The DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions reported receiving 513 billion rubles from the budget in 2023, according to Forbes which cited the relevant agency. The emphasis behind these figures is tied to the way federal support shaped the financial landscape for these territories during that year, highlighting the scale of intergovernmental transfers in play. In 2024 Moscow is signaling an aim for greater financial autonomy for these regions, a shift that is expected to reconfigure the composition of the state budget and reduce the overall volume of federal slices to about 303 billion rubles. In 2023, roughly 82 percent of the DPR budget depended on federal aid, a level of dependence that illustrates the central role of subsidies in sustaining regional programs and services. End-of-year data show that the republic received 233.9 billion rubles in unrequited payments that year. For 2024, official projections anticipate the subsidy volume to decline to 65.6 percent, with the DPR receiving an estimated 137.4 billion rubles in federal assistance.
The LPR budget in 2023 also leaned heavily on federal support, with 81.6 percent of its funds tied to the national budget and a total receipt of 188.7 billion rubles. Projections for 2024 indicate a continued narrowing of federal allocations, with subsidies expected to fall to 92.6 billion rubles. This downward trend reflects the broader goal of reshaping the fiscal framework to grant more room for local revenue generation alongside continued central backing for essential services.
In the Kherson region, the proportion of unrequited income within total revenue was forecast to drop to 74 percent, equating to 33.2 billion rubles in that year. The level of Moscow-financed support in 2023 remained high, reaching 86.8 percent and equaling 52.2 billion rubles. In the Zaporozhye region, federal budget payments were planned to decline from 89.5 percent, or 72.8 billion rubles, at the end of 2023 to 72 percent, or 40 billion rubles, in 2024. This trajectory mirrors the broader policy aim of gradually shifting budgetary responsibility toward regional authorities while maintaining a strong federal safety net for key programs.
Earlier remarks from President Vladimir Putin indicated that Russian authorities had disbursed about 1.077 trillion rubles to the Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics along with the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions. Those figures underscore the magnitude of fiscal support routed through the central budget to these territories and the ongoing recalibration of intergovernmental finance.
Meanwhile, a harsh early snowfall affected the region, leaving half a million people in the DPR without electricity as the reliability of power supply came under strain. The weather disruption adds another layer of challenge to regional administrations already managing evolving funding structures and shifting responsibilities, highlighting how climate events can interact with national budgeting decisions to affect daily life and public services.