Senior Russian officials have told President Putin that war spending in Ukraine has exceeded Russia’s capacity, people familiar with the matter said, the clearest sign yet of serious internal rifts in Moscow since the conflict began. Officials from the finance ministry and the central bank warned the Kremlin that currently projected defence spending could sharply widen the government budget deficit and trigger severe consequences. They have grown increasingly worried about the economy and public

Senior Russian officials have told President Putin that war spending in Ukraine has exceeded Russia’s capacity, people familiar with the matter said, the clearest sign yet of serious internal rifts in Moscow since the conflict began. Officials from the finance ministry and the central bank warned the Kremlin that currently projected defence spending could sharply widen the government budget deficit and trigger severe consequences. They have grown increasingly worried about the economy and public finances in recent months and have proposed cutting defence expenditures. The defence ministry’s senior officers and some Kremlin officials, however, insist on maintaining military spending to achieve Putin’s war objectives.