Kursk Protester Detained and Released as Residents Demand Continued Support Payments

Authorities in the southwestern Kursk region detained and subsequently released a resident who had been displaced and was protesting the cessation of governmental support payments, according to media reports from Tuesday.

As reported by Pepel Kursk, Alyona Liskova was among a gathering of 200 individuals on Monday advocating for the continuation of monthly compensation payments of 65,000 rubles ($800) for damages incurred to their homes during the invasion from Ukraine.

This past Saturday, Kursk region Governor Alexander Khinshtein and First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov announced that funds previously allocated for these payments would be redirected to wider recovery and development initiatives beginning in January.

Pepel noted that Liskova was one of the leaders of the protest, who addressed both Governor Khinshtein and President Vladimir Putin, representing the displaced individuals.

According to Pepel, Liskova was taken into custody early Tuesday, with the news shared via their Telegram channel before noon Moscow time.

By around 3:30 p.m. Moscow time, Pepel reported that Liskova had been released and stated that the police had “conversed” with her, without filing any charges.

Independent Russian media outlets that reported on the protest highlighted a recorded interaction in which an advisor to Khinshtein criticized the male residents of the Kursk region for not defending their homes against the Ukrainian invasion.

Over 150,000 individuals were ordered to evacuate from towns and villages near the border after Ukrainian forces executed a surprise attack in August 2024. Earlier this year, Ukraine had to withdraw after Russian forces, supported by North Korean troops, conducted a successful counteroffensive.

Since then, displaced residents have organized multiple protests concerning poor living conditions and what they describe as insufficient compensation.