The government will entirely fund this year's pro-Kremlin youth camp near Lake Seliger after sponsors refused to fund the event, the camp's director said.
"In the past, sponsors and partners have helped compensate our costs," camp director Alexei Volokhov told Kommersant-FM radio. "This year, we have partners, but they aren't giving money. They are giving their goods. It just so happened that no one gave any money."
Sergei Belokonev, newly installed head of the Federal Youth Agency, said earlier that 280 million rubles ($8.64 million) would be spent on this year's summer camp and that 60,000 people would attend. The budget allocated 200 million rubles to the camp in 2011.
The camp is scheduled to run in four sessions from July 1 to Aug. 2.
(MT)