Rockets instead of salaries: war leaves Russians without money - CPD
Kyiv • UNN
According to "Rosstat", salary arrears in the Russian Federation for 2025 increased 2.3 times, reaching a 9-year record. More than 14.7 thousand Russians did not receive over 2 billion rubles, which indicates economic exhaustion due to the war.
The war unleashed by the Kremlin against Ukraine is increasingly hitting Russia itself – primarily ordinary people. This is reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (CCD), informs UNN.
Details
It is noted that, according to "Rosstat", wage arrears in the Russian Federation, even among "state employees", increased by 2.3 times in 2025 and became a record for the last 9 years. At the same time, more than 14.7 thousand Russians did not receive their earned money at the end of the year: in monetary terms, this is more than 2 billion rubles (about $26 million), and the growth rate of arrears is unprecedented in two decades.
The key reason is economic exhaustion due to the war. Businesses are suffocating: the economy is slowing down, loans have become inaccessible due to the high interest rate of the central bank, and the state is directing all resources not to development, but to continuing the war
They add that the war is killing the Russian economy and the well-being of Russians.
"While the Kremlin talks about 'greatness' and 'geopolitics,' people are left without salaries, stability, and a future. And this is just the beginning of the price that Russian society is paying for aggression. As long as the war continues, the crisis will only deepen," the CCD predicts.
Recall
According to the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, the Russian banking system in 2025 lost key signs of stability, despite the regulator's reassuring rhetoric. The net profit of banks decreased by 8% compared to 2024 and amounted to $45 billion, while the return on equity fell to 18%.