Free-of-charge payments from businesses to Russia's federal budget reached a record 383.69 billion rubles from the start of the year to mid-August, Vedomosti reported, citing data from the state information system Electronic Budget. That is almost 1.5 times more than the 251.3 billion rubles the budget received for the entire year of 2025.
Before President Vladimir Putin's meeting with major businessmen on March 26, the volume of such payments was an order of magnitude smaller. In January–March, non-governmental organizations transferred a total of 15.6 billion rubles to the budget. In April, the amount grew tenfold to 159.7 billion rubles. In May, it rose another 45.5% to 232.3 billion rubles; in June, by 27% to 294.4 billion; and over July and part of August, by about another 30%.
At the time, The Bell, citing two sources familiar with the conversation, reported that Putin suggested businessmen make voluntary contributions to the budget. The idea of "shaking down business in a difficult time for the country" had earlier been proposed to the president in a letter by Rosneft head Igor Sechin. The Kremlin said Putin himself did not ask businesses for contributions but confirmed that one meeting participant proposed allocating a "very large sum" to the state, and the president welcomed the initiative. According to The Bell, billionaire Suleiman Kerimov responded to the proposal directly at the meeting, promising to transfer 100 billion rubles.
The scale of payments exceeded initial government expectations: in the 2026–2028 budget, the Finance Ministry had planned only 1.7 billion rubles per year under this item. Current payments also exceeded revenues from the windfall tax of previous years, which brought the treasury 318.8 billion rubles.
Alexander Shokhin, head of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP), confirmed that businesses are helping the budget but stressed that the assistance is exclusively "voluntary." According to him, businessmen transferred funds not only from corporate but also from family coffers. Sources for the Expert magazine reported that the government expects about 300 billion rubles in such contributions by the end of the year.
The record contributions come amid a growing budget deficit: in January–July it reached 6.455 trillion rubles, or 2.8% of GDP, almost double the annual plan (3.786 trillion rubles). Since the start of the invasion of Ukraine, the budget has spent nearly 50 trillion rubles on the war, The Moscow Times notes. To cover expenses, the government spent three-quarters of the liquid assets of the National Welfare Fund, introduced export and exchange-rate duties, raised the mineral extraction tax, and in 2026 VAT and taxes for small businesses increased.