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Russia's Wartime Economy: The Long-Term Erosion of Debt and Military Spending

Russia's Wartime Economy: The Long-Term Erosion of Debt and Military Spending

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September 18th, 2026

Russia's Wartime Economy: The Long-Term Erosion of Debt and Military Spending

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Please note: This article has been simplified for language learning purposes. Some context and nuance from the original text may have been modified or removed.

🇺🇸 English

Frictions in Russia's wartime economy are intensifying, as massive military spending causes the budget deficit to swell continuously.

俄羅斯戰時經濟中的摩擦正在加劇龐大的軍事開支使預算赤字不斷膨脹

Consumers and businesses have become more pessimistic.

消費者和企業更加悲觀

Economic growth has already slowed down.

經濟成長已經放緩

However, economists point out that these phenomena do not mean that a financial crisis or economic collapse is imminent.

然而經濟學家指出這些現象並不代表金融危機經濟崩潰即將來臨

Because the war in Iran has driven up oil prices, crucial oil export revenues have been sustained, and the government is, at least for now, still able to raise funds to pay for its invasion of Ukraine, which has now lasted four and a half years.

由於伊朗戰爭推高油價至關重要的石油出口收入得以維持政府至少目前仍有能力籌措資金以支付已持續四年半的烏克蘭入侵行動

At the same time, low unemployment and the government's generous assistance to impoverished regions help to keep consumer discontent in check.

與此同時,低失業率及政府對貧困地區的慷慨援助,有助於抑制消費者的不滿。

Before Russia's carefully orchestrated parliamentary elections, which began on Friday and concluded on Sunday, this spectacle fitted neatly into the narrative of stability that the Kremlin has cultivated.

在俄羅斯精心安排的議會選舉於週五開始、週日結束之前,這一景象恰好契合克里姆林宮所營造的穩定敘事。

However, economists warn that long-term problems are eroding the foundationswhich could one day lead to a crisis.

然而,經濟學家警告,長期問題正侵蝕根基——有朝一日可能導致危機。

The consumer confidence index has been declining steadily since its peak in 20242025, when rising military spending was driving economic growth and wage increases.

消費者信心指標自2024至2025年的高峰以來持續下滑當時軍費開支的增加正推動經濟成長薪資上漲

Recently, consumers have had to contend with rising petrol prices and shortages caused by Ukrainian drone attacks on oil refineries.

最近消費者不得不應對汽油價格上漲烏克蘭無人機攻擊煉油廠造成的短缺

Many small businesses have also lost inventory and customers as a result of attacks targeting the online retailers Wildberries and Ozon.

許多小型企業因針對線上零售商Wildberries和Ozon的攻擊而失去了庫存客戶

Meanwhile, economic growth has slowed from its peak annual rate of over 4% in 20232024.

與此同時經濟成長已從2023至2024年超過4%年增長高峰放緩。

The government forecasts growth of 0.6% this year; the economy contracted in the first quarter and only recovered in the second.

政府預計今年成長0.6%經濟在第一季度出現萎縮第二季度才有所回升

The consumer confidence index compiled by the Levada Center, an independent Russian polling organization, fell to 94 in the summer, down from 116 in the spring and summer of 2025.

俄羅斯獨立民調機構列瓦達中心編製的消費者信心指數在夏季降至94低於2025年春夏的116

A reading below 100 indicates that negative consumer sentiment outweighs positive sentiment.

低於100的讀數表明消費者信心負面多於正面

In Moscow, most of those questioned about the election responded with basic concerns about pensions and prices.

在莫斯科,被問及選舉的人大多回應了關於養老金和物價的基本關切。

Alexander Vertukhin, a 72-year-old retired military prosecutor, said the government should take seriously the demand for "a decent standard of living for retirees."

72歲的退休軍事檢察官亞歷山大·維爾圖欣表示,政府理應正視「退休人員體面的生活水平」這一訴求。

As for his own situation, he claimed: "I am doing quite well, whether financially or in any other respect."

至於他自身的處境,他聲稱:「我過得相當不錯,無論是在財務抑或其他各個層面。」

"Overall, I hope housing will become more affordable, and I hope retirees will be able to enjoy a decent standard of living rather than merely scraping by," said Dmitry Kirillin, 26.

整體而言我期盼住房能變得更可負擔,我期盼退休人士得以享有體面的生活而非僅僅是勉強餬口,」26歲德米特里·基里林表示

"I also hope that travelling within our country will become more affordable.

我亦期盼在我國旅行能更為可負擔

These are the main things that come to mind first; if I gave it more thought, I could probably list quite a few more."

這些是我首先想到的主要事項倘若我再多加思索,大概還能列舉出更多。」

He added: "I hope prices will rise more slowly, if that is possible under the current circumstances."

他補充道:「我希望物價上漲得更慢一些,如果在當前情況下有可能的話。」

The petrol supply situation and the Wildberries strike have made people feel the effects of the war more directly, yet this is not enough to constitute a crisis, according to Chris Weafer, chief executive of Macro-Advisory, a firm that operates widely across the former Soviet Union.

汽油供應狀況Wildberries罷工事件令人們更為直接地感受到戰爭所帶來的影響然而這並不足以構成危機在前蘇聯地區廣泛開展業務宏觀諮詢有限公司執行長克里斯·威弗表示

He described the economy as being in a state of "tolerable stability", with public sentiment manifesting as "grumbling" rather than protest.

將經濟形容為處於可容忍的穩定狀態公眾情緒則表現為抱怨而非抗議

"The economy is under strainit has stalled to a point of stability without growth," Weaver said.

經濟正承受著壓力——已停滯至穩定卻不成長的地步,」威弗表示

"Yet it is not facing a recession either."

然而並未面臨衰退。」

He pointed out that most people "have not been greatly affected" by the attacks on Ukraine.

他指出大多數人並沒有受到太大影響於烏克蘭的攻擊

"Just because your shopping habits have been disrupted does not change public support for the Kremlin."

僅僅因為你的購物習慣被打亂並不會改變公眾對克里姆林宮的支持。」

President Vladimir Putin's approval rating has shown a downward trend in recent months, yet it still remains above the level it was at before the war broke out in 2022.

總統弗拉基米爾·普丁的支持率於近數月間呈現下滑趨勢,然而仍舊維持在2022年戰爭爆發前的水平之上。

A key indication of the pressure Russia is under lies in its budget deficit and the government's efforts to seek new sources of funding.

俄羅斯承受壓力的一項關鍵跡象在於其預算赤字以及政府尋求新資金來源的舉措

Putin has therefore resorted to raising the value-added tax that consumers pay at the checkout, increasing a range of other fees, and imposing heavier taxes on small businesses.

普丁因此訴諸提高消費者在收銀台支付的增值稅調升一系列其他費用加重對小型企業的徵稅

However, the deficit has continued to climb.

然而赤字持續攀升

As of the end of July, budget figures showed a deficit amounting to 2.8% of annual economic output, nearly twice the original annual budget target.

截至七月底預算數據顯示赤字年度經濟產出的2.8%幾乎是原定年度預算目標的兩倍

The available resources in Russia's Reserve Fund have shrunk to 1.6% of GDP, which means the Kremlin will need to borrow from domestic banks.

俄羅斯儲備基金中的可用資源已縮減至GDP的1.6%這意味著克里姆林宮需要向國內銀行借款

However, this means incurring high borrowing costs; according to Janis Kluge, a Russian finance expert at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, interest rates on Russian bonds are as high as 17%.

然而,這意味著要承擔高昂的借貸成本;據德國國際與安全事務研究所的俄羅斯財政專家亞尼斯·克魯格稱,俄羅斯債券的利率高達17%。

Budgetary pressure "has deepened doubts about how long Russia can sustain the war," he wrote in a recent report.

預算壓力加深了對俄羅斯能維持戰爭多久的疑慮,」他在最近的一份報告中寫道

Russia's central bank has kept interest rates high in order to curb the inflation triggered by war spending.

俄羅斯央行持續維持高利率以遏制戰爭開支所引發的通膨

This has put pressure on civilian enterprises that lack access to the preferential credit channels enjoyed by defense firms.

這對那些無法取得國防企業所享有之優惠信貸渠道的民用企業造成了壓力。

Another source of war funding is the increase in private loans from compliant Russian banks to defence-related companies, which means that this debt does not appear in the deficit figures.

戰爭資金的另一來源,是俄羅斯順從的銀行向國防相關企業增加私人貸款,這意味著這些債務不會出現在赤字數據中。

In the long run, Western sanctions prevent Russia from obtaining new investment that could make its economy more productive.

從長遠來看,西方制裁使俄羅斯無法獲得能讓經濟更具生產力的新投資。

Yet risk factorshigh spending, low growth, mounting debt and elevated borrowing costshave prompted some economists to warn that although the Russian economy has not collapsed, its structural foundations are being dangerously eroded.

而風險因素——高支出、低成長、債務攀升和借貸成本高企——促使一些經濟學家警告,俄羅斯經濟雖未崩潰,但其結構性基礎正危險地遭到侵蝕。

Torbjörn Becker of the Stockholm School of Economics believes that the current trajectory is "unsustainable."

斯德哥爾摩經濟學院的托爾比約恩·貝克爾認為當前的軌跡是「不可持續的」。

However, he also points out that "the timing of a crisis remains highly uncertain."

不過他亦指出,「危機發生的時機仍然高度不確定。」

Before the Iran war, oil export revenues had fallen to less than $10 billion a month, but by June they had recovered to $15.8 billion, and in July they stood at $13.8 billion.

石油出口收入在伊朗戰爭前曾降至每月不到100億美元,到六月已回升至158億美元,七月為138億美元。

Becker wrote that Russia's budget constraints "may effectively disappear as long as energy prices remain persistently high."

貝克爾寫道,俄羅斯的預算限制「只要能源價格持續居高不下,就可能實際上消失」。

In his view, to change this situation, tougher measures must be taken first and foremost against the fleet of oil tankers that Russia uses to evade sanctions.

他認為,欲改變此局面,必須優先對俄羅斯用以規避制裁的油輪船隊採取更嚴厲的措施。

Funding for defence factories and enlistment bonuses have been a great boon for Russia's provinces, which are poorer than Moscow and St Petersburg.

國防工廠的資金與入伍獎金,對俄羅斯各省而言是一大福音,這些省份比莫斯科和聖彼得堡更貧窮。

Because the factories often operate at full capacity, the national unemployment rate stands at 2.2%.

由於工廠往往滿負荷運轉,全國失業率為2.2%。

According to a recent report on Russia's defence industry published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Uralvagonzavod tank factory in Nizhny Tagil, in the Urals region, has expanded its workforce from roughly 20,000 to more than 38,000 since the invasion of Ukraine and has launched round-the-clock production.

根據戰略與國際研究中心近期發布的一份關於俄羅斯國防工業的報告位於烏拉爾地區下塔吉爾烏拉爾車輛廠坦克工廠自入侵烏克蘭以來已將其勞動力從約2萬人擴增至超過3.8萬人並啟動了24小時生產

Kupol, which manufactures drones and surface-to-air missiles, is the largest industrial enterprise in the Udmurt region on the Volga, and its output more than doubled in 2025.

生產無人機和地對空飛彈的庫波爾伏爾加河畔烏德穆爾特地區最大的工業企業其產量在2025年翻了一倍多

The shortage of skilled labour is constraining production in defence companies and the economy as a whole, and the situation is made worse by the emigration of hundreds of thousands of peoplemostly youngwho fear conscription and political repression.

熟練勞動力的短缺正制約國防企業和整體經濟的生產,而數十萬人(大多是年輕人)因擔心徵兵和政治壓迫而移民,使情況更加嚴重。

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that monthly deficit figures tend to fluctuate considerably, adding, "This is not a figure that should cause concern.

克里姆林宮發言人德米特里·佩斯科夫表示月度赤字數據波動較大並稱這不是一個應該引起擔憂的數字。

Macroeconomic stability is absolutely guaranteed."

宏觀經濟穩定絕對有保障。」

However, Andrei Klepach, chief economist at the Russian state development bank VEB.RF, warned in a speech that, because of sanctions and economic isolation, "we are falling behind in the global technological and economic competition," and that "we cannot win this war of attrition."

然而俄羅斯國有國家開發銀行VEB.RF首席經濟學家安德烈·克列帕奇在一次演講中警告由於制裁經濟孤立,「我們在世界技術和經濟競爭中正在落後」,並且我們無法在這場消耗戰中取勝」。

He was dismissed from his post.

他遭到了免職處分。

Dasha Litvinova contributed to this report from Tallinn, Estonia.

達莎·利特維諾娃自愛沙尼亞塔林供稿。

September 18th, 2026

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