Reuters reported the new parameters of the budget draft, and “Important Stories” summarized the materials for it: for the “national defense” item, 17.1 trillion rubles are budgeted for 2027 versus 13.5 trillion in the current version, which means growth of 32.2%.
For 2028, 16.6 trillion rubles are planned for the same item instead of 13 trillion. In the Finance Ministry’s statement when submitting the budget package for the government’s review, it was said that these resources would make it possible to supply the armed forces with weapons and military equipment, modernize defense industry enterprises, pay military personnel’s salaries, and support their families.
The Ministry of Economic Development, in turn, forecasts a slowdown in production in the military-industrial complex over the next three years. Production of electronics and optics, which grew by 12.9% in 2025, should then rise by no more than 5% per year, while output of transport vehicles, including UAVs, is estimated at 33.9% in 2025, 22.4% in 2026, and 14.4% next year.
In the budget draft, the main macro indicators have also worsened. The deficit this year, according to the Finance Ministry’s forecast, will amount to 7.3 trillion rubles instead of 3.8 trillion, or 3.2% of GDP; oil and gas revenues are expected at 7.6 trillion instead of 8.9 trillion; and budget expenditures will rise to 48.6 trillion rubles.
Public debt next year, according to the same data, will rise to 21.7% of GDP, which is 1.8 percentage points higher, while domestic borrowing will also increase. According to calculations by the Cursor analytical center, the cuts affected eight of the 11 key federal medical projects.
Funding for the construction and renovation of outpatient clinics in the regions was reduced by 52% — to 59.1 billion rubles instead of 122.47 billion. Spending on medicines for cancer patients and equipment for oncology dispensaries was cut by more than two-thirds: from almost 148.5 billion to 44.9 billion.
The creation of national medical centers was cut by 38%, the development of emergency medical services by almost a third, and medical rehabilitation by a quarter. The only area that increased noticeably was the creation of the digital “Health” database: 35% more was allocated to it so that military enlistment offices could receive the medical documents of any citizen.
Sources
