According to the calculations of its experts, in next year’s budget these expenses will amount to only a quarter (25.1%) of expenses.
This will be the lowest level since at least 2011, The Moscow Times noted, based on data from the Russian Ministry of Finance.
Before the full-scale war that the occupying country started against Ukraine, the Russian Federation spent almost 40% of the budget on these purposes. However, in 2023 this share dropped to 32%, in 2024 – to 30%, and in 2025 – to 25.4%.
As the media pointed out, civil and social expenditures of the Russian budget are being replaced by “gigantic expenses” on the army and other security forces.
Context
On June 20, illegitimate Russian President Vladimir Putin said he believed rumors about the decline of the Russian economy were too exaggerated. He said that the Russian Federation “paid with inflation for the need for military spending,” but is fighting it. He also added that the Russian Federation could supposedly reduce military spending starting next year, recognizing that the current burden on the country’s economy is excessive.
On July 26, Bloomberg reported that the Russian economy, which has long shown stability despite international sanctions, is “showing more and more cracks” worth $2 trillion. The head of the Central Bank, Elvira Nabiullina, stated that concerns about banks’ capital are “completely unfounded”; Sberbank CEO German Gref admitted in June that the quality of the loan portfolio is deteriorating, companies are increasingly forced to restructure debts.
At the end of August, Putin was informed of a sharp deterioration in forecasts for the Russian economy – they predicted a slowdown in GDP growth to 1.5% in 2025. In mid-September, Putin reprimanded officials due to the slowdown in the Russian economy. Its growth rate has dropped to almost zero.
There are clear signs in Russia that it can no longer bear the costs of the war against Ukraine, the publication “Important Stories” wrote on October 2.
