Payments to veterans for Victory Day in the countries of the former USSR: in Russia they received the least

Irina Mishina

In total, according to the FIU, there are a little more than 33 thousand participants and invalids of the Great Patriotic War left in Russia. This year, according to the Pension Fund, Russian veterans and invalids of the Second World War were paid 10 thousand rubles each. The increase came with the pension. This money was received by 33.2 thousand people living in Russia and the Baltic countries. The payment is federal, but some regions have the right to establish additional premiums. This has already been done in the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Territory: there each veteran received 15 thousand rubles , another 10 thousand were paid to the home front workers, the children of those killed at the front - 2 thousand rubles each. In the Krasnoyarsk Territory, veterans were presented with 50 thousand rubles by May 9.

Veterans receive a May payment in Russia every year; the state paid them 10 thousand rubles each in 2019 and 2018. An exception was the jubilee 2020, when the payment was raised to 75 thousand in honor of the 75th anniversary of the Victory. For obvious reasons, the number of veterans is decreasing every year, but the amount of payments to them remains the same in Russia...

In other republics of the former USSR, veterans also receive “victory payments”. The highest in 2021 among the countries of the former Soviet Union - from veterans in Kazakhstan - each received about 140 thousand rubles (805 thousand tenge). And in the capital of Kazakhstan, Nur-Sultan, veterans will receive 174,000 rubles, and 34,000 rubles (195,439 tenge) will be added to the basic payment. As of 2020, there are 1,016 veterans living in Kazakhstan.

By May 9, veterans in Uzbekistan received about 85 thousand rubles (12 million soums). This is even more than for the anniversary year 2020 - then the participants in the war were paid about 70 thousand rubles (10 million soums). In total, there are about 800 veterans in Uzbekistan today.

In Azerbaijan, the participants of the Great Patriotic War were paid 65 thousand rubles (1,500 manat) each. And 32 thousand (750 manats) each received the widows of the victims, home front workers and participants in the blockade of Leningrad. According to the latest data, there are 181 WWII veterans living in Azerbaijan.

In Kyrgyzstan, veterans are entitled to an annual and one-time allowance - both payments come by May 9. WWII invalids were paid 18 thousand rubles (20 600 soms), participants in hostilities, the blockade of Leningrad and underage prisoners of concentration camps - 17 thousand rubles (20 400 soms), and home front workers and those subjected to violent mobilization - about 13 thousand (15 100 soms).

In Ukraine, payment by May 9 depends on the status of the veteran . The maximum payments this year were due to disabled veterans of the 1st group and persons who have special services to the Motherland - they were paid 11 thousand rubles (4120 hryvnia) each. Just the participants in the hostilities were given 3700 rubles (1390 hryvnia). And the family members of the victims received the least - about 2,400 rubles (900 hryvnias).

The relatively low payments to Russian veterans in comparison with other countries can probably be explained by their number: there are more of them in Russia than in all the countries of the former USSR combined. In second place is Ukraine, 13,000 veterans live there, and Belarus is in third place, there are 2,639 veterans left there. Still, the Ministry of Finance of Russia, I think, could find additional funds to support the veterans, about whom the state worries so much in words.

By the way, in several republics of the former Soviet Union this year there were no "winning payments" at all. For example, there is no data on payments by May 9 in 2021 in Moldova. It is known that for the 75th anniversary of the Victory, veterans received 40 thousand rubles (10 thousand lei) there, citizens equated to the participants in the war were paid 20 thousand (5 thousand lei), widows - 4 thousand rubles (1 thousand lei). In Belarus this year, war veterans also did not receive one-time payments by May 9. The reasons were not specified. There is also no data on payments to veterans in Turkmenistan and Georgia. It is known that in previous years, the participants in the war received cash allowances from the authorities there. So, in 2018, in Turkmenistan, veterans and widows were paid extra 8 thousand rubles (or 200 manats). In Georgia, where about 300 veterans remained, in 2017 they paid 13 thousand rubles (600 lari). About a hundred war veterans live in Tajikistan, but the authorities announced an additional premium for only 16 people - those who live in Dushanbe. They received about 10 thousand rubles (1500 somoni) by May 9.

There are no payments by May 9 in Armenia, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.

And more about the "victorious gifts". By May 9, the manufacturers also noted. It is worth mentioning chocolates from the Pobeda confectionery factory. The name speaks for itself, and it is not surprising that on the eve of May 9, any "Pobeda" products are scattered like hot cakes.

In Yekaterinburg, shops sell massively anti-stress pillows with the inscription "To Berlin!"

On the windows there were also masks on the topic of the day, for some reason with the flags of Russia and Germany. The message is not entirely clear. Probably, the authors wanted to convey the idea of peace to the whole world.

Wildberries have hundreds of May 9th style stickers. There is, for example, a variant with a T-34 tank and the signature "Soviet nagibator".

The artists also painted portraits of Soviet soldiers. For some reason, one of them appeared on the cutting board. There is even a specific souvenir for relaxation - a bath bomb in the shape of a grenade.

The Cigar Union of Russia also did not stand aside: they released an exclusive batch of "Victory Cigars". On this occasion, Anatoly Nesmiyan, known in the networks as El Murid, remarks pertinently : “The first in the series was the party “Brest Fortress” and “Feel the bitter smoke of future victory!”. Dancing on the bones is, of course, sacrilege. But money on the bones is tight".