The republic of Tatarstan has announced Russia’s first subsidies for young couples who hold traditional wedding ceremonies, regional officials said Wednesday.
Starting this summer, newlyweds can receive between 50,000 rubles ($565) and 100,000 rubles ($1,130) if their ceremony incorporates elements of Tatar culture.
“There’s nothing like this [in Russia],” Sofia Galiyeva-Mustafina, Tatarstan’s first deputy minister for youth affairs, told the Tatar Inform news outlet.
Couples will qualify for subsidies if they wear national costumes, invite folklore ensembles to perform or incorporate “any other national style options,” she said.
Tatarstan, home to Russia’s second-largest ethnic group, has seen its autonomy steadily eroded as the Kremlin has centralized power.
In 2017, the region was forced to abandon mandatory teaching of its second official language, Tatar, in schools. In 2022, Tatarstan became the last region in Russia to lose the title of “president” for its regional executive.
Tatarstan voted to secede from Russia in 1992 but remained within the Russian Federation under a power-sharing treaty with Moscow.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
