Instagram users complain about selectivity of help from Chechen authorities

Chechen authorities are regularly reporting about distribution of food packages to the poor, but many families in need have never received them. Those who have lost their income due to the quarantine are offered to apply for benefits after it has ended.

Another report on the distribution of foodstuffs by the Akhmat Kadyrov Foundation was posted on May 1 in the Instagram page of the "Grozny" ChGTRK (Chechen State TV and Radio Company). The authors of the report claim that the help consisting of three loaves of bread, three kilos of potatoes and one tray of eggs each was given to 30,000 families; and since the beginning of the self-isolation period, the Foundation has distributed over 291,000 of grocery sets.

"I have never received this help, although I am a poor person, and I bring up three children myself. I earn money by making repairs in people's houses and apartments. For more than a month now, I have no work, because it's quarantine. My parents and brother help me; I don't know what I could do without them. I addressed our local administration; there, they told me that they were giving out help only to those who were on their lists; and that I need to collect documents and apply to the district administration to get registered. But how can I collect documents, if I can't go anywhere; and most organizations don't work?" asked Aishat, a local resident.

The authors of some Instagram comments posted under the ChGTRK's story agree with her. They complain that they need help, but never received it. "We have never received help, although we are poor, and our children are half-orphans," the user otmmri has written. 

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 1, 2020 at 08:14 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.