The Russian federal budget recorded a deficit of 5.73 trillion… (дефицит · трлн · бюджет)
The Russian federal budget recorded a deficit of 5.73 trillion rubles in the first half of 2026, or 2.5% of GDP, driven by a 16.1% year-on-year increase in expenditures and a 22.7% decline in oil and gas revenues, while non-oil revenues rose by 16.3%. The Ministry of Finance attributed the high deficit to accelerated spending through early contract execution and advance payments.
Consensus
- The federal budget of Russia had a deficit of 5.73 trillion rubles in January–June 2026.
- The deficit accounted for 2.5% of GDP.
- Expenditures increased by 16.1% year on year to 24.35 trillion rubles.
- Income rose by 5.8% year on year to 18.6 trillion rubles.
- Non-oil revenues grew by 16.3% and reached 14.96 trillion rubles.
- Oil and gas revenues declined by 22.7% compared to the same period in 2025, reaching 3.66 trillion rubles.
- The Ministry of Finance cited 'accelerated financing of expenditures' as a key reason for the high deficit.
- The acceleration was due to early contract signing and advance payments on certain contracts.
- Oil prices in previous periods were identified as a primary factor behind reduced oil and gas revenues.
Points of divergence
- The deficit increased by 2.35 trillion rubles compared to the first half of 2025, with the 2025 figure at 3.387 trillion rubles. — tg_astrapress
- The Ministry of Finance reported that it has begun using artificial intelligence in budget preparation and that AI is already applied in tax and customs agencies. — vm
- In January–May 2026, the deficit was 6.01 trillion rubles (2.6% of GDP), implying a surplus of approximately 280 billion rubles in June; however, using Federal Treasury data, the May deficit was 133 billion rubles and June surplus estimated at 196 billion rubles. — interfax
Coverage (3 sources)
- Russia's federal budget deficit rose to $570 billion in six months as oil and gas revenues dropped nearly 23%... — ASTRA
- Russia's budget deficit for the first half of 2026 reached 5.7 trillion rubles — Вечерняя Москва
- Russia's budget deficit in the first half of the year amounted to 5.7 trillion rubles, or 2.5% of GDP — Интерфакс