Press Release, 21.10.2025

Photo: Veliky Novgorod Mayor Alexander Rozbaum and Duma Speaker Konstantin Somov / Photo by the Veliky Novgorod Duma Press Service

On 24 October, the Veliky Novgorod Duma will consider the issue of record salary increases for local officials. Mayor Alexander Rozbaum is asking deputies to approve almost doubling his own salary — according to Yabloko’s estimates, to 480,000 roubles per month (he currently receives 260,000). Duma Chairman Konstantin Somov also expects his salary to increase from 250,000 roubles to 430,000 roubles per month.

The draft resolution on changing the remuneration system in local government bodies (the draft was submitted to the Veliky Novogorod Duma at the beginning of October) also provides for salary increases for the Deputy Chairman of the local parliament, the Chairman and Deputy of the Audit Chamber, as well as auditors. In violation of regulations, the administration did not submit to the Duma, along with the package of documents, the financial and economic justification of expenditures that is mandatory in such cases, which hinders consideration of the bill. But it was nevertheless included on the agenda. The specific amount of budget expenditure on salary increases is not stated; the increase will proceed in two stages: by 50% in October 2025 and by another 17% from 1 January 2026.

However, that is not all. The draft also mentions increasing pensions and salaries for municipal employees. It is possible that in this way officials want to reward them for loyalty in elections, by increasing the amount of monetary bonuses from five salaries to ten, and making the accrual of bonuses mandatory even with poor performance or the presence of disciplinary sanctions.

And all this without financial and economic justification and assessment of consequences for the 2026 city budget.

The Veliky Novgorod budget deficit exceeds 300 million roubles, notes Anna Cherepanova, Veliky Novgorod Duma deputy and Yabloko Deputy Chair. She emphasises that at the meeting on 24 October she will vote “against” the unjust salary project.

“In 2026, the state of municipal finances under conditions of economic stagnation and worsening tax conditions for small and medium-sized businesses does not inspire optimism. However, it is against this negative background that a cynical increase in officials’ salaries is taking place. Taking the increase into account, the gap in salaries between the mayor and a school teacher in Veliky Novgorod will be 15 times! In a civilised society, this is simply impossible. That is why there is a shortage of teachers in city schools, whilst there are no vacancies in the mayor’s office,” Anna Cherepanova explains. “Deputies will vote openly and by name. Moreover, entry to the meeting is free for all who wish, and anyone can come and see which deputies will vote for using the budget in the interests of the bureaucratic corporation instead of solving real city problems, of which there are many.”

It should be noted that in 2024, the salaries of Veliky Novgorod officials were linked to the average salary in large and medium-sized organisations, which guarantees annual high growth in officials’ incomes. Yabloko was then the only faction that opposed this, pointing to corruption risks and proposing to make officials’ salaries dependent on the average teacher’s salary.