From euronews · Knarik Papoyan · · 1m
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.
In brief
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 roubles in 2027 while defense spending hits 35% of federal expenditure, the highest since the Soviet Union collapsed. Originally reported by euronews.
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.
The big picture
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.
