# Russia cuts cancer care as defense spending hits post-Soviet record

> Russia slashes cancer funding by 40x as defense spending reaches 35% of federal budget.
- Title: Russia cuts cancer care as defense spending hits post-Soviet…
- Summary: Russia slashes cancer funding by 40x as defense spending reaches 35% of federal budget. Russia's federal cancer program budget drops 40-fold to 3.87 billion…
- Keywords: russia, cancer care, federal budget, defense spending, post-soviet, cancer program, cancer treatment, news, world, politics, cuts, cancer
- Source: euronews — https://euronews.com/2026/10/09/russia-slashes-cancer-care-as-defence-spending-hits-post-soviet-record
- Author: Knarik Papoyan
- Published: 2026-10-09T05:00:40+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: russia, cancer care, federal budget, defense spending, post-soviet, cancer program, cancer treatment, news, world, politics
## Cancer funding cuts
Russia slashes federal cancer program funding from 44.9 billion to 3.87 billion roubles in 2027.
## Defense spending record
Defense spending reaches 35% of federal expenditure, the highest share since Soviet Union collapsed.
## Funding reduction impact
Cancer funding drops 38-fold from 2025 to 2027 levels with 148.5 billion roubles in 2025.
## Regional care gaps
Specialized cancer units in rural areas face cuts while major centers get more funding.
## Patient costs rise
Patients buy 5.8 million cancer drug packs in 2025 after 5 million in 2024.
## Out-of-pocket burden
Household spending on cancer drugs rises from 8.8 billion to 11.4 billion roubles in 2025.
## Key takeaway

Russia's federal cancer program budget drops 40-fold to 3.87 billion roubles in 2027 while defense spending hits 35% of federal expenditure, the highest since the Soviet Union collapsed.