💰 According to media estimates, despite a number of economic difficulties, citizens of russia still do not feel significant financial problems.
Source: Bukvy
📊 FT analyzed Russian job advertisements and concluded that the sharp rise in the standard of living of Russians, which supported the war against Ukraine, is beginning to fade, but so far this is not noticeable.
⚔️ Since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, wages in russia have sharply increased, helping the Kremlin maintain support for military actions amid sanctions and inflation.
📉 However, analysis of job ads shows that since early 2025, the pace of wage growth has significantly slowed: from September to December 2024, wages grew by 4.2%, and in the first three months of 2025 — only by 2.2%.
📈 Economists believe that the feeling of financial stability among Russians will be maintained for now, despite the slowdown in GDP growth and the decline in oil revenues, indicating a loss of growth momentum in putin’s military economy.
👨💼 Russian economist Konstantin Nasonov notes that the economy is in a tense state, but people have more money, and these trends do not exclude each other.
💻 The wage analysis is based on online job vacancy data collected and processed using artificial intelligence and statistical methods.
🏢 Economist Pavel Adrian from Indeed explains that changes in conditions for new workers often reflect overall labor market trends.
📉 Rosstat data shows a slowdown in the growth rate of real incomes of Russians to 7.1% in the first quarter of 2025, compared to 8.3% last year.
🛢️ Russia accumulated surplus revenues from oil and gas exports long before the war, which the Kremlin began actively spending after February 24, 2022, directing money to the military economy.
📈 Real incomes of Russians fell at the start of the war but then recovered and grew at a high rate despite inflation of about 30% over three years.
📊 According to sociologists from “Levada,” in 2023, for the first time in a decade, the majority of Russians positively assessed their financial situation; a similar trend is likely for 2024 as well.
🔍 Surveys by the “Chronicles” group provide a less optimistic picture: almost 40% felt a worsening of their financial condition, but most do not notice changes or note improvements.
⚖️ Opposition activist Alexey Minyaylo points out that financial well-being is linked to support for the war — worse living conditions mean less support.
🏚️ Putin’s spending on the war is especially felt by the poorest population groups, although some families receive help from men at the front.
🧵 In Ivanovo, seamstresses’ wages have more than doubled since 2022 due to the departure of Western brands and increased demand for local textiles.
👵 However, pensioners and public sector workers have received only slight income increases due to inflation-indexed salary adjustments.
📉 This year, the growth of russia’s military economy is slowing down: GDP is forecasted to grow by only 2%, which is half the rate of previous years.
🌍 IMF forecasts show further slowdown to 1.5% growth in 2025 and 0.9% in 2026, while low oil prices pressure budget revenues.
🏦 Tight monetary policy and a high key interest rate make it difficult for businesses to access loans for development.
⏳ However, most Russians have not yet felt a strong financial blow that could change public sentiment in the near future.
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