(KYIV) – Reports from within the Russian Federation indicate that a deepening fiscal crisis is sparking a wave of regional protests as public sector workers go months without pay. The Russian dictator, Vladimir Putin, continues to prioritise military expenditure, reportedly allocating 40% of the federal budget to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, while domestic infrastructure and social services face total collapse.
Since late 2025, several federal subjects, including Tuva, Komi, Khakasia, and Arkhangelsk, have been unable to pay salaries to staff in hospitals and schools. In Tuva, bus drivers recently initiated a strike over 11 million roubles (£90,500 or $118,500) in unpaid wages. Despite the disruption to thousands of residents who lack private transport, local authorities have reportedly only offered 2.5 million roubles (£20,500 or $27,000) toward the debt.
The Kremlin’s decision to block the Telegram messaging service is widely viewed as a desperate attempt to stifle civil organisation. This follows a nationwide taxi driver protest in the summer of 2025, which was coordinated via the platform. That protest was driven by a severe fuel crisis resulting from Ukrainian drone strikes on refineries and a collapse in local purchasing power. Reports suggest basic goods, such as cucumbers, have become prohibitively expensive for ordinary citizens.
In the Republic of Komi, the speaker of the regional council has openly criticised the Kremlin’s policy of siphoning regional wealth to fund Moscow’s war. For the first time, the “administrative resource”—state employees typically coerced into supporting the regime—faced a Christmas and New Year period without pay. Similarly, in the Siberian region of Khakasia, the once lucrative coal industry has collapsed, leaving a 5 billion rouble (£41 million or $53.8 million) hole in the regional budget.
The national outlook remains bleak:
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The Russian federal budget currently faces an 8 trillion rouble (£65.8 billion or $86.2 billion) deficit.
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Income in resource rich regions has fallen sevenfold due to logistical failures and sanctions.
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Major state entities, including Russian Railroads and Lukoil, are reportedly on the brink of insolvency.
Analysts observe that while the Russian populace remains largely indifferent to war crimes committed in Ukraine, the depletion of personal savings and empty pockets are driving unprecedented dissent. In 2025, every one of Russia’s 83 federal subjects recorded at least one protest related to economic mismanagement, inflation, or tax increases.
As traditional industries like metallurgy and construction die out, the prospect of a fragmented and demilitarised Russian Federation becomes increasingly likely.
More and more people in russian regions go out on protest against the kremlin, all because millions stopped getting their officially earned salaries in Tuva, Komi, Khakasia and many more. The federal and regional budgets are empty, while putin keeps destroying russia from inside.
