The prosecutor’s office in Kerch, Crimea has opened a criminal case against a local resident who has been receiving two pensions over the course of the past two years.
An investigation revealed that the resident was registered as a retiree both in Crimea and in the Krasnodar region, and had accumulated around 160,000 rubles (approximately $2,470) worth of payments, with average monthly payments amounting to 3,300 rubles (approximately $51). How exactly it was determined that the woman was receiving two pensions has not been specified.
The woman has been charged with “obtaining social benefits … [through] omission of facts.” She now faces a four-month detention, two-year imprisonment, or a fine of up to 120,000 rubles (approximately $1,853).
In May 2016, during his recent visit to Crimea, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev met with locals complaining of low pensions and rising prices. In response to a local woman’s complaint, Medvedev famously replied: “There's simply no money right now. Hang in there.”
In late August, the government announced that pensions should be increased to monthly payments of 5,000 rubles per pensioner (approximately $77) in early 2017.
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