Translated material
“We were left with a bare butt”
On November 10, in Kursk, several dozen residents of Russian border areas gathered near the government building, who were forced to leave their homes in early August 2024 due to the fighting going on there. Mostly these were people from the Sudzhansky district, most of which is currently under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. They complained that they could not receive housing certificates promised by the regional authorities, and also demanded that they admit that there was a war going on. This was the second refugee rally in a week. “Kholod” talked to 48-year-old nurse Natalya from Sudzha about what people demanded, the conditions in which refugees now live, and why she decided to go to a rally for the first time in her life.
Residents of Sudzhi, captured by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, went out to a rally for the first time in their lives. They demand housing and debt forgiveness
We experienced the war ourselves, so we are braver than residents of other cities. When you have nothing left, you have nothing to lose and you become more willing to take risks.
In such conditions, there are no options to stay at home or go to work instead of going on strike. In addition, many Sujans cannot find work or permanent housing, are malnourished, and are not prepared for the cold. Where else should they go if not to the streets? On November 10, there were at least 200 of us ( the publication “7x7”, citing a local resident , reported that about 120 people came to the spontaneous rally on November 10. — Kholod’s note ), and on Tuesday, the 12th, [to the official meeting with officials at the cultural center] in total about 600 came. Of course, when in a not-so-big city so many people take to the central streets, it’s hard to forget about it and not change anything.
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Before the war came to us, I had everything: a large house with a yard, a kitchen with a stove, oven, microwave and toaster - the equipment was borrowed, of course. There were beds with zucchini and carrots, a greenhouse in which cucumbers grew. There is a son, a husband who works in the agricultural sector, and a dog, Naida, she is already 12 years old. In the summer, I laid my son’s old blanket in her kennel so that she could sleep well - after all, they were decorating the house for themselves, but Naida doesn’t need it?
I work a lot, I get paid like everyone else, but I love my job for at least some meaning in life. When we lived and worked in Sudzha, we could buy furniture, for example. Yes, there was not enough money, because the salary was meager, you couldn’t save it, and there were all sorts of problems, costs for food and utilities. And naturally, almost all the property was taken out on loans, albeit not very large ones - 100-200 thousand, not millions.
But at least I took out loans with the assumption that I was working and could repay them. And the most important thing is that I will use this property. The last time I took the kitchen like this, it was large, five by four meters. I thought that this would be my last big purchase for the rest of my life. My husband and I equipped the house for a comfortable life for our son, so that he could live there with his family when we were gone.
We don’t use the kitchen, but we pay a loan for it
On August 6, at half past two in the morning, heavy shelling began - and that’s how the end came. We fled under fire in the hope that we would return home in a couple of hours. We hoped that the Russian army would start working and the Ukrainian Armed Forces would leave our territory. And now we can’t get home for four months.
Back in 2023, some people wrote applications for housing certificates, but the authorities primarily provide those who lived at a distance of up to five kilometers from the border with Ukraine ( Sudzha is located 10 kilometers from the border. - Note "Cold" ). These are the villages of the Sudzhansky district: Plekhovo, Guevo, Gornal, Oleshnya. They have been under fire since 2022.
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The government promised to allocate 1.8 billion rubles for the resettlement of residents of the Kursk region. And [local authorities] again gave them to the residents of this five-kilometer zone from the border! Yes, the regional administration told us that it cannot pay everyone at once. But why do these same people, who are no longer in the border zone, receive money again? They had already left there and bought housing, but we didn’t get anything.
At first we lived with friends, then relatives came to visit them, and we had to move out. We were looking for a temporary accommodation facility, but the conditions there were terrible. Fortunately, at the end of August I went to work at the Kursk clinic, and we were able to pay for the rent of the apartment: the owners gave us a discount because they understood the conditions we were in. My husband works in covens (temporary part-time jobs. - Kholoda’s note) , most often in construction. In Sudzha he had a good job, but in Kursk all the places are already taken; it’s very difficult to find work here now.
I was sure that we would be resettled with certificates by September - everyone around said so. But time passed, and the situation became worse and worse. Certificates for housing need to be issued to those residents of the Sudzhansky district who are left without anything. Maybe through meetings and protests we will somehow move this situation from a dead point. In the meantime, it seems that this money will disappear somewhere again. Laughter through tears. Just some kind of nonsense.
Now it turns out that we don’t use the kitchen, but we pay off the loans. Even the fact that we were given a deferment ( border residents received a credit holiday for six months. - Note by Kholod ) is unlikely to help - then they will say: “All brothers, that’s enough, pay.” Why don’t we, residents of the border region, who left for a couple of hours in shorts and flip-flops on August 6, with the expectation that we would be able to return, write off these loans? To everyone who, like me, took it to the kitchen or to cars, which many also have left there and they do not use them. Some people are still paying their mortgage, even though they no longer have housing. For me, the issue of loans is very important, because with my salary this issue is very significant, very important indeed.
My demand: loans are written off for everyone! Our state forgives multi-billion dollar debts to African countries! Write it off to us, the residents who were left without shelter, roof and life!
Sorry, we were left with a bare butt
In temporary temporary accommodation centers (TAPs), access is not open to everyone. Oh, you don’t even know what the conditions are like there! If the place is good, then you can get there only through connections - this is for the elite. We were only offered “Auchan” ( the former premises of the “Auchan” supermarket in Zheleznogorsk were converted into a temporary temporary accommodation facility. - Kholoda’s note) - it’s like a gym with bunk beds. Can you imagine living like this with your family? It’s only on the governor’s website that it says that there were enough places for everyone. I have friends who live in very good conditions, but they stopped by on August 6-7, and they were lucky - there were still places. We started looking for a place later: at the beginning of August we lived with friends in Kursk and did not appreciate the scale of the tragedy.
According to the government of the Kursk region, 96 permanent temporary accommodation centers have been deployed in the region. The Russian government allocated about 1.9 billion rubles for their maintenance and food for residents. Now 7 thousand people live here, including more than 1.4 thousand children.
Very good conditions - one room per family and a toilet with shower for several rooms, but after all, there is its own territory. They are fed for free, they do not pay utilities, and they live comfortably.
Sudzhansky district is the only one in the Kursk region that remains under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. People from Belovsky, Korenevsky, Rylsky, Khomutovsky districts are all already at home. But we were all equally paid 150 thousand for the loss of essential property. Well, is this fair? Other districts are using their property and have received more money for it. And we, sorry, were left with a bare butt, and we were paid the same amount.
Families who are unlucky live anywhere: some in rented apartments, some with friends. We pay utilities and we ourselves understand that we cannot live for free in someone else’s rented apartment - why should people lose money because of us?
Now at least wash the rope and go hang yourself
Patients at work told me that there would be rallies. The clinic workers are the first to know all the news, because our SVOs, grandmothers come to chat, and teachers who know everything about children and parents. I’m still in groups on VKontakte about Sudzha - there I also saw the dates and times of the training camps.
My colleagues and I agreed to go to the rally if there was no shift at that time. I had never gone to a rally before, but here it was obvious that I had to go. The timing worked out fine for me - I also spoke for those who were working at that time.
On Kursk Red Square, residents of Sudzha came out to a spontaneous rally, people were even supported by actor Alexander Polovtsev, who played in the TV series “Streets of Broken Lanterns.” The head of the department for interaction with local government bodies, Anatoly Drogan, came to us. He asked who had gathered the people here. Having not received an exact answer, he said that public actions are illegal.
A lot of questions were asked, but, unfortunately, not all were answered. In general, the event was like a monologue from citizens. Regarding the promised housing certificates, Drogan explained that money for certificates has already been allocated to residents in the five-kilometer zone with the border and that they will soon receive it.
When asked if he knew that many people living in this zone had already been given everything, and which villages they were, he didn’t even know what to say! They don't have this information!
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Another very sore subject is the green corridor. We need a safe road so that civilians of the Sudzhansky district can leave the basements and go to Kursk ( the Ukrainian side estimates the number of civilians in the controlled territory at 2,000 people. - Note from Kholod ). To do this, troops need not shoot. But this is a question that the district administration will not be able to answer - this must be decided between the presidents.
My aunt and my husband’s sister remained in the territory occupied by Ukraine. They stayed because no one expected that the border would be open, that the Ukrainian Armed Forces would enter, and for so long. They are sitting there in the basement, under fire, they can’t go out again, there is a connection, but it’s bad. And we can't take them away. How many people have no relatives? We need roads and transport to pick up those who remain in the occupation.
It is necessary to expand the zone for obtaining certificates to 10–15 kilometers from the border - let all affected residents receive the right to new housing. We were left with nothing. I had a house of 100 square meters with all amenities. With everyone! Both the yard and outbuildings. Now I don’t know what condition my house is in and whether there is anything left of it.
Why should I huddle who knows where and live in the unknown? Let us live now, not later! I don't want to live in this mess anymore. Now, at least wash the rope and hang yourself.
At least there is hope
On Tuesday, November 12, a meeting of officials with residents of border areas was held in Kursk. The Sviridovsky Concert Hall, designed for 777 seats, according to those present, could not accommodate such an influx of people: those who came crowded between the rows. Together with the Governor of the Kursk Region Alexei Smirnov, Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin and the Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation Roman Starovoyt answered questions.
Officials, including heads of districts, who do not sufficiently build interaction with residents of the Kursk region, can be replaced, Smirnov said after a meeting with residents of the Sudzhansky district. To applause and shouts of “fire!” The head of the district, Alexander Bogachev, was dismissed . On Thursday, the head of the Korenevsky district, Marina Degtyareva, also lost her position.
The people were mostly adults, over 30 years old. These are very vulnerable groups of the population; they need to feed their parents and children. The fact that so many people came on a weekday during working hours says a lot. None of my friends had gone on strikes before, and many of them even took time off on purpose.
The dialogue was very constructive. We were promised housing certificates, but first of all they will be given to SVO participants, pensioners, disabled people and large families. I hope it will also reach us, ordinary workers.
It was also said about renting housing. They will pay 20 thousand rubles to those who have a single-parent family or fewer than three children, and 40 thousand rubles to large families.
It seems like everything has moved forward! The fact that there were big politicians at the meeting already says something. We are disadvantaged people, the only ones in the Russian Federation who are under the occupation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, of course, it is not easy for us. I hope everything will be resolved soon.
The Sudzhansky district is currently under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. There, maybe one third or half of a village was liberated, and that’s it. If we had the opportunity to go there, would we really be so outraged? We would be silent, like the residents of the Belovsky district, Korenevsky. Yes, there are flights, but people can get home.
The main thing is that we tried, of course. At least somehow they asked the state for their own. I think they will give us certificates, something will definitely improve. At least now there is hope, otherwise until November they were like strangers at home.
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Author: "Cold" editors