Russia faces record wage payment arrears – CCD

According to Ukrinform, the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine stated this on Facebook.

"The war unleashed by the Kremlin against Ukraine is increasingly hitting Russia itself, first and foremost ordinary people," the CCD noted.

Rosstat reported that wage arrears in Russia, even among public-sector employees, increased 2.3 times in 2025 and became the highest in the last nine years.

More than 14,700 Russians had not received their earned wages by the end of the year. In monetary terms, this amounts to more than RUB 2 billion (about $26 million).

"The pace of growth of wage arrears is unprecedented over the past two decades," the CCD emphasized.

"The key reason is economic exhaustion due to the war. Businesses are suffocating: the economy is slowing down, loans have become inaccessible because of the central bank's high interest rate, and the state is directing all resources not toward development but toward continuing the war," the CCD explained.

"The war is killing the Russian economy and the well-being of Russians. While the Kremlin talks about 'greatness' and 'geopolitics,' people are left without wages, stability, and a future. And this is only the beginning of the price Russian society is paying for aggression. As long as the war continues, the crisis will only deepen," the CCD added.

As Ukrinform previously reported, liquid assets of Russia's National Wealth Fund, which are used to cover the budget deficit, have shrunk 2.5 times since the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine.

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