How Kremlin is forcing ordinary Russians to finance the war
As russia rapidly loses budget revenues due to the war and sanctions, the government is turning to a “simple” solution — taking more money from its own citizens. The plan for collecting fines from russians and businesses in 2025 has been sharply increased — by a third.
▫️According to the updated plans, the state aims to collect nearly 258 billion rubles (around $2.8 billion) in fines, penalties, and confiscations in 2025 — 66 billion rubles ($713 million) more than previously planned. Drivers will be hit the hardest: revenue from traffic violation fines is expected to rise nearly eightfold.
▫️The government also plans to extract billions from businesses for “tax violations,” from truckers for “road damage,” and from ordinary people through criminal code fines and property confiscations.
russians often say they are “not political” and can’t influence anything — yet the war is being funded directly from their wallets through fines and penalties.
