'At this rate, we are doomed to poverty': views on Abkhazia’s 2026 budget plan
Abkhazia’s budget for 2026
The Cabinet of Ministers of Abkhazia has approved the framework for the 2026 state budget.
The total budget for 2026 is set at:
- Revenue: 19.01 bn RUB (≈ $233.9 m)
- Expenditure: 19.44 bn RUB (≈ $239.2 m)
- Deficit: 426 m RUB (≈ $5.24 m)
The draft law on the 2026 republican budget is currently under review by President Badra Gunba, who will then submit it to parliament.
Part of the revenue comes from Russian aid, amounting to 5.5 bn RUB (≈ $67.65 m).
Reviewing these figures, Abkhaz economist Akhra Aristava concludes that at this pace, most of the republic’s population is doomed to live in poverty for many years.
Akhra Aristava
“Growth in the republic’s own revenues for 2026 does not meet the targets set by the president. It amounts to just 800 million rubles [9.84 million dollars], or slightly over 10% compared with the 2025 budget.
This is primarily because neither the Ministry of Economy nor the Ministry of Finance has proposed any meaningful reforms. And how, without reforms or changes, do they plan to double public sector salaries in the coming years and raise the average to 45,000 rubles [554 dollars]?”
“This target was set by the president and announced at the intergovernmental commission. How does the government’s economic team plan to achieve it and improve citizens’ living standards when budget revenue growth is barely keeping pace with inflation?
At this rate, we will remain in poverty for another ten years. According to the Russian scale, poverty is defined as an income below 30,000 rubles [370 dollars] per month — and all public sector workers in Abkhazia earn less than this.
I believe the budget needs revision, and the presidential administration should send the draft back to the Cabinet of Ministers.”
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Abkhazia’s budget for 2026
