In an article for ZN.UA, we explain why Russians linked the new costs to the end of the elections and what else sparked public and business discontent.

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Following the elections in Russia, discussions about upcoming increases in household expenses surged. Russians widely discussed new taxes, a technology levy, rising utility bills, and changes to the family mortgage program in regional Telegram channels and VKontakte communities. The number of posts on these topics rose nearly eightfold in a single week compared with the previous week. This is according to monitoring by the NGO Join Ukraine, conducted from September 21 to 27 across 536 regional VKontakte communities and 428 Telegram channels in Russia and the occupied territories of Ukraine.

Russians frequently linked the new costs to the end of the elections. Comments suggested that the authorities no longer needed to demonstrate concern for voters and could therefore raise bills and introduce new levies.

Businesses’ spending on protection against drone attacks also sparked anger. Regional online communities discussed whether companies’ costs for protecting power grids and repairing damaged facilities could be factored into tax and utility tariff calculations. Users feared that these expenses would ultimately be passed on to consumers through higher prices.

The prospect of higher utility bills also drew strong reactions. Two news items triggered a fresh wave of discussion: a projected 11% increase in utility tariffs from July 2027 and a proposal to include the cost of protecting power grids against drone attacks in tariffs.

Users largely viewed the increases as an additional burden on household budgets. They compared utility bills with salaries and pensions, questioned where the money already collected was going, and asked why higher prices were not accompanied by better service.

Some of the criticism was directed at United Russia, with users linking the rising costs to the election results. Some joked that the higher bills should be sent specifically to voters who supported the ruling party.

Discontent was also fueled by the start of the heating season. In some regions, residents complained about cold apartments and demanded that heating be switched on sooner. Elsewhere, they considered it premature because of the warm weather and did not want to pay to heat overheated apartments. Across regions, users also complained about high bills, hot water outages following summer maintenance work, and unclear timelines for restoring utility services.

“Russians are beginning to see these decisions as part of the same picture: the state collects their money but fails to provide even basic utility services or security. So the issue is no longer just the amount on the bill. People are asking where their taxes are going and why they should also have to pay out of their own pockets for the consequences of the war,” says Yuliia Yelenich, a Russia analyst at Join Ukraine.

Russia is reportedly set to raise taxes next year on its wealthiest citizens and commodity companies to continue financing its war against Ukraine. The Russian Ministry of Finance announced the move four days after the State Duma elections. The tax rate on income from dividends, bank deposits, and property sales will rise from 15% to 22%. The Kremlin’s oil and gas revenues are declining, partly due to Ukrainian strikes.

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