The budget deficit has reached a record level, putting the country's economy in an extremely difficult situation.
During the three-year full-scale invasion, Russia spent more than $200 billion on the war and lost at least 700,000 troops.
This was announced by former Pentagon Chairman Lloyd Austin during Ronald Reagan's National Security Forum.
According to him, Russia's losses in the first year of the war exceeded all its military conflicts since World War II.
As a result, Russia's key economic indicators have deteriorated significantly, according to the US Department of Defense.
GDP . The Central Bank of Russia forecasts growth of 2% for 2026, but the IMF and World Bank expect only 1.2% and 1.1%, respectively.
Inflation. The official forecast of the Russian Central Bank at the end of 2024 was 8-8.5%, but real inflation, according to experts, reached 18-19%. Some economists suggest that the actual inflation rate could reach 30-35%.
Key rate. Since November 2024, the Russian Central Bank has set it at 21%, which is one of the highest rates in the country's modern history.
Over the three years of war, the Russian budget deficit amounted to 10 trillion rubles, reported economist Oleg Getman. In 2022 and 2023, the deficit amounted to 3 trillion rubles annually. And in 2024, this figure increased to 3.7 trillion rubles.
Let us recall that the Kremlin has introduced a policy aimed at increasing defense spending, while Russian society is experiencing problems with a labor shortage.