Utility bills, bread prices increase in occupied Kherson Region after so-called "elections" – expert

Utility bills have risen and bread prices have increased in the temporarily occupied Kherson region following the so-called “elections.” Ukrinform reports this, citing Serhii Danylov, deputy director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies in a Facebook post. “The special electronic operation is over, and utility tariffs in the occupied Kherson region were immediately raised, while bread prices have already risen twice,” Danylov wrote. The IPC-South outlet also reported an increase in utility tariffs in the temporarily occupied territories: Russian authorities have raised tariffs for electricity, gas, water and garbage collection for residents of the left-bank part of Kherson region. According to the report, just over a week after the end of the “elections” to the Russian State Duma, residents of the occupied parts of Kherson region have already felt the “improvements.” The Russians waited until the voting ended and immediately raised utility tariffs for residents of the region. The biggest increase was in the fee for garbage collection, which rose by nearly 40%. The electricity tariff, meanwhile, will increase by one-third. In particular, the electricity tariff will rise by 32%, from 2.78 to 3.67 rubles per kWh. The gas tariff will increase by 20%, from 4.87 to 5.86 rubles per cubic meter. Water supply charges will also rise by 23.5%, from 39.88 to 49.25 rubles per cubic meter, while wastewater charges will increase by 32.8%, from 22.38 to 29.73 rubles per cubic meter. The new tariffs will take effect on October 1, 2026, and remain in force until January 1, 2027. The outlet notes the irony that in April 2023, Russian authorities claimed that “communism” had arrived in the left-bank part of Kherson region. Residents of the region were allegedly completely exempt from paying utility bills. The “communism” did not last long, however, and tariffs gradually began to rise. The previous increase was recorded a year ago. Read also: Russian forces hold about 2,000 people in Oleshky without food or water, nearly 50 of them children As previously reported by Ukrinform, during the so-called “elections” to the Russian State Duma in the temporarily occupied territories, local residents were subjected to pressure to publicly demonstrate loyalty to the Russian occupation regime.