Presidential Mission in Crimea spent millions from the budget on empty chairs

The budget of the Presidential Mission in Crimea has rapidly increased tenfold, while a significant number of positions have remained vacant for years. The documents obtained by journalists revealed a gap between the financial resources and the real capabilities of the institution to perform its functions.

This was reported by Holos Kryma.

The journalists received official responses from the Representative Office of the President of Ukraine in the AR of Crimea on the financing, structure and staffing of the institution for 2014-2026. The data shows a sharp increase in budget expenditures against the background of chronic understaffing.

The journalists filed two information requests: the first one covered the period from 2014 to 2025, which is actually the entire period of the Mission's work after the occupation of Crimea by Russia, and the second one concerned 2026. The requests asked for data on annual expenditures from the state budget, the approved number of employees and the actual number of staff, as well as the current structure of the body.

The information received allows us to assess how the funding of the institution has changed and how it corresponds to its real staffing capacity in implementing the state policy on the temporarily occupied Crimea.

According to the responses, the costs of maintaining the Mission in 2014-2025 increased almost 28 times - from over UAH 1.1 million in 2014 to over UAH 31.7 million in 2025. The most rapid growth was recorded after 2021, when funding began to increase annually.

At the same time, in 2026, the final amount of expenditures will be determined only at the end of the year, as such figures are not approved in advance.

Despite the increase in funding, the staffing situation remains problematic. Out of the approved 45 positions, only 31 have actually been filled. This understaffing has been observed for years: in 2015-2017, only a third of the staff worked, and even after the staff was expanded in 2022, all vacancies were not filled.

This may indicate either the failure to fulfill some functions or the formation of a structure without adequate staffing, which indicates possible systemic problems in management.

It is also noted that no documents on actual employment were created as of February 24, 2026, although 31 people were actually employed at that time.

According to the Ministry of Finance, the average salary at the Mission in February 2026 was more than UAH 107 thousand for the management, about UAH 60 thousand for the heads of departments, UAH 47.5 thousand for specialists and UAH 29.3 thousand for service personnel. These amounts include all payments, including bonuses and allowances, and it is the payroll that forms a significant part of the institution's expenses.

Despite its important role in shaping policy on the de-occupation of Crimea, the activities of the Mission, according to the responses received, require more transparency and a systematic approach.

When a community is fully or partially under occupation, a logical question arises: why does it need a budget and administration if it does not control its territory? This is the question that is often raised today in relation to communities in Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts. The expert team ofthe Budget in Exile 3.0 project has prepared an explanation of this issue.

Анна Бальчінос