Russia massively increases its propaganda budget and selectively cuts social programs: “They cannot win on the front, they invest in disinformation”. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Andrii Sibiga, stated that the Russian Federation is intensifying the information war against Ukraine, allocating record funds for propaganda.
According to the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, released on October 19, the increase in allocations for the propaganda apparatus in Russia’s budget for 2026 reaches an unprecedented level — +54% compared to the previous year.
“This is a clear signal of the aggressor state’s priorities: they cannot win on the battlefield, so they bet on disinformation,” Sibiga stated.
Ukraine considers strengthening informational resilience a key component in defending national interests and combating Russian hybrid aggression.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also reminded that Russia actively uses propaganda for the russification of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. In particular, the occupation administrations impose the Russian language even in kindergartens, where children are forced to use Russian words and pronunciation rules, gradually eliminating the Ukrainian language from daily communication.
The institution mentioned that such an approach transforms the educational system into an instrument of ideological influence, intended to alter the national identity of future generations.
Disproportionate increases for propaganda institutions
While 18 of Russia’s 51 government programs are set to receive reduced budgets in 2026 — which would generate a total saving of over 207 billion rubles (~2.07 billion euros) — expenditures for “defending traditional values” and propaganda structures are significantly increasing:
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The program “Russia in the World”, intended to promote traditional values abroad, will receive almost 12 billion rubles (~120 million euros), double compared to last year.
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The state fund “Defenders of the Homeland”, led by Vladimir Putin’s cousin, Anna Tziviliova, will benefit from 35 billion rubles (~350 million euros) — 2.5 times more than the previous year.
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Russian state television will be funded with 106.4 billion rubles (~1.06 billion euros), consolidating the state media infrastructure.
Huge expenses for the army, police, and security
In parallel, Russia has again supplemented the defense budget with 325 billion rubles (~3.25 billion euros) for the year 2026. Along with the allocations for “National Security”, the total expenditures for the army, law enforcement, and secret services will reach 16.84 trillion rubles (~168.4 billion euros), which represents 38% of the total state budget.
This budgetary policy comes in a context where the Russian Ministry of Defense continues to promote in the public space false narratives about “progress on the front” and the “inevitable victory” of Russian troops.