Russia's Finance Ministry seeks to freeze 2.9 trillion rubles in non-military spending

Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov has asked the government to cut all non-military budget expenditures for 2026 by 2.9 trillion rubles. The request was sent to the Russian government in February, according to the Financial Times.

Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov sent a letter to the Russian government in February requesting a freeze on all budget spending categories for 2026 — except military expenditure — amounting to 2.9 trillion rubles, the Financial Times has reported.

The move signals growing strain on Russia's public finances as the Kremlin continues to prioritise defence spending while the broader war in Ukraine drags on. Military and security budgets have been largely exempted from any proposed cuts, underscoring Moscow's commitment to sustaining its war effort at the expense of civilian programmes.

The proposed freeze would affect a wide range of government departments and social programmes. Such a large-scale reduction in non-defence spending could have significant consequences for public services across Russia, including healthcare, education, and infrastructure investment.

Russia's federal budget has been under mounting pressure due to a combination of Western sanctions, fluctuating oil revenues, and the enormous financial cost of the ongoing war. Analysts have noted that Moscow has repeatedly restructured its fiscal priorities since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, consistently elevating defence allocations while seeking savings elsewhere.