Russian donors have poured billions into state coffers following an appeal for voluntary contributions as the cost of Moscow's war against Ukraine continues to rise, according to a media report.
By mid-August, 383.69 billion roubles ($4.5 billion) in voluntary contributions had flowed into the federal budget this year, the Russian business newspaper Vedomosti (The Record) reported, citing the Finance Ministry.
The amount was one and a half times the total collected in all of 2025, according to the report.
Most of the money was contributed following an appeal to business leaders in March, the newspaper said.
Aleksandr Shokhin, head of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, told Vedomosti that such contributions could come not only from large corporations but also from individuals and corporate or family foundations.
Major donors decided for themselves how much to contribute based on their financial situation, he said.
It is unclear exactly how the money will be spent. Russia's budget, however, is running a large deficit amid mounting expenditure on President Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, now in its fifth year.
The government could also introduce a windfall tax on the financial sector in the coming months to raise additional revenue, Vedomosti reported.
Putin has already increased income and value-added taxes as the Kremlin seeks additional funds to finance the war.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied reports in March that Putin had personally asked for money during a meeting of Russia's leading business association. Peskov said the initiative had instead come from a businessman and that Putin had welcomed it.
