(MOSCOW) – The prolonged war against Ukraine is placing growing strain on Russia’s economy, triggering rising public discontent and an increasing number of local protests across regions traditionally considered loyal to the Kremlin.
After nearly four years of war, economic pressure is beginning to affect public mood, with citizens openly complaining about higher taxes, shrinking social spending and rising prices. While protests remain small and fragmented, their frequency has increased steadily through 2025.
Many actions are spontaneous and local, sparked by everyday grievances rather than organised political opposition. Residents have protested over poor infrastructure, lack of basic services, unpaid wages and rising taxes, reflecting widening pressure on household finances.
In several regions, citizens have issued video appeals to the authorities asking for basic services. In the Nizhny Novgorod region, residents requested fixed broadband internet access. In the Irkutsk region, parents demanded completion of a long promised school. Regional officials acknowledged that funding had been frozen, citing the worst budget crisis in 25 years and the suspension of most social projects.
Officials in Irkutsk region said openly that there was no money available, a statement echoed by lawmakers who have linked stalled housing and social programmes directly to war spending. A deputy from Zabaykalsky region said the resettlement programme for unsafe housing had effectively stopped because of the conflict.
Economic strain has also triggered creative forms of protest. In villages near Yaroslavl, residents sang traditional folk songs demanding road repairs, gas supply and mobile coverage after repeated promises were broken.
Tax increases have become a key source of anger. In 2025, Russia raised value added tax on a range of goods and sharply increased recycling fees on imported vehicles. For an average family car, the fee now ranges from 800,000 roubles to 4 million roubles, or about 10,460 to 52,270 dollars, compared with much lower charges before the war.
Small and medium sized businesses have also been hit. Under new legislation, simplified taxation will be removed for companies with annual turnover above 20 million roubles, about 261,000 dollars, down from the current threshold of 60 million roubles, or about 784,000 dollars. From 2027, value added tax will apply to businesses with turnover above 15 million roubles, about 196,000 dollars, and from 2028 the threshold will fall to 10 million roubles, or about 131,000 dollars.
These measures have prompted protests by entrepreneurs in Irkutsk, described by local observers as the largest business protest in several years. Despite official attempts to disrupt the rally, demonstrators gathered to oppose rising taxes while some simultaneously expressed loyalty to the Kremlin and support for the war, highlighting contradictions in public attitudes.
Labour unrest has also increased. Workers at industrial plants in Primorsky region, Ulyanovsk region and Nizhny Tagil staged strikes over unpaid wages, with some employers paying arrears only after public pressure. Large manufacturers have avoided mass layoffs but have reduced working weeks to limit unrest.
Taxi drivers across Russia held a one day strike over falling incomes, citing higher fuel prices, rental costs and inflation. Medical students have protested a new law requiring graduates to work up to three years in state hospitals or repay double the cost of their education, a measure authorities say is needed to address staff shortages worsened by the war.
Discontent has also grown among displaced residents from Kursk region, where authorities cancelled monthly payments of 65,000 roubles, about 850 dollars, despite earlier promises to maintain support until people could return home. Many say their homes remain uninhabitable and security conditions unsafe.
While large scale nationwide protests appear unlikely, analysts say the steady spread of local unrest reflects mounting economic pressure inside Russia as the war continues to drain resources and shift the burden onto ordinary citizens.
