Russian governors double security spending since start of full-scale war
Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the governors of Russian regions have almost doubled their spending on personal security compared with 2021.
Source: Russian news outlet Vedomosti, citing data from the Tenderplan procurement management system
Quote: "Since the beginning of the 'special military operation' [the term used in Russia for the full-scale war against Ukraine – ed.], governors increased their spending on personal security in 2022. In 2021, total spending from regional budgets amounted to RUB 59.7 million (about US$770,000), while in 2022 it rose to RUB 91.6 million (about US$1.2 million)."
Details: Vedomosti also reports that more regional heads began considering hiring security personnel after the start of the full-scale war. This is reflected in the increase in the number of tenders for security services published on the state procurement website: 8 in 2021 compared with 13 in 2022.
The second year of the full-scale invasion became a record year for security spending. In 2023, total expenditure reached RUB 119.7 million (US$1.5 million). In 2024, spending amounted to RUB 104.5 million (US$1.35 million), and in 2025 it totalled RUB 112.4 million (US$1.45 million).
According to public procurement statistics, personal security services are most in demand in Russia's border regions.
"For example, the administration of Bryansk Oblast and its government are ready to allocate RUB 8.4 million (US$108,500) for the governor's protection, according to a tender published on the state procurement website in 2025," the news outlet writes.
According to Tenderplan data, in 2023 (with procurements carried out in 2022), RUB 7.7 million (US$99,500) were spent on the security of Krasnodar Krai Governor Veniamin Kondratyev, while RUB 11.4 million (US$147,300) were allocated for the protection of then Rostov Oblast Governor Vasily Golubev.
Significant sums were also allocated for the security of Moscow Oblast Governor Andrei Vorobyov – RUB 7.8 million (US$100,800) – and Astrakhan Oblast Governor Igor Babushkin – RUB 10.4 million (US$134,400).
Why this matters: The increased concern among Russian governors about their personal security may be due to the fact that since the start of the full-scale war, assassination attempts have become more frequent. These have targeted collaborators in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, Russian propagandists and members of Russia's military leadership within Russia itself.
In particular, in May 2023, an Audi car carrying pro-war, anti-Ukraine writer and member of the A Just Russia party, Zakhar Prilepin, was blown up in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. He was reported to have suffered serious injuries. Earlier, media reports said Prilepin had supposedly signed a contract with the Russian National Guard and travelled to fight against Ukraine.
In December 2024, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov and his assistant were killed in an explosion in Moscow. Earlier, Ukraine's Security Service had served Kirillov with a notice of suspicion in absentia.
In April 2025, a car exploded in the town of Balashikha, near Moscow, killing Russian Defence Ministry Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik.
In December 2025, a car carrying Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Main Directorate for Operational Training of the Russian General Staff and a participant in the war against Ukraine, was blown up in Moscow. He was killed.
Russia's Astrakhan Oblast hosts the Akhtubinsk airbase, where Moscow's most advanced Su-57 fighter jets are stationed. These aircraft are capable of launching Kh-59 and Kh-69 missiles. The airfield has been targeted in repeated attacks.
The Kapustin Yar test ground is also located in Astrakhan Oblast, where Russia has deployed the Oreshnik intercontinental ballistic missile system, which has already been used to strike Ukraine, including the city of Dnipro and Lviv Oblast. The site has also come under attack by Ukrainian forces.
In Moscow Oblast, a number of military factories are located that are considered legitimate targets for Ukrainian drones. Previously, UAVs struck a drone development facility, the Resonit technopark which is a crucial facility for the Russians, as well as the Raduga plant which produces cruise missiles.
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