At the end of September 2025, overdue wage arrears in Russia reached 1.95 billion rubles, an 18.6% increase compared to the previous month. Compared to September 2024, the total debt has quadrupled.
About 75% of unpaid wages come from debts incurred in 2025, while another 20% relate to 2024. The main cause remains a lack of funds within enterprises. The largest arrears are in construction (44%), mining (17.5%), and manufacturing (11.6%).
Business liquidity problems are also reflected in tax statistics. In the first half of 2025, Russia’s Federal Tax Service filed court claims to recover 15 billion rubles in taxes and fees — seven times more than in the same period last year. Companies are increasingly less likely to pay tax debts voluntarily, forcing authorities to pursue compulsory collection.
The deterioration of business solvency is exacerbated by economic slowdown, expensive loans, and sanctions pressure. From January to July, the net profit of companies decreased by 8%, or roughly 1.5 trillion rubles in monetary terms. One in four enterprises reports a sharp increase in non-payments from counterparties.
Amid the rapid decline in business profitability, the Kremlin continues to raise taxes to collect more funds to “patch” the budget. But this creates a vicious circle: the tax base shrinks, companies close or move into the shadow economy, and authorities are forced to raise taxes again to cover losses. Paradoxically, at the same time, Russia plans to issue loans to other countries totaling 1.8 trillion rubles (over $18 billion) — even though domestic debts are rising and the economy is choking from a lack of money.
