The Russian government restricted the use of funds from the National Welfare Fund after spending almost two-thirds of its assets during the war.
The Russian government is restricting the use of funds from the National Welfare Fund after almost two-thirds of its assets were spent during the war. For 2026, about $460 million is planned to be used from the fund, which is tens of times less than before. Thus, the main burden of financing state expenditures, due to income deficit and sanctions, will fall on the population.
UNN writes with reference to the Center for Countering Disinformation.
Details
The Russian government has decided to limit the use of funds from the National Welfare Fund (NWF) — a reserve created as a "safety cushion" in case of a crisis. Pension payments, among other things, are financed from it. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, the Kremlin has spent almost two-thirds of the fund's liquid assets. If there were $113.5 billion in it before 2022, now only $50 billion remains. For 2026, the Russian Ministry of Finance plans to withdraw only 38.5 billion rubles (approximately $460 million) from the fund — tens of times less than in previous years.
– the post says.
As stated, due to the Kremlin's decision to "conserve" the remaining funds, pension payments may be at risk. For example, in 2025, the pension fund deficit exceeded $9.3 billion, and "the average pension is only 24% of the average salary — the lowest figure in the last 17 years."
This means that the financing of the war will no longer come from reserves. Since oil and gas revenues in Russia have collapsed due to sanctions, the main burden will fall on the shoulders of the population; the government is already raising taxes, inventing new fines, and cutting social programs.
– summarized in the CCD.
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