By April 2026, total debt owed to Russia’s budget had nearly reached 4 trillion rubles, setting a new historical record. This follows data published by Rosstat. Although the statistics also include debts of private individuals and sole proprietors, the structure of the total indicates that the bulk of the задолженность falls on businesses.
Of the total amount, about 1.7 trillion rubles consists of unpaid taxes, levies, and insurance contributions. The rest is made up of accrued penalties, fines, and interest for late payment.
The largest arrears were recorded for VAT, at 648 billion rubles. Companies also owed 294 billion rubles in corporate profit tax and 292 billion rubles in insurance contributions.
Denis Morokhin, an economic columnist for Novaya-Europe, says the rise in debt is primarily linked to the worsening financial condition of enterprises. In his view, several factors are driving the trend at once: a slowing economy, weaker consumer demand, a higher tax burden in 2025–2026, expensive borrowing caused by the Central Bank’s tight policy, a stronger ruble, slower foreign trade, and labor shortages in a number of sectors.
In June, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said the federal budget deficit by the end of 2026 would exceed the 3.8 trillion rubles, or 1.6% of GDP, written into law. However, the publication notes that the latest figures contradict that assessment: in the first four months of the year alone, the deficit had already climbed to nearly 6 trillion rubles, equal to 2.5% of GDP.
Financial problems are also visible at the regional level. Over the past year, the combined deficit of Russia’s regions nearly doubled, rising from 153.9 billion to 294 billion rubles.