Amid economic woes, Russia allocates $89 million to Crimean children’s camp

The Russian government has finalized a development program for the international children’s center Artek, located on the Black Sea coast in Crimea. According to a statement on the website of the Russian government, 5.4 billion rubles (about $89 million) will be allocated to Artek over the next five years.

The development program includes major renovations of existing buildings in the camp and the construction of new buildings.

The program also aims to increase the number of children who spend time at this camp to 46 thousand per year. In 2014, only 5,860 children visited the camp.

Funds from the Federal program on the “socio-economic development of the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol” will be allocated to the development and renovation of infrastructure of the international children’s center Artek.

Artek was originally established in 1925 in the Soviet Union as a children’s summer camp. It is located outside the city of Gurzuf in southeast Crimea on the Black Sea coast.

The camp developed from an initial set of tents into a complex of 10 sub-camps, and became the most famous spot for children’s vacations in the Soviet Union. Schoolchildren were sent there upon merit.

After the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014, it was announced that 21 billion rubles (about $345 million) would be allocated to the renovation of Artek over the course of five years. In the summer of 2012, the camp received a 1.2-billion-ruble ($20 million) subsidy. 

The allocation of funds takes place amid economic woes in Russia. Students of Russian universities claimed in March that the government has stopped paying their stipends. Reports also state that the Ministry of Education is considering reducing student stipends.

On March 6, in efforts to save the economy, Putin signed a decree that reduces the monthly salaries of the president, the chair of the government, the attorney general, and the head of the Investigative Committee by 10 percent for the period of March 1 to December 31, 2015. Similar wage cuts are expected for employees of the Russian Accounts Chamber, the Presidential Executive Office, and the Russian government.