Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has warned that Russia’s restrictions on Armenian exports are calling into question the future of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), saying the dispute could mark “the beginning of the end” for the Moscow-led bloc if it is not resolved soon.
Auditors from the Accounts Chamber have uncovered serious budgetary irregularities in Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia, where inefficient spending totaled 1.7 billion rubles. This money was allocated to create special economic zones (SEZs), but the expected results were never achieved.
In Kabardino-Balkaria, inefficient budgetary spending totaled 1.3 billion rubles. The funds were allocated for the reconstruction of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in the village of Elbrus, but the facility remains inoperative. Furthermore, cost estimates were overstated by 153 million rubles, and equipment unrelated to public utilities was purchased for 19 million rubles.
In Karachay-Cherkessia, 405 million rubles allocated for the construction of a drama theater were wasted. The project has been suspended, and the subsidy's objectives have not been achieved. Furthermore, the project's estimated cost was initially overestimated by 159 million rubles.