The State Will Not Cover All Costs for the Restoration of Kursk Region, Says Russian Official

The Acting Governor of Russia’s Kursk Region, Alexander Khinshtein, informed residents of the Sudzha District that the state would not cover all expenses for rebuilding infrastructure damaged during Ukraine’s incursion into the region.

A video recording of the meeting was shared by the Sirena outlet.

Khinshtein stated that full compensation for property losses suffered by residents of the Kursk region would not be possible, as the state cannot cover all expenses due to a lack of budgetary funds, adding that the war against Ukraine is expensive.

“The state cannot cover 100% of the expenses. We won’t be compensating for a destroyed bathhouse—not because we don’t want to, but because we’re facing enormous challenges,” Khinshtein said.

“Just think about how many villages, towns, roads, schools, hospitals, clinics, shops, pharmacies, and homes have been destroyed. How are we supposed to rebuild all this? And we still have the 'special military operation' ongoing, which is highly technical. We need to liberate territory, and, forgive me, but every shell costs money.”

During the meeting, Khinshtein acknowledged that the Russian budget lacks sufficient funds, noting that the state also has pressing social obligations such as paying pensions and maintaining infrastructure like building and cleaning roads.

On December 14, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Russia had deployed North Korean soldiers for the first time to attack Ukrainian positions in Russia’s Kursk region.

He revealed that Ukrainian Defense Forces launched the Kursk incursion as a preemptive measure in order to disrupt Russian plans to capture Ukraine’s Kharkiv and Sumy regions.