The federal budget of the Russian Federation faced serious pressure in the first half of 2025. According to official data from the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation, the state budget deficit during this period amounted to 3.7 trillion rubles (approximately 47 billion dollars), which is 1.7% of the country’s gross domestic product. Compared to the same period last year, the deficit increased fivefold. In June alone, the federal budget deficit grew by an additional 300 billion rubles. Thus, in just the first six months of the year, the budget deficit nearly reached the annual plan set at 3.8 trillion rubles or 1.7% of GDP.
This is reported by Finway
Growing Problems in Civil Sectors of the Economy
The head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, Anton Alikhanov, acknowledged that an increasing number of sectors in the civil economy are facing financial difficulties and require state support. However, according to him, the budget resources, which are increasingly directed towards military expenditures, do not allow for meeting all needs.
“The growing problems in the civil part of Russia’s economy require the authorities to support an increasing number of industries, but the budget overloaded with military expenditures is insufficient for this,” noted Alikhanov.
Among the most vulnerable sectors in need of support, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak mentioned construction, transport engineering, the automotive industry, the coal sector, transport, and agriculture. Anton Alikhanov added to this list related sectors such as metallurgy, the forestry industry, the production of building materials, and furniture.
Limited Opportunities for Funding Support
Against the backdrop of a growing budget deficit, the Russian government established a special subcommittee at the end of May, tasked with distributing state support among companies and sectors of the economy. The main objective of this subcommittee is strict control over the allocation of funds and minimizing the volume of financial assistance, indicating the limited capabilities of the budget even for critically important sectors.