Russia finds new way to offset war costs against Ukraine — CCD

The Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) reported the information.

According to reports, depending on the type of goods, environmental tax rates will increase by 2 to 5 times compared to current rates.

The Russian Ministry of Natural Resources explains this initiative as necessary to make the rates "economically justified." However, the Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) emphasized that the real reason is the need to cover budget gaps caused by the war and sanctions.

“Massive expenses on the war against Ukraine, sanctions, and the decline in oil and gas revenues are draining the Russian treasury. By May this year, a large portion of the National Wealth Fund, Russia’s financial cushion, had already been spent. In search of additional funds, taxes, duties, and excise rates were raised starting in 2025,” the Center stressed.

They added that unwilling to end the aggressive war against Ukraine, the Kremlin is digging deeper into Russians’ pockets, forcing them to pay for Putin’s geopolitical ambitions.