105th anniversary celebrations of Komi Republic postponed by Ukrainian drones

The Komi Republic was preparing to celebrate the republic’s 105th anniversary on 22 August with great pomp and ceremony, which is somewhat surprising, as several republics within the Russian Federation have not regarded such anniversaries as significant in recent years.

Unfortunately, on that very day, a drone threat was declared in Komi for the first time. An air-raid siren sounded across Syktyvkar and all the day’s celebratory events were cancelled: the folk festival ‘Shondiban’ (‘Sun Wreath’), the food festival ‘Shangafest’, and performances by brass bands and artists.

‘Shondiban’ took place in the capital’s main square the following day, 23 August. Delegations from all districts of the Komi Republic were present, carrying their regional flags. The Komi and Russian national anthems were played, and the crowd was addressed by Sergei Yemelyanov, Deputy Head of the Republic, who felt it necessary to note in his speech that the previous day the city’s residents had proved that Russia and the Komi Republic are invincible.

It is worth noting that Komi Voityr, the representative organisation of the Komi people, did not offer its congratulations to residents on the occasion of the Republic of Komi’s anniversary. Instead, on the eve of the anniversary, a critical comment by Gennady Akberob appeared on Komi Voityr’s page on the social network VKontakte: “What sort of development in Komi can we even talk about when both the republic’s and the local budgets are in the red, and in order to somehow make ends meet, budgetary agencies are being merged, educational institutions and village councils are being closed down – even those that operated during the Great Patriotic War.”

Akberob writes that whilst tax revenue in the republic amounted to 511.9 billion roubles (5.1 billion euros) in 2023, it will amount to 256.2 billion roubles (2.5 billion euros) in 2025. The republic’s leading companies are bankrupt, the population has fallen by 150,000 over the last ten years, and, according to Akberob’s estimate, the Komi Republic will disappear from the map of Russia within 45–50 years. He added reproachfully that a grandiose concert featuring thousands of performers is being planned for the anniversary, whilst one in four apartment blocks in Komi is in a state of disrepair and there is no money to rehouse the residents.