Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin says mobilizing Russia’s economy for war would “kill the country”
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin recently claimed that calls to mobilize Russia’s entire economy for the needs of the ongoing invasion of Ukraine come from people who do not understand the issue. In his view, the country cannot succeed at the front lines without a normally functioning civilian economy. Sobyanin made the comments in an interview that aired on the Rossiya 24 television channel, as per…
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin recently criticized those who advocate for mobilizing Russia's entire economy for the war in Ukraine, arguing that such an approach would "kill the country." Sobyanin, speaking on Rossiya 24 television, emphasized that a functioning civilian economy is crucial for Russia's success on the battlefield.
He stated that without a healthy economy, the political situation would change, and success in the war would be impossible. Sobyanin warned that halting the civilian economy would lead to the country's downfall. The mayor's remarks followed calls from state lawmakers for a mobilization-based economic model, with some arguing that Russia's economy should have been made a mobilization economy long ago.
Meanwhile, Russia's Central Bank lowered its GDP growth forecast for 2026 to between 0% and 1%, and the Economic Development Ministry estimated a slowdown in economic growth to 0.3% in May. The fuel crisis has also exacerbated the economic strain, with petroleum product output falling 21.8% in June year-on-year due to Ukraine's drone strikes on Russia's oil refineries.
Russia's war spending reached a record 5.9 trillion rubles in the first quarter of 2026, up almost 30% from the previous year, surpassing earlier budget projections for reduced defense spending.
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