Monika Haukanõmm (Center), who was until recently district elder (Vanavallem) for the Kesklinn area of Tallinn signed into being the €6,600 bonus issued to Nikita Groznov, in recognition of work he had done in, for instance organizing Valentine's Day and Shrove Tuesday events.

Haukanõmm said the bonus, granted to Groznov, was in accordance with the city's salary guidelines.

These can be up to 20 percent of the annual salary, she said, adding: "It has been a City of Tallinn best practice that when people leave their job having served the city well, they are paid a performance bonus or compensation, along with their final paycheck."

"This has been the practice over the years and it is recognition of the fact that the person has carried out very good work."

Shortly before 11 a.m. on Friday, Tallinn Kesklinn District Elder Monika Haukanõmm signed an order dismissing Nikita Groznov as her deputy. A little over an hour later, Haukanõmm signed another order granting Groznov a €6,600 bonus.

This was only hours after Reform Party lead negotiator Pärtel-Peeter Pere had said that the coalition agreement between his party and the Social Democrats, Isamaa and Eesti 200, was nearly finalized; the coalition became a reality on Sunday.

Haukanõmm has now stepped down as district elder.

The order she signed recognized Groznov's significant contributions to organizing events for city residents including New Year's Eve, Valentine's Day, and Shrove Tuesday festivities.

His work on projects supporting the health and well-being of district government employees was also noted.

"He contributed much more to all these things than just organization. He was substantively present, organizing, and did much more than he should have done," Haukanõmm said.

Groznov, a former rescue brigade chief in the Assaku and Nõmme districts of the capital, became Haukanõmm's deputy in the spring of 2022, having previously been deputy district elder of Nõmme. Around the same time, he reportedly joined the Center Party.

Tallinn city government is subdivided into eight districts, presided over by a district elder.

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