A Regional Disparity

Agentstvo, an independent Russian news publication, studied government procurement related to civil defense protective structures, and found that, since the beginning of Russia's War on Ukraine, Russian authorities, monopolistic companies, and public utilities have spent R3.45 billion (nearly $39 million) on all types of shelters. A third of the funds — R1.17 billion (nearly $13 million) — went to Moscow and the Moscow Oblast, which is ten times more than was spent on the same sorts of structures in Russian regions bordering Ukraine, where warnings about the threat of shelling or drone strikes have become daily occurrences.

In addition, Agentstvo’s analysis indicated that Russian authorities and companies became concerned about the condition of shelters only in 2023, when the Ukrainian armed forces began actively conducting drone strikes deep into the country, including in Moscow. In 2022, expenditures on protective structures amounted to only R464 million (nearly $5 million) and were almost no different from previous years. In 2023, spending rose nearly fivefold; R875 million (nearly $10 million) was spent in the first half of 2024.

Notably, in addition to Moscow and the Moscow region, large expenses were uncovered in Yakutia, the republic located more than 7,000 kilometers from the country's border with Ukraine. The third highest spending on civil defense protective structures was in the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, which has been repeatedly attacked by Ukrainian drones.