The Russian Cabinet is planning to allocate over 661 million rubles (some $19 million) to create more jobs in the southern Crimean peninsula on the Black Sea, according to a decree published Monday on its official website.
“These measures will help 19,300 people in the city of Sevastopol and across Crimea find jobs in 2014 and reduce tension in the labor market of these Russian federal subjects in the interim period,” it said in a footnote to the decree.
The document was drafted by the Russian Labor Ministry. It authorizes the Russian government to allocate funds for professional training of employees at risk of redundancy, to create temporary jobs, pay for traineeships in organizations outside Crimea and stimulate entrepreneurship on the peninsula.
Crimea, previously an autonomous republic within Ukraine, refused to recognize the legitimacy of the coup-imposed government in Kiev that came to power following the February overthrow of President Viktor Yanukovych.
It held a referendum which saw over 96 percent of voters in the region back the motion to leave Ukraine for Russia. On March 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law on Crimea’s reunification with Russia and on the formation of two federal subjects – the Republic of Crimea and a city of federal significance, Sevastopol.
