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

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
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.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
93 Untranslatable Russian Words

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
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.

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