Belgorod dismisses officials amid budget cuts

Since January 2026, 109 officials have been dismissed from the government of Russia's Belgorod region. The regional government informed local media that 53 of these dismissals were direct layoffs due to budget deficits, while the rest resigned for other reasons. This follows an order from Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov in December 2025 to reduce ministry staff by 20%, with lists to be prepared by April 1, 2026. Gladkov claimed that 'not a single person will be left without a job.' The region's public debt has surged by approximately one-third since the start of the year, reaching 51.7 billion rubles.