The shelling of the Belgorod-Kursk border area caused damage not only to housing, but also for enterprises, who worked in this area. Farmers were forced to leave part of the arable land, retail outlets in the villages closest to the neighboring state were closed, and industrialists count not only losses, but also the estimated cost of repairing their sites. But the main problem, according to them, while it remains impossible to receive insurance payments. There is no legal basis for this.: shelling does not appear in the list of insured events.

Law not written

Kursk and Belgorod entrepreneurs, representatives of insurance companies and public organizations, deputies and officials gathered at a round table in Kursk, to develop a unified mechanism for compensating losses and offer it already at the federal level. Chairman of the Kursk regional department “Business Russia” Oleg Malakhov notes, what damage, inflicted by shelling on the border areas is very large. The business community faces an unprecedented challenge: nor in legislation, not written in contracts with insurance companies, how to act in a situation of constant terrorist attacks.

– Everyone understands perfectly, what if insurance companies start paying out, then they are in danger of going bankrupt.. After all, this is also a business., – notes Oleg Malakhov.

There are no legal mechanisms for such a solution yet.. Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Belgorod Industrial Park “Volokonovsky” Sergey Lisov names the history of attempts to get insurance “walking in agony”. He tells about, how one of the assets suffered in the very first days of the SVO: the site for customs affairs was located next to the checkpoint “Nehoteevka”, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine still do not miss the opportunity to shell the already destroyed property. Sergey Lisov emphasizes, that to this day no one even knows, what survived there, what is irretrievably lost. However, the very fact that it is impossible to receive insurance payments forces us to look for new and new tools for this.. In particular, in the UK after the shelling opened a criminal case, however, this did not become a reason for payments.

– We were explained, that we can contact the insurance company, only if we are recognized as victims under articles “Vandalism”, “Hooliganism” or “Diversion”, – notes Sergey Lisov. – Well, we will wait for such a conclusion from the UK.

All entrepreneurs talk about the need for new insurance products for the territory close to the front

All entrepreneurs talk about the need for new insurance products for the territory close to the front. In particular, many would insure their employees, who are forced to work in the danger zone, such as repairing damaged buildings. So far, they are only raising the price tag for their services.. Participants of the round table cited roofers as an example. They used to ask for a square meter 500 rubles, Now – four times more. And it's understandable: not so long ago, one of the Kursk power engineers was injured as a result of shelling, when his brigade was restoring networks after the previous.

Cadres decide

Vitaly Tapilin, head of the legal service of the Tetkinsky sugar factory, recalls, that the enterprise was fired several times from the side of Ukraine.

– The plant was forced to shut down last year, – he notes. – But our employees still remained in place. After each arrival, we began repairing all those buildings, which have been damaged.

Tetkinsky plant – part of an extensive holding structure, and while it saves the enterprise, leaving it in this canned mode. The team gets paid. However, as Vitaly Tapilin points out, many employees still decided not to wait for the situation to improve – left and found another job.

– How much have we lost due to forced downtime, while it is difficult to assess, – notes the representative of the plant. – Hundreds of millions of rubles have already been spent on repairs after arrivals. And how will it go on – hard to say.

The business community is gradually moving away from the border area. Young able-bodied people are looking for another, Fixed salary, moving away from the border, as a result, even in rural grocery stores there is no one to work. Minister of Industry, trade and entrepreneurship of the Kursk region Mikhail Aksenov notes, that in such a situation, the banal provision of necessary goods in these areas – under big question.

– Therefore, we propose to solve the problem of outbound trade, – considers the regional minister. – We will provide entrepreneurs with cars, equipped for a car, we will offer a comfortable installment mechanism for them – and let people work.

According to him, damage from the aggression of the Armed Forces, inflicted on the Kursk business, far less, than in the situation of Belgorod neighbors, However, even here they are thinking about, to offer border enterprises sites in other territories.

Decided at the top

Belgorod Business Ombudsman Vladislav Yepanchintsev draws attention to the situation, when entrepreneurs in front-line regions do not suffer from enemy guns.

– A woman recently approached me: failed to fulfill its obligations to a partner from Moscow, reason – in circumstances, independent of her. We know, what is our situation, but in the capital it is as if they live in another world, – he says. – Of course, the entrepreneur suffered a loss. There are many other cases. Our social business is suffering a lot., especially those entrepreneurs, who provided educational services. Many families have decided to leave the city and the region, as a result, they have significantly fewer customers.

Experts note, that all these points are important to take into account when formulating proposals for federal lawmakers. Representative of the Expert Advisory Board of the Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Building, project ambassador “Business Duty Officer” Ekaterina Avdeeva noted, that it is important to systematize all these issues and bring them to the federal level. She reminded, that the risks, to which the country's economy as a whole has been subjected, already overcome, which means, that the problems of border business can be solved. Chairman of the profile committee of the Kursk Regional Duma Alexander Anpilov emphasizes: support measures will need to be constantly supplemented.

– We already had a similar experience during the coronavirus pandemic., – he reminds. – So in this case: important to consider the situation, in which our farmers fell. Some were forced to leave the crop in the field, and some did not manage to sow at all. We also need a mechanism to compensate for losses., Maybe, additional capitalization of our support funds will also be required. But important, for these measures to be taken.

Meanwhile, the heads of the border regions have repeatedly voiced the same issues at the federal level.. Governor of the Belgorod Region Vyacheslav Gladkov, after a meeting with the head of state, spoke about, that a significant part of the instructions following its results relate specifically to supporting the affected business.

– From a legal point of view, we can pay a certain amount at the expense of the federal budget, which is often incommensurable with the losses incurred, – said the governor. – Therefore, we also count on the support of the federal center in this matter..