Center for Countering Disinformation explains how Kremlin prepares Russian regions for long war
The Kremlin is further reducing expenditures for the regions for a prolonged war with Ukraine (Illustrative photo: Getty Images)
Russia is not planning to abandon its military aggression against Ukraine anytime soon, despite the adverse effects on its economy. To finance the war, the Kremlin is beginning to prepare regions for a belt-tightening strategy, according to the Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) under Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council.
Experts have noted that although there has been a trend of budget cuts for regional needs in Russia since the beginning of the year, the Kremlin is only now beginning to acknowledge to the public that citizens will have to sacrifice certain interests for the prolonged war against Ukraine.
Recently, Valentina Matvienko, speaker of the Federation Council, urged governors to save money in light of President Vladimir Putin's decision to allocate a third of the state budget for the continuation of the war.
According to the Russian official, regional leaders need to focus on savings and abandon large infrastructure projects.
The issue, as highlighted by the Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD), is that the draft budget for Russia for 2025 includes a 10% reduction in financial support for regions, following a 9% cut last year.
"Funding is also being cut for problem regions in Russia that have historically served the Kremlin as a means to buy the loyalty of local elites during Putin's rule," the post states.
Experts conclude that with calls to tighten belts, Russian authorities signal to regional leaders that the cannon fodder they have provided for the war over the years is no longer sufficient.
"Resources that could have been used to build roads, schools, and hospitals will also be diverted to the war," the Center adds.
The budget for Russia in 2024 saw a significant increase in federal spending (totaling $412.5 billion with a budget deficit of $9.5 billion), highlighting a record level of defense expenditures.
Earlier reports indicated that, according to experts, the Kremlin aims to recruit at least 225,000 contract soldiers into the Russian army annually, with such plans set for the next three years.
The draft budget expenditures for Russia from 2025 to 2027 show that the Kremlin has allocated 90 billion rubles for one-time payments for contracts with the Ministry of Defense - 30 billion rubles each year.
Additionally, as recently stated by Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, Major General, it is expected that Russia will face financial and economic difficulties and shortfalls in its military next year.
