Updated

Russia's federal budget deficit reached 5.8 trillion rubles, or 2.5% of GDP, in the first eight months of 2026 — one and a half times higher than the same period last year and already exceeding the government's full-year deficit projection of 1.6% of GDP. The Kremlin has downplayed the shortfall as no cause for concern, though it highlights the mounting fiscal strain of sustaining the war effort.