Russia to abolish electricity benefits to extort money for war - CPD
Kyiv • UNN
The Russian authorities are preparing a reform of electricity tariffs, which will lead to price increases for the population. This will save 160 billion rubles at the expense of vulnerable segments of the population.
The Russian authorities are preparing a large-scale reform of electricity tariffs, which will effectively mean another price increase for the population. This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (CPD), informs UNN.
Details
They believe that the main goal of this "reform" is to reduce the volume of state subsidies in order to free up more funds for the needs of the war.
Currently, the state compensates for understated tariffs for citizens at the expense of industry, small businesses, and budgetary institutions. The new rules provide for the abolition of preferential coefficients, limiting social norms for electricity consumption, and reducing the number of categories eligible for a discount.
According to analysts, the Russian authorities expect that these changes will save 160 billion rubles (approximately $2 billion), but the savings will come at the expense of vulnerable segments of the population - low-income families, pensioners, and rural residents.
"The Kremlin has been cutting social programs for the sake of war for a long time: funding for medicine, education, and social benefits has been cut, and now preferential electricity tariffs will fall under this roller. The Russian authorities are once again forcing citizens to pay for the war out of their own pockets," the CPD summarizes.
Recall
The Russian government approved the draft federal budget for 2026–2028 with a record deficit of $54.6 billion. The Russian Ministry of Finance proposes to increase VAT to 22% and lower the threshold for the "simplified system" to cover the lack of resources.