‘Put Masha in charge!’

Since an angry meeting between displaced Korenevo district residents and Kursk region Governor Alexey Smirnov on 14 November at which the current district head, Marina Degtyaryova, was publicly booed for what is widely seen as the botched official response to the Ukrainian military incursion, calls have been made for her to resign.

Beautician and teacher Maria Skrob, who has become well known for her work evacuating locals trapped in the combat zone with the help of a small group of volunteers, delivered a fiery speech at the meeting in which she blamed Degtyaryova for the deaths of dozens of people.

Her fearless demand for administrators to be held to account for their failure to respond to the humanitarian situation proved immensely popular with the crowd, which promptly began to call for her to be appointed the new district head, even though Skrob has made clear that she has no political ambitions. Novaya Gazeta Europe spoke to Skrob her about her work and asked her for her thoughts on the current challenges facing displaced Kursk region residents.

NGE: What request did you make of Kursk region Governor Alexey Smirnov?

MS: First, to consider dismissing Marina Degtyaryova as head of the Korenevo district, and to answer the questions we asked at the meeting about aid payments and providing refugees with housing. We’d like to hear something tangible and we want it in writing. I know it’s unrealistic to get everything done quickly, but they should be discussed, at least.

NGE: The district heads aren’t having an easy time of things. Sudzha district head Alexander Bogachev resigned after the meeting, and now Degtyaryova’s job is on the line. Who’s next?

MS: I don’t know. I can’t say anything about anywhere else. I’ve temporarily unsubscribed from all social media. I don’t even know anything about the Sudzha district and how the evacuation there went. We set out our demands to the head of our district in our appeal to the governor. But, as far as I know, it seems there’s no interest in dismissing any more district heads.

NGE: Can a district or village council head really do anything in a time of war? How much power do they have?

MS: I don’t know about their power, but they could have done the decent thing and organised an evacuation, got people out, or at least helped organise it. Lawyers are already preparing a statement for the prosecutor and investigators. They can assess Degtyaryova’s work. I merely represent the people and how outraged they are.

NGE: Do you want to see her in prison or face a fine?

MS: No, I didn’t even want to see her removed from office originally. But things happened the way they did. People began making their voices heard, and we had to ask the governor to suspend her because people don’t want to go back to a district under her control. That’s all there is to it. I want a legal assessment of her action and inaction.

NGE: You’re not a soldier or politician, so why did you decide to go to the combat zone and help evacuate people?

MS: My parents were there. My parents lived in an area that was occupied, and I later found their dead bodies. There’s a big group of us — 26 people, with 10 administrators, including me. We worked solely on coordinating our efforts for a whole month. Our drivers evacuated people who were on our lists, so there was no time wasted going to empty houses. After a month, I started going with them, but in pretty safe areas.

NGE: Have there been cases where there’s no one to evacuate?

MS: Yes, there have been cases where we’ve found bodies. Sometimes people have managed to get out before we arrive, but unfortunately that’s rare.

NGE: Who is still there under fire?

MS: Mostly old people who are too afraid to leave their homes. People with children and younger people have mostly left. People in occupied areas couldn’t just leave, of course, whether or not they had children. There are 40 people still trapped in the Korenevo district.

NGE: How do people survive under occupation?

MS: These are country areas. As a rule, they have their own supplies and preserves and attempt to get by on them. It’s still dangerous in the areas Russian forces have retaken, but they get them supplies, share food with them. No one has died of hunger yet, let’s put it that way. They have vegetables and some canned food.

NGE: Tell me about the work you do with the people who have managed to leave. What are they trying to get from the authorities now?

MS: Three compensation payments have been made and they’ve begun issuing housing certificates. Our group [of volunteers] alone has evacuated about 700 people. Many live in temporary accommodation, some rent an apartment, some live with relatives. I don’t know how many are in temporary accommodation, but it’s a lot, and for the most part they’re content because they get food, clothes, help with payments and paperwork.

NGE: Don’t they feel abandoned?

MS: Some people are always going to be dissatisfied, but then how can we expect someone to be happy when they’ve had their home, property and native soil taken from them? People have expressed their indignation, incomprehension and frustration, but now things seem to be getting better. People are starting to understand what to do next. They understand that they’ll get a land certificate [which they’ll be able to use in exchange] for land elsewhere in the Kursk region so they won’t lose the land they lived on. That’s a huge plus. They’ll eventually be able to rebuild on this new land. My house has been flattened, but I didn’t apply for a certificate because I wanted to hang on to that land.

NGE: Judging by the meeting, there are a lot of unhappy people. Do they blame the district heads, the governor, or the federal government?

MS: You’re asking a political question (she laughs). I can’t answer. I didn’t see discontent. I just witnessed and expressed my own dissatisfaction at the work done by the head of the district when it came to evacuation. Other people just asked questions and got satisfactory answers. Somebody asked about the certificates, and they received an answer. Somebody asked a question about land, and got an answer that everyone was pleased with. So we’re waiting. I don’t see the point of inflaming the situation at all.

NGE: What do you plan to do next?

MS: I want to complete the evacuation and the help I’m giving the district. Hopefully we’ll get a decent district head who’ll be devoted to the people. At that point I’ll go back to my work and life.

NGE: People have nominated you for the post. Can you be called a popular leader?

MS: It’s just that people have got used to us volunteers over the past few months. We have a group chat on Telegram with over 4,500 people, which is a lot for the area. People have got used to waking up to my “good morning” and going to bed with my “good night”. During the day, I give them all the information on the situation in the area, which has always been verified. I tell them every day where it’s unsafe to go. Our team answers whatever questions we’re asked. People have got used to hearing my voice and listening to me, which is probably why some people have started saying things like: “Put Masha in charge!” I’m categorically against it, though. I’m not tempted.

NGE: Why?

MS: It would cause a backlash from the authorities, including from Marina Degtyaryova. She sees me as an opponent, which is why she has such a strange attitude towards me. She thinks I’m trying to take her place, but I’m not. I’m not interested. I have two jobs as it is — I work in a beauty salon and I also teach. That keeps me happy and pays the bills, so I don’t need another job.