March 29, 2023

No Money, Only War


No Money, Only War
Russian tanks abandoned by the Russian army in the retreat from Izyum. Ukrinform TV, Wikimedia Commons

Verstka journalists analyzed court decisions in different regions of Russia and found out that civil and military authorities have been blaming disruption of infrastructural and social projects on the "special military operation" (as Russian authorities call the war in Ukraine). In particular, financial problems have arisen in the Zabaykalsky Krai, Primorsky Krai, and Chukotka. 

According to Verstka:

  • In Zabaykalsky Krai there is not enough money to create a cattle burial site in the wake of an anthrax outbreak, nor for the purchase of crematory furnaces for two dozen rural settlements.
  • In Chukotka, the Ministry of Defense did not have enough money to equip the administrative building of the military commissariat with an automatic fire alarm.
  • In Primorsky Krai, a fire alarm system was supposed to be installed in a metal storage building, but the Ministry of Defense said that they could not do the work because of the "special military operation."

The lack of funds has also hit social projects. Authorities in Zabaykalsky Krai could not find funds for the overhaul of a local kindergarten building. Officials blamed the lack of money on the war and mobilization: "In 2022, the district budget was charged with providing support to close relatives of mobilized citizens, because of the special military operation in Ukraine."

This is not the first evidence that the war in Ukraine and sanctions have had a negative impact on the Russian economy. Earlier this year, authorities significantly reduced funding for the development of artificial intelligence technologies.

In addition, the expected deficit of the Russian budget will reach 3% this year, the Russian middle class (about 30% of the population) saw their real income drop 5%, and, for the Russian population as a whole, the drop in income has been 2.2%.

 

You Might Also Like

While Supplies Last
  • December 20, 2022

While Supplies Last

Prices for Moscow real estate, usually a hot market, are down a record 35 percent.
Russians Getting a Raise?
  • December 08, 2022

Russians Getting a Raise?

In a November 30 speech, President Vladimir Putin said the next big challenge for his government will be raising the economic well-being of Russians.
The New Military Economy
  • October 23, 2022

The New Military Economy

Two days after declaring martial law in four Ukrainian regions, Vladimir Putin quietly put the Russian economy on a military footing.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955