, premiums are also being reduced - from 50% to 25%. These masters of the universe have become completely brazen. They drive such expensive cars when we are supposed to die with such salaries", – the users write.

After such indignation, doctors stopped giving pills. And communal workers report that despite the increase in utility tariffs, their salaries have not been raised.

Pensioners also felt the "change of codes" and transition to the Russian banking system accounts. The topic of delayed payment to this category of the population is one of the topics discussed today in social networks. The people complain that many have not yet received pensions for even the 15th. This is quite noticeable for those who have the minimal ones. Especially who does not have the physical ability to receive Ukrainian pension, which saves many pensioners from poverty. After all, social payments of 4 thousand rubles are really enough for bread and milk.

More active retirees say they called the Ministry of Finance hotline, where they were told that their payments had been delayed because of a deficit in the "republic's" budget and were promised to pay off the debt until October 28. However, many people are severe upon this information, motivating their skepticism that "funding has been cut by Russia, and what are they going to fill the treasury with if there is no large business left".

However, the anxieties of pensioners did not end there. It is rumored that social benefits will not be allocated to them from the spring of 2020, if they do not receive the "DNR" passport. In order to get it, you need to stand in line and pay money, which these people do not have with such payments.

In recent days, traditional budgetary wage arrears and pension delays have been supplemented by the restriction of the budgetary nutrition of children in schools and kindergartens, as well as of patients in hospitals. It caused a storm of different feelings of the residents of CADLO. The Donetsk residents post kindergarten menus on social networks with no meat, fish or dairy products. It is said that the administration of preschool institutions explains this by the lack of funding. The parents suggested renewing surcharges for the nutrition of children (kindergartens in the "DPR" have been free for all categories of the population since 2014). But they are told that it is "illegal".

"I think that parents largely would not mind paying for something, if it were not punishable by the criminal code. That is, there should not be collected money either in school or in kindergarten – this is already considered to be corruption", – the Donetsk citizen explained in one of the FB groups.

Justifying, representatives of the "authorities" in the regional media explain this situation by the transition to new Russian accounts. Allegedly, while they were re-registered, suppliers could not supply products intended for the preschool institutions.

But as it turned out later, exactly the same situation was in the School of the Olympic Reserve. The parents report that the children who need high-calorie diet were not even given bread for several days. Only soup and porridge. The cadets of the Donetsk Military School were dismissed altogether for unscheduled vacations, because they have no food.

Of course, it is ridiculous to talk about the existence of the opposition in Donetsk, but blogger Alexander Bolotin positions himself as such. Actually, he raised a wave in social networks with a call for "power" to stop funding endless holidays, flash mobs and shows in order to direct the released funds for baby food. The post caused a public outcry and showed how tense the situation is.

Judging by the reaction of residents of the uncontrolled territories of different age and social categories, this circus with the prolonged program "Donetsk People's Republic" already tired everyone. They have already realized that against the background of a bright buffoonery, an economic crisis is raging here, which is pushing people below the poverty line, and the stories of the "officials" about temporary difficulties and further development do not cause anything other than feelings of despair and disappointment.

Liusia Molchanova, Donetsk, for OstroV