Russians have been urged to make private donations to fund Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine by one of the Russian President’s sidekicks.
And, speaking on Russian state media, Margarita Simonyan brazenly cited the example of an unnamed elderly she claimed was donating 1,000 rubles from her meagre pension each month.
The clip was shared by Anton Geraschenko, a former adviser to Ukraine’s Internal Affairs Minister, who suggested Simonyan’s appeal was an indicated that Russia was finding it “increasingly difficult” to fund its war economy two and a half years on from the invasion of February 24, 2022.
Simonyan said: “It seems to me that everyone who has an opportunity should actively participate in helping the front.
“For example, I know a pensioner who sends 1,000 rubles out of her small pension every month.
“I am not calling on every pensioner to do this, but I would once again like to appeal to wealthy people.
“It is your constitutional duty, it should be an internal law. It is the law now, while the fighting is going on, to help peaceful people, to help the front, the units.”
It was not immediately clear what existing law Simonyan was referring to.
Posting on X, Mr Geraschenko commented: “Russian propagandist Margarita Simonyan asks all Russians to donate money to the Russian army.
“Every person who has such an opportunity should actively participate in helping the front.
“It’s getting harder for Russia to finance its war economy?“
A thousand rubles is equivalent to eight pounds sterling. By contrast, Vladimir Putin is reputedly worth £200billion, a fact not lost on one X user who asked: “Why isn’t she asking Putin to share his billions?”
Another, Stephen Harding, added: “That’s a good sign that the sanctions could be working well now.”
More than two and a half years into the Ukraine war, Russia’s economy faces significant challenges due to sustained Western sanctions.
Russia’s GDP contracted by about 2% in 2022, against a backdrop of oil prices that would typically have bolstered growth by 6-8%.
The ruble has sharply depreciated, falling from roughly 50 rubles per dollar in mid-2022 to over 90 per dollar in early 2024, reflecting weakened international trust and access to capital.
Inflation, although reported at around 7%, is suspected to be higher given the central bank’s policy rate, which remains at 16% to stabilise the currency and control prices.
Additionally, sanctions have cut Russia off from critical technologies, severely impacting industries like automotive, where production dropped by over 60% in 2022.
Ukraine claims Russia has lost more than 700,000 military personnel since the invasion.
