"Putin Is Following Step By Step The Path Of The USSR"

The expert pointed to the Kremlin's fatal mistake.

The increase in spending on war shows that Russia is confidently following the USSR's path and repeating its history.

The head of the Committee of Economists of Ukraine Andriy Novak told Glavred in an interview with "Glavred".

He reminded that the high militarization of the USSR economy led to the collapse of the Union, and even without war (there was no war at the time of the collapse).

"The maximum expenditures of the Soviet Union on the military-industrial complex amounted to 39% of the USSR budget. Russia has already almost reached this mark, having budgeted more than 38% of spending on war and "defense" in the 2026 budget. That is, we are witnessing an exact repetition of the root causes of the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia is following the path of the Union step by step," the expert noted.

Novak noted that the main reason for the collapse of the USSR was economic: the Soviet economy could not withstand the arms race and spending on the military-industrial complex, and at some point the Union budget lost the ability to finance the budgets of the republics.

"The same thing is now happening in the Russian economy: the federal budget can no longer finance the budgets of the federal subjects at the same level. In particular, this is evidenced by the fact that already in 2025, local budgets have significantly reduced spending, and even spending on the needs of war, for example, on payments for signing contracts by Russian citizens with the Russian army," the expert explained.

He noted that in most regions of the Russian Federation the amount of a lump-sum payment for signing a contract has decreased from 3 million rubles (on average) to 600 thousand rubles.

"That is, five times! I emphasize, these are the main expenses of the Russians that ensure the conduct of the war against Ukraine, but even they are being reduced. If these priority items of local budgets for the Kremlin are not fulfilled, one can imagine how expenses that are not a priority for the Russian authorities are financed locally," the expert concluded.

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