Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
It’s unclear, if it’s because they expect the war in Ukraine to drag on, or they are preparing for a larger conflict.
The State Duma in Russia has passed the three-year federal budget, including a package of tax increases, and now the budget has been signed by Vladimir Putin.
According to The Moscow Times, the budget allocates 38% of all federal spending in 2026 to defense and national security, equal to $491 billion.
The amount is lower than the previous two years, but far more than what was allocated before the war in Ukraine started.
According to a chart posted on Telegram by The Moscow Times, the allocated budget for defese and national security in 2021 was roughly 24% and 26% in 2022.
Comparing it to the Ukrainian
Earlier this week, the Ukrainian government apporved the state budget for 2026 as well, and it is clearly the budget of a nation at war.
According to Reuters, almost 60% of the nations spending will be allocated to defence, if you include salaries for soldiers and weapons purchases.
But considering the vast differences in the Russian and Ukrainian total budgets, the Russians are actually allocated far more money to defense than Ukraine.
By the numbers
As mentioned, the Russian budget for 2026 allocates $491 billion for defense and national security.
Ukraine is expecting roughly $114.5 billion in total state spending in 2026. 60% of that is roughly $68 billion.
This means that Russia is allocating more than seven times as much as Ukraine for defense in 2026.
Russian citizens starting to pay
The Russian state budget also includes several changes to the Russian tax system.
For example, the State Duma has approved an increase in Value-added taxes (VAT) from 20% to 22%.
According to RBC-Ukraine, the Russian budget allocates $142 billion for social programs – far less than the amount set aside for defense and national security.
Sources: The Moscow Times, Reuters, RBC-Ukraine, HotNews
