Kremlin's gray zone: How Russian corruption thrives in occupied Ukrainian territories

Having occupied Ukrainian lands, Russia promises to restore them quickly but steals from its own funds allocated for so-called great development.

In 2023 , the Kremlin planned to allocate 483 billion rubles ( 220.2 billion hryvnias) to the occupied Ukrainian regions.

Moscow has simplified the scheme of obtaining contracts for work in the occupied regions as much as possible.

Most of the construction projects in the occupied territories are carried out by Roskapstroy , also known as Khusnullin 's wallet, says Petro Andriushchenko , an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol .

The city is important to them both as a strategic object and as a potential resort for Russians , he says.

Since the beginning of the so-called construction, Timur Ivanov and those close to him have earned about 17 billion rubles .

Denys Kazanskyi , a journalist from Donetsk, tells RBC-Ukraine about corruption schemes.

He says in Donetsk, contractors removed tiles laid out in 2012 and took them to Mariupol .

Local budgets are filled at the expense of the federal budget, he says.

Kazinskyi says patronage is a way to make money on subsidies and make local authorities complicit.