cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/44689755

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According to a report by Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, a significant portion of these expenditures is hidden: 59% of the military budget is undisclosed. During the first three quarters of 2025, spending under “open” budget items amounted to RUB 4.816 trillion, while “closed” items totaled RUB 7.038 trillion. On a year-on-year basis, the classified portion of expenditures increased by 39%.

“The Kremlin is shifting the burden of financing the war onto the population through new taxes and rising prices. Under conditions where any anti-war criticism is punished as ‘treason’, space for public discontent has virtually disappeared. As a result, from 2022 to 2025 prices for Russians rose continuously,” the intelligence service noted.

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Fuel prices increased by 29–35%, and this trend is expected to continue in 2026. Real estate prices in Russia rose by 50% between 2022 and 2025; in 2026, a further increase of 6–7% is expected, while in Moscow specifically prices may rise by up to 20%.

The most sensitive increase has been in food prices: dairy products rose by 62%, and meat by 41%. Forecasts for 2026 predict further price increases of tens of percent.

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[Edit typo.]