This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The war on Ukraine is changing Russia far beyond the immediate effects of the conflict. The new study "Russia's War Within—How Disparities between Russian Regions Are Growing in the Wake of the War on Ukraine" https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.33003.91683/1 is the first detailed investigation of how the burdens of the war are affecting the economy, population and society in the various regions of Russia.
Geography and regional science scholar Dr. Helmut Klüter, a former professor of regional geography at the University of Greifswald, analyzes 67 maps, 95 illustrations and 55 tables in his study. His analysis shows that remote regions of Siberia, the Far East and the northern European part of Russia have been hit particularly hard by the effects of the war.
"It has been a long time since developments in the war were felt only on the front lines. The war has forged its own normality, which is increasingly becoming an integral part of everyday life for the Russian population," explains Klüter. This is particularly evident in the labor market: The agriculture, construction, health care and infrastructure sectors are suffering from a massive loss of men of working age to the armed forces.
At the same time, investments and commercial activities are becoming increasingly concentrated in the metropolitan areas in and around Moscow and St. According to the findings of the study, population losses as a result of the war vary widely from region to region. The republics of Tuva, Altai and Buryatia, as well as the regions of the Far East, are among those that have been hit particularly hard.
Loss rates in parts of those regions are several times higher than in the large urban areas. The war is thus exacerbating regional disparities that existed previously. The war is also taking a particularly strong toll on the economy.
The study shows that the number of medium-sized and large companies fell from around 3.77 million in 2017 to approximately 2.49 million at the end of 2025. At the same time, investments in 2025 fell for the first time in years, even in absolute monetary terms—and not just in relation to the inflation rate. For example, investments in railroads fell by half compared with the preceding year.
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