Mother of a Child with Disabilities from Arkhangelsk Region Holds a Solo Protest at Manezhnaya Square in Central Moscow

Elena Cherepanova, a resident of Severodvinsk, held a solo protest near Red Square and recorded a video message to Vladimir Putin. She asked the president to restore social services for children with disabilities in the Arkhangelsk region. After the protest, Elena was taken to the police station. In her message, Elena noted that the current funding situation is pushing rehabilitation centers in Pomorye toward closure. «I was defending the rights of children with disabilities to receive free social services guaranteed by the state. I really want to be heard by the president of our country.» During the protest, Elena Cherepanova was detained and taken to the duty office of the Moscow police. The Severodvinsk resident contacted a local lawyer and was released. «A decision to terminate the proceedings was issued,» she explained. What the Arkhangelsk Regional Government says: «The situation with funding for social rehabilitation centers was previously commented on by Igor Skubenko, Deputy Chairman of the Arkhangelsk Regional Government»22. According to Skubenko, the 2025 regional budget allocates 345.5 million rubles in subsidies to non-governmental social service providers. There are 31 non-governmental providers in the registry, of which 22 organizations receive subsidies. In October, the rehabilitation and social adaptation center for children with special needs, «Drugaya Storona» («The Other Side»), suspended its work in Arkhangelsk. Parents and teachers appealed to the governor. «An agreement for 2025 worth 76.5 million rubles has been concluded with individual entrepreneur A. V. Klindyuk (center «Drugaya Storona»). Under this agreement, the Arkhangelsk Regional Social Protection Center transferred the full amount — 76.5 million rubles. At the same time, the «Drugaya Storona» center provided services exceeding the planned budget limits set by the 2025 agreement. Therefore, it is important to note that, alongside the government’s work in approving budget limits, social service providers themselves must plan service schedules based on signed agreements and actual planned funding,» said Igor Skubenko. The Deputy Chairman of the regional government added that funding for the center could continue if additional funds are found. According to Skubenko, work is currently underway to attract extra resources to this part of the regional budget. «At present, the Ministry of Labor, Employment, and Social Development has prepared a draft decree of the Arkhangelsk Regional Government to amend the consolidated budget for 4.3 million rubles to ensure payments to socially oriented non-profit organizations (the project is undergoing electronic voting).» The Deputy Chairman also noted that over the past two years, the Arkhangelsk Regional Government has carried out systematic work to improve and standardize the provision of social services. «In particular, an interdepartmental commission has been established to review and approve individual programs for providing social services, ensuring their compliance with established standards and legal requirements — previously highlighted by the Arkhangelsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office. A reporting and quality control system has been implemented, allowing transparency in budget spending and objective evaluation of service providers’ performance. This work is ongoing, and its main goal is to provide citizens with quality and timely social services.»