Putin is demanding that businesses help fund Russian science
Russian dictator Putin called on Russian companies to act as direct clients and finance groundbreaking scientific solutions and technologies. According to him, it is the business sector that must take on clear commitments to create competitive products based on these developments, so that the scientific results obtained do not go to waste.
This statement comes amid cuts to government spending on civilian science due to the redirection of budget funds toward the war against Ukraine. According to calculations by the Institute for Statistical Research and the Economics of Knowledge at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, in 2025, 792.1 billion rubles were allocated from the Russian Federation’s budget for civilian science, accounting for 2.5% of total spending and 22 times less than spending on the military and security forces (17.8 trillion rubles).
Despite a nominal 11% increase in spending, real funding for civilian science—adjusted for inflation—declined by 14% compared to pre-war levels and by a quarter compared to 2013. The share of science spending relative to GDP has fallen to a 15-year low—0.35% of GDP in 2024 and 0.37% in 2025. Due to the growing federal budget deficit, funding for the announced “technological leadership” projects has also been cut.
This was reported by The Moscow Times.
As a reminder, consumer sentiment in Russia is rapidly deteriorating, confidence in the economy is declining, and anxiety is growing over a possible new wave of mobilization. This was reported by the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine.
After three years of unexpected economic growth, Russia is facing a sudden slowdown—war expenses, inflation, and falling oil prices have begun to weigh on an economy that until recently seemed resilient to sanctions.
Consumer lending in Russia has fallen to a six-year low.
