A local woman sits in front of the damaged residential building in Shebekino, Belgorod region, Russia on 2 July 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE/STRINGER

The governor of Russia’s western Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, has proposed postponing the restoration of homes and vehicles belonging to residents who have gone abroad for extended periods during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Speaking at a regional government meeting on 16 June, Gladkov questioned whether those who left the country should receive the same level of assistance as those who stayed.

“If people leave, why should we spend the same amount of money on them, while others remain here, suffering and working under extremely difficult conditions?” he said, adding that he had “serious doubts” about whether the government should be “helping everyone equally”.

“If someone has dual citizenship, they should turn to the country that granted it”, he said. In the meanwhile, until the Russian invasion of Ukraine is over and until the authorities hold a separate meeting to decide what to do with such cases, “these properties should be left as they are”, Gladkov continued.

Belgorod, which lies along the border with Ukraine, has been subjected to frequent shelling since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

In a previous statement in mid-May, Gladkov controversially claimed that some residents were deliberately placing their cars in the line of fire in order to claim compensation — an accusation that drew criticism on social media.