Russia Covers Up Key Budget Spending Data as War Swells Deficit
Ukrainian soldiers examine an abandoned Russian T-90 tank in Kyrylivka, near Kharkiv.
Photographer: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Russia unexpectedly halted publication of detailed data on budget spending, casting public finances deeper into secrecy as the government wrestles with soaring costs linked to the war in Ukraine.
The Finance Ministry stopped disclosure of high-frequency outlays on its electronic budget portal that previously showed up-to-date information about spending on different categories. The statistics enabled analysts to examine trends in expenditure and to calculate how much of the budget was going toward activity deemed classified.