“The apartment is not that damaged.” Are war victims in Sevastopol left without payments? 

Sevastopol, a city annexed by Russia, is increasingly experiencing negative consequences for civilian facilities from attacks by the Ukrainian Defense Forces on Russian military facilities. Owners of damaged property complain that compensation from the budget is either not enough for even the most minimal needs, or local Russian authorities are completely leaving people without payments. What is happening, Krym.Realii found out. 

The Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine is increasingly being felt by the civilian population in Sevastopol, the “city of the army.” Air raids, explosions, and fires are regularly recorded in the region. The Ukrainian Defense Forces are systematically attacking Russian military facilities, explaining this by the desire to destroy the military logistics of the Russian Federation and its offensive potential on the southern front of land Ukraine. 

Since many Russian military facilities in Sevastopol are located near civilian facilities, damage is increasingly being recorded after attacks or as a result of Russian air defense operations. 

Local Russian authorities promise compensation from the budget to owners of damaged property. But not everyone manages to receive it. 

Three houses in ruins 

The residents of a five-story building on Korchagina Street in Sevastopol, which was damaged by an explosion in late March, have not received the promised compensation for two months, Russian public media reported. 

The explosion in the apartment building on Korchagina Street 14 occurred late on the evening of March 23. Dozens of apartments were destroyed, residents were injured and killed. The walls of one of the apartments on the first floor, the interior ceilings and structures from the first to third floors partially collapsed. The neighboring buildings Nos. 16 and 20 were also damaged. 

Local public media initially reported that it was a Ukrainian air strike. But later, representatives of the local Russian authorities admitted that the causes of the explosion were most likely domestic in nature. Only one preliminary reason was publicly stated - illegal storage of explosives. 

The Russian authorities of Sevastopol determined that more than 50 apartments on Korchagina Street needed repairs after the explosion. The amount of material damage for residents of damaged buildings is determined by the compensation commission based on the assessment of property damage. 

Officials have promised to pay compensation for damaged property in a special order, due to the state of emergency, according to the algorithm provided for payments of compensation for damage from attacks by the Defense Forces of Ukraine on military facilities in the region. 

In early April, 59.5 million rubles were allocated from the city reserve fund for one-time payments to victims on Korchagin Street. It is not known how much of this has already been paid. 

“They promised compensation and a voucher, then refused” 

The owner of an apartment in one of the damaged buildings claims that the Moscow-controlled Sevastopol authorities refused to even provide her with foil to cover the broken windows. And now they are refusing to pay compensation. 

“The windows in Katerina’s apartment were shattered, the shock wave carried away the walls and furniture. The children were inside at the time and miraculously were not injured. The officials guaranteed compensation to her family and promised to give her daughter a voucher for a camp. Two months later, Katerina found out that her child was not on the lists for a holiday at the camp. And the administration suddenly refused to pay - supposedly the family’s apartment was not that badly damaged,” writes the Russian Telegram channel “Mash on the Wave”. 

Earlier, the Russian authorities in Sevastopol promised to pay compensation to all victims regardless of whether their homes were in the emergency zone or not. 

"Now, of course, all attention is focused on three houses: number 14, number 20 and number 16 (on Korchagina Street - KR), because there is the greatest destruction there, which requires urgent work. But we have people who died as a result of various events: this explosion, and before it - from the attack, they are not divided into those who were in the emergency zone or not. There is no such division. It will not be the case that you do not live in the emergency zone, but two houses away, but something broke in your house (as a result of the emergency) - you deal with it yourself. No, of course not. The municipalities will record everything, record it, we will provide assistance to everyone," Sergei Bezdolny, director of the internal affairs department of the Russian government of Sevastopol, promised in March. 

“Not even enough to demolish” 

Sevastopol residents are also having trouble receiving payments for property damaged by Ukrainian defense forces’ attacks on Russian military facilities. According to locals, even basic reconstruction work is impossible with the proposed payments. 

In March, a viewer complained to the Russian head of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, about “drone payments” during his “direct line” on local television. He said his relatives had received compensation for an apartment building on Kotovsky Street in Sevastopol that was damaged during an attack by Ukrainian drones, presumably on the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s communications center, located on the next street. But that amount “won’t even be enough to demolish,” the viewer claimed. 

He also cited the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation as an example, where, according to him, “everything is clear” with the payments. 

Mikhail Razvozhaev explained that the payments there are federal, and in Sevastopol - regional. 

Local officials do not specify the amounts of compensation for damaged property in Sevastopol. According to public documents, in 2024 and 2025 they were calculated at the rate of 20,000 rubles per person. 

Some victims are going to court to oblige local authorities under the control of the Russian Federation to review the amounts of payments in accordance with the market value of the property. But there are problems with the implementation of court decisions. 

This year, the Russian authorities of Sevastopol allocated almost six million rubles from the city reserve fund to 116 owners of residential buildings and vehicles damaged as a result of attacks by Ukrainian armed forces on Russian military facilities. Based on this, each owner received about 51,000 rubles. 

It is not known for certain how many victims were left without compensation. Only a few have stated this publicly.