# ‘Voluntary donations’ from Russian businesses to state budget hit record in 2026

https://mins.news/en/item/24842

- Meduza, 2026-08-18 07:44 UTC
- Economy
- Original: https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/08/18/voluntary-donations-by-russian-businesses-to-state-budget-hit-a-record-sum-since-start-of-2026

> Russian businesses paid 383.69 billion rubles in non-repayable contributions to the federal budget during the first eight months of 2026, nearly 1.5 times last year’s total. Vedomosti reported that major Russian businessmen’s “voluntary donations” became the largest source, replacing exit taxes from departing foreign firms. The payments surged after March, while Russia’s war-driven budget deficit reached 6.455 trillion rubles through July, or 2.8% of GDP.