The Russian authorities plan to increase war-related expenditures by an additional 4-5 trillion rubles (54.5-68.1 billion dollars - ed) this year.
Modern.az reports that "Bloomberg" published this information, citing anonymous sources.
According to the information, this is approximately 40 percent more than the amount foreseen in the current budget. The Kremlin intends to secure additional funds mainly through borrowing from the domestic market. According to the agency's interlocutors, it is about new borrowing in the amount of 2-3 trillion rubles (between 27.2 billion and 40.9 billion - ed).
Experts note that the current budget of Russia already includes 4 trillion rubles for servicing the existing domestic debt. This is approximately 9 percent of the federal budget and is considered the fifth largest expenditure item after defense, national security, social policy, and economy.
According to Bloomberg, avoiding additional borrowing seems impossible. In the first five months of 2026, Russia's budget deficit reached 6 trillion rubles, which is equivalent to 2.6 percent of GDP. This indicator exceeded the target set for the end of the year by approximately 60 percent.
The agency also wrote at the beginning of June that representatives of the Russian Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank warned President Vladimir Putin that current defense expenditures were leading to a dangerous increase in the budget deficit.
However, according to Bloomberg's sources, Putin instructed the Ministry of Finance to explore possibilities for reducing expenditures in other areas, while requesting that defense expenditures remain untouched.
On June 10, the Russian State Duma approved amendments to the Budget Code. The amendments empower the government to both increase expenditures and expand public debt by exceeding the limits set in the budget law.
Andrey Makarov, chairman of the Duma's Budget and Taxes Committee, stated when presenting the bill that "there is an urgent need for the adoption of this law."
