Russia slashes cancer care as defence spending hits post-Soviet record

Russia is cutting funding for its national cancer programme nearly twelvefold in 2027, from 44.9 billion roubles (€470.5m) to 3.87 billion roubles (€40.5m), according to the draft federal budget, as defence spending reaches its highest share since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The reduction is even sharper compared to last year: the programme received 148.5 billion roubles (€1.5bn) in 2025, meaning federal spending on cancer control would have fallen roughly 38-fold in two years if the budget passes as proposed. Funding is projected to recover partially thereafter — rising to 5.76 billion roubles in 2028 and 12.78 billion in 2029 — but both figures remain far below current levels.