Salary delays amid "military" economic growth: tens of thousands of families in Russia remain without income - intelligence
Kyiv • UNN
The number of citizens' appeals regarding violations of labor rights in Russia exceeded 70,000, which is 50% more than last year. Wage arrears reached 2.2 billion rubles, which is the highest level since August 2020.
At the end of the year, the Russian economy shows signs of systemic tension, reflected in a sharp increase in citizens' complaints about labor rights violations. This was reported by the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine (FIS), informs UNN.
Details
It is noted that, according to Rostrud, the number of appeals by early December exceeded 70,000, which is one and a half times more than last year, with the largest increase recorded in the category of complaints about salary delays – over 26,000 cases, which is 60% more than a year ago. At the same time, the number of applications for illegal dismissals increased by 33%.
Wage arrears became one of the key trends of the year. By the end of October, total debts reached 2.2 billion rubles, increasing by almost 11% in a month. Compared to the same period in 2024, the indicator tripled, reaching its maximum level since August 2020.
It is indicated that, despite official Rosstat reports on economic growth, its structure indicates a critical dependence on the military-industrial complex: thus, two-thirds of this year's GDP growth was provided by the defense production sector, which operates in a three-shift mode. In the third quarter, out of 0.6% economic growth, 0.4 percentage points were accounted for by "public administration and security." The share of the military-industrial complex in the new GDP almost tripled compared to last year: then it provided only 1 point out of 4.3% growth.
At the same time, corporate profits for the three quarters of 2025 decreased by 7.7%. This increases the risks of untimely salary payments, which entails an increase in credit debt, problems in the banking sector, and the threat of a larger economic crisis. As of December 1, the amount of unpaid installments for new buildings reached 1.5 trillion rubles, which is 17% of the concluded contracts.
They add that such dynamics emphasize that the formal GDP growth in Russia is increasingly based on military spending, while socio-economic indicators show a deepening crisis.
Recall
According to the FIS, Russia's military expenditures for the 9 months of 2025 reached 11.8 trillion rubles, which is four times more than in 2021. The war costs 43.4 billion rubles per day, absorbing 44% of federal taxes.