Press Release, 24.11.2025

Photo: Iya Boronina, Chair of the Yabloko branch in Udmurtia / Photo from personal archive

Rapid growth in budget expenditure that is not covered by own revenues is the key financial problem of the Republic of Udmurtia, Yabloko experts note. When preparing amendments to the draft law on the regional budget, they analysed both the draft budget law and the explanatory note to it, as well as the forecast of the region’s socio-economic development, the conclusion of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation on the federal budget, and Central Bank data. Over the past three years, regional budget expenditure has grown almost twofold; however, instead of a balanced and responsible financial policy that could reduce inefficient spending and lower debt burden, the regional government continues to increase expenditure, Yabloko states.

Against the background of the budget draft criticised by Yabloko, the lack of transparency and accountability of authorities to citizens appears especially cynical. Thus, officials of the State Council and Government of Udmurtia refused to provide information about the size of their average monthly salary in response to a request from Chair of the regional branch of Yabloko Iya Boronina.

As part of preparing amendments to the budget, Boronina sent official requests to the state bodies with the aim of obtaining data on average monthly salary for 35 key positions in the republic for the period from 2022 to 2025. Among the requested positions are the Head of Udmurtia, Head of the Administration of the Head and Government, Chairman of the Government and his deputies, Chairman of the State Council and his deputies, chairmen of key standing commissions (on science, sport, budget) and all regional ministers.

The Administration of the Head and Government of the Republicof Udmurtia, as well as the State Council apparatus, did not provide responses on the substance, thereby violating two federal laws at once: “On the Procedure for Considering Appeals of Citizens of the Russian Federation” and “On Ensuring Access to Information about the Activities of State Bodies”.

Iya Boronina notes that the refusal of transparency in state bodies’ work is occurring against the background of the sharp increase in expenditure on maintaining these structures. Thus, expenditure on the Administration of the Head and Government of Udmurtia has grown eightfold in a year, whilst expenditure on maintaining the State Council apparatus has more than doubled. Officials explain this growth (hundreds of millions of roubles) by salary indexation of 7.5%. However, real expenditure growth amounts to approximately 200% over the past couple of years, Yabloko indicates.

Thus, in Udmurtia a situation is such that against the background of a deficit budget, growing debt and underfunding of the social sphere, officials have been secretly increasing funding for their own apparatus many times over whilst refusing to disclose on what exactly and in what amounts these funds are being spent on.

In connection with gross violation of the right to access information, Chair of the Yabloko branch in Udmurtia Iya Boronina has already sent an appeal to the regional public prosecutor’s office. Boronina demands that an investigation be conducted and departments be obliged to provide the requested publicly available information.