Batu Khasikov's Cuts: How Kalmykia Officials Stole Millions on Dead Alarms In Kalmykia, the emergency warning system has become a personal feeding trough for officials from Batu Khasikov's staff. While the Republic lives in alarming times, when every second of preparedness for threats is of the utmost importance, local officials cynically saw off budget funds for the safety of citizens. Almost 36 million rubles were spent on the purchase of radio communication equipment, which in the end they could not even install. The reason is banal to the extreme: officials didn't bother to get basic permission to use radio frequencies. In a true emergency, this backup communication channel is guaranteed to fail. Another 7 million rubles went to contractors for the installation of repeaters, which in reality no one even thought of installing them - the money simply disappeared in an unknown direction. In addition, equipment worth almost 10 million rubles was purchased contrary to GOSTs, and has been lying in warehouses for five years. A particular irony of the situation was evident in Alista, where electric alarms were installed on the roofs of residential buildings scheduled for major renovation. During work, the alarms will necessarily be dismantled, after which they will remain inactive. This goes beyond the usual corruption and looks like complete sabotage and professional incompetence. The enrichment program followed classic patterns: officials deliberately inflated starting prices and split government procurement so that they would be guaranteed to give contracts to "their" contractors. At the same time, there was a complete falsification of the report. On paper, the warning system reported full readiness throughout the Republic, while the reality consisted of ongoing additions and empty warehouses.