Mounting defence expenditure is widening Russia’s budget deficit and increasing strain across its wartime economy, as business and consumer sentiment weakens and economic growth slows.

Economists note, however, that these difficulties do not point to an immediate financial meltdown or economic collapse. High global oil prices linked to the Iran war continue to shore up essential export revenues, allowing the state to fund its four-and-a-half-year-old invasion of Ukraine – for now.

In addition, low unemployment rates and generous government spending in poorer regions are helping to suppress domestic discontent.

This economic baseline fits the Kremlin’s narrative of stability during Russia’s stage-managed parliamentary election, which began on Friday and runs until Sunday.

Yet experts caution that underlying long-term challenges are steadily weakening the economy, creating risks that could eventually precipitate a crisis.

Consumers are more pessimistic

Indicators of consumer sentiment have drifted down since a peak in 2024-25, when increased military spending was pumping up growth and wages. More recently, consumers have coped with higher fuel prices and shortages due to Ukrainian drone attacks that knocked out refineries.

Many small businesses have lost inventory and customers due to strikes against online retailers Wildberries and Ozon.

At the same time, growth has slowed from a peak of over 4 per cent annual expansion in 2023-24. The government foresees 0.6 per cent this year, and the economy shrank in the first quarter before rebounding somewhat in the second.

The consumer sentiment index compiled by the Levada Centre, an independent Russian pollster, fell to 94 over the summer, down from 116 in spring and summer of 2025. Readings under 100 indicate that consumer sentiment is more negative than positive.

People asked about the election in Moscow responded with mostly basic concerns about pensions and prices.

Alexander Vertukhin, a 72-year-old retired military prosecutor, said the government should be focusing on “a decent standard of living for pensioners”.

As for his own situation, “I’m doing fine, both financially and in every other respect”, he said.

“Overall I’d like housing to become more affordable, I’d like pensioners to be able to live decently instead of merely surviving,” said Dmitry Kirillin, 26.

“I’d also like travel in our country to be more affordable. Those are the main things that first come to mind, if I gave it more thought I could probably name more.”

He added, “I’d like prices to rise more slowly, if that’s possible in the current situation.”

The fuel situation and Wildberries strikes have made the war more visible to people but do not constitute a crisis, said Chris Weafer, CEO of the Macro-Advisory Ltd. consultancy active across the former Soviet Union. He described the economy as in a state of “tolerable stability” and the public mood as “grumbling” but not protesting.

“The economy is under strain – it’s stagnant to the effect that it’s stable but not growing,” Mr Weafer said.

“But it’s not facing recession either.”

Most people “are not that affected” by the Ukrainian strikes, he said. “Just because your shopping habits are disrupted, that’s not going to change the public support for the Kremlin.”

President Vladimir Putin’s approval rating has declined in recent months but remains higher than it was before the war started in 2022.

Russia’s budget deficit is climbing

One key sign of stress is Russia’s budget deficit and the government’s efforts to find new sources of money. Putin has resorted to increasing value-added tax paid by consumers at the cash register, raising a raft of other fees and tightening taxation of small businesses. But the deficit has continued to climb.

By the end of July, budget data showed a deficit of 2.8 per cent of annual economic output – almost twice the original annual budget target. Available resources in Russia’s reserve fund have dwindled to 1.6 per cent of GDP, meaning the Kremlin needs to borrow from domestic banks.

That, however, means paying high borrowing costs, with interest rates on Russian bonds as high as 17 per cent, according to Janis Kluge, an expert on Russia’s finances at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs.

Budget stress is “adding to doubts about how long Russia can sustain the war”, he wrote in a recent report. Russia’s central bank has kept rates high to contain the inflation caused by war spending. That stresses civilian companies who don’t get the privileged access to credit afforded defence firms.

Another source of war funding has been increased private lending by Russia’s compliant banks to defence-related companies, meaning those debts are not showing up in the deficit figures.

Western sanctions hit hard

Over the long term, Western sanctions deprive Russia of new investment that would make the economy more productive.

And the risk factors – high spending, low growth, rising debt and elevated borrowing costs – lead some economists to warn that while Russia’s economy has not collapsed, its structural foundations are eroding dangerously.

The current trajectory is “unsustainable”, according to Torbjörn Becker at the Stockholm School of Economics. Still, “the timing of a crisis remains highly uncertain”.

Higher oil prices help Russia

Oil export earnings, which had fallen below US$10 billion per month ahead of the Iran war, rebounded to $15.8 billion by June and $13.8 billion in July.

Russia’s budget constraints “may effectively disappear for as long as elevated energy prices persist,” Mr Becker wrote.

To change that, tougher measures against Russia’s sanctions-evading oil tanker fleet must be a priority, he argued.

Poor regions benefit from war spending

Money for defence factories and enlistment bonuses has been a boon to Russia’s provinces, which are poorer than Moscow and St. Petersburg. With factories often running full blast, unemployment is just 2.2 per cent nationwide.

The Uralvagonzavod tank factory in Nizhny Tagil in the Urals region increased its workforce from about 20,000 to more than 38,000 since the invasion of Ukraine as it launched 24-hour production, according to a recent report from the Centre for Strategic & International Studies on Russia’s defence industries.

Kupol, which makes drones and surface-to-air missiles, is the largest industrial enterprise in the Udmurtia region on the Volga River and more than doubled its output in 2025.

Shortages of skilled labor are restraining production in defence firms and across the economy, compounded by the emigration of several hundred thousand mostly younger people due to fears of conscription and political repression.

Kremlin says stability is ‘ensured’

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said month-to-month deficit figures were volatile and that “this is not a figure that should be cause for concern. Macroeconomic stability is absolutely ensured.”

But the chief economist of Russia’s state-owned VEB.RF state development bank, Andrei Klepach, warned in a speech that due to sanctions and economic isolation, “we’re falling behind in the technological and economic competition in the world”, and that “we can’t win the competition in this war of attrition”.

He was fired.

A US hotel guest said he was forced to leave the building via a fire escape at around 1:15am before hearing what he believed were “a couple of explosions”.

Jeff Gardner, 44, said over a hundred people had rushed out of the hotel in the early hours of the morning, with many left watiting for hours before being given somewhere to stay.

Mr Gardner, who is from Texas, was staying at the hotel as part of an ancestry trip, where he was visiting places connected to the results of his DNA test. The fire broke out on the first night of his two-night stay.

He said he saw “grey smoke that turned blacker,” and heard “a couple of explosions” which he assumed were cars or gas tanks blowing up.

Describing how some guests had been forced to leave the hotel without being fully dressed, he said: “Some people in pyjamas and one guy just had some sweatpants on,” he said. At least I got my clothes. I didn’t get my bag. I don’t have my passport.”

The 55-year-old’s sudden death has prompted an outpouring of tributes

Funeral details have been announced for the a Co Tyrone-born priest who died suddenly, less than two weeks after taking up a new role in Co Louth.

Fr Mark O’Hagan, originally from Coalisland, had spent more than two decades serving the Dundalk community before becoming parish priest of Ardee, Collon and Ballapousta in Co Louth earlier this month.

The 55-year-old’s sudden death was announced by both parishes on Friday, prompting an outpouring of tributes from parishioners and organisations in the area. He had only taken up his new position on September 6, having celebrated his first Mass at the Church of Mary Immaculate in Collon just last Sunday.

St Patrick’s Parish in Dundalk said it was “saddened to share the news of the sudden death of our previous parish priest”.

Fr Mark had served in Dundalk since shortly after his ordination, working as curate, administrator and parish priest during his 22 years in the town.

His death notice described him as the beloved son of Irene and the late Joe, cherished brother of Dwyer (Majella), Sinead (Steven) and John (Sonia), much loved uncle to Caoilean, Connor, Caoimhín, Coleen, Dara, Kate, Emily-Rose, Joseph, Rory and Eathan and granduncle to Ada and Donnchadh.

It added that his death is deeply regretted by his loving family circle, Archbishop Eamon Martin DD, Cardinal Seán Brady JCD, Bishop Michael Router DD, the clergy and religious of the Archdiocese of Armagh, his parishioners, former parishioners and many friends.

On Saturday, September 19 there will be a public visitation from 5pm and lying in repose for Mass at 6.30pm in the Church of the Nativity of Our Lady, Ardee. Arrival at 9.30pm for Night Prayer in St. Patrick’s Church, Dundalk.

On Sunday, September 20, his remains will be lying in repose for the 9am and 11am Masses in St. Patrick’s Church, Dundalk, with removal following the 11am Mass to repose at Fr. Mark’s family home, Lisnastrane Park, Coalisland BT71 4PW.

On Monday, September 21, Requiem Mass will be held in Holy Family Church, Coalisland at 2pm. Burial afterwards in the cemetery adjacent to St. Mary and St. Joseph’s Church, Coalisland.

Speaking to the Dundalk Argus before leaving St Patrick’s at the end of August, Fr Mark reflected on the difficulty of departing a community where he had spent his entire priestly ministry.

“It’s with a very heavy heart that I am leaving, but that is part of the priesthood. My whole ministry has been in Dundalk, so it will be strange going somewhere else.”

He had previously described his departure as emotional, while acknowledging that moving between parishes was part of his vocation.

“I am leaving with a heavy heart…my whole ministry has been in Dundalk,” he told the local newspaper.

His new parishes also confirmed his death in a statement, saying they were “with deep sadness” sharing the news of the “unexpected death this morning of our parish priest”.

“We mourn such a profound loss and especially remember Fr. Mark’s family in our prayers in these days.”

One parishioner recalled his first Mass in Collon last Sunday, saying he had spoken enthusiastically about his plans for the coming decade before eventually retiring.

Tributes have also been paid by the Order of Malta Ireland’s Dundalk Ambulance Corps, which said Fr Mark had made a lasting impact during his years serving the community.

“During his many years of service, he touched the lives of countless people through his kindness, dedication and commitment to his parish community.”

Dundalk South councillor Sionainn McCann also paid tribute to the priest, remembering his connection to Dundalk and his personality.

“Terrible news. Fr. Mark originally from Coalisland always had a smile and joke ready. He cared deeply about the town and will be sorely missed.”

Before entering the priesthood, Fr Mark studied business and worked at Belfast’s Europa Hotel before deciding to pursue his vocation.

Reflecting on his years in Dundalk in his interview with the Argus, he said his approach to priesthood had always centred on the community he served.

“My ministry has always been one of serving the people.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

The popular country music artist married longtime love Simon Sheerin in Kilronan Castle back in 2022

Cliona Hagan says the years have flown by, four years on from her magical wedding to husband Simon Sheerin.

The country music star tied the knot in 2022, and said the day was filled with love and laughter.

Co Tyrone woman Cliona and Simon “loved every bit” of their wedding day.

“My husband Simon and I got married at Kilronan Castle in Roscommon and it was absolutely magical,” Cliona told RSVP Magazine.

“We can’t believe it has been four years, where has the time gone? We loved every bit of it.

“It was quite a big wedding, there were almost 200 people at it. It took a year to plan.

“Thank goodness I had a fantastic wedding planner to help me out with it, otherwise I would have gotten nothing done!”

On the morning of the wedding, Cliona felt very calm.

She said: “I thought I was going to be jumping around the place but I was actually really calm and relaxed. To be honest, I just couldn’t wait to see Simon.

“We spend so much time with each other and we work with each other too, so it was so weird being away from him the night before and morning of.”

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Cliona’s father-in-law sang for the couple’s first dance, which is the standout memory of the day for the singer.

She said: “We went for What God Has Joined Together. It’s quite an old song and I had never heard it before, but Simon’s dad was up there, singing it with a guitar and I just thought it was so special.

“It is something we always remember about the day and it is a really lovely memory to have.”

For any future brides currently planning their wedding, Cliona has simple advice: “This is going to sound crazy, but I would actually say, have a sandwich before the ceremony!

“Hunger ramps up with excitement and emotions of the day. I personally couldn’t eat a lot before I went to the chapel, but afterwards I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to faint if I don’t have food!’.

“So I would recommend having a sandwich or snack beforehand, because it’s going to be another few hours before you have your dinner.

“Another tip is to take some time out together when you get to your venue.

“As soon as we got to Kilronan Castle, we took some time to go to our room and decompress and have a moment for ourselves before getting back into the swing of things.

“We didn’t get photographs for half an hour after we arrived.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

By OLLIE LEWIS, SPORTS DIGITAL EDITOR

Published: 11:38 BST, 19 September 2026 | Updated: 12:14 BST, 19 September 2026

West Ham received a hostile welcome from Millwall supporters ahead of their London derby. 

The London foes are set to reignite one of English football’s fiercest rivalries for the first time in 14 years as Nuno Espirito Santo‘s Championship leaders travel to The Den to face Alex Neil’s underdogs.

The Met Police confirmed this week that additional measures have been put in place to help ensure the match passes off safely, with approximately 400 officers on duty for the game.

And in the build up to kick off, Millwall fans set the tone by booing and shouting at the Hammers as they arrived at The Den. 

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One fan could be heard yelling: ‘You f***ing n**heads’ as the team bus pulled in. 

Others shouted ‘f*** off’ and directed x-rated hand gestures at the coach.  

It was a relatively quiet build up to kick off following a Friday night crackdown, with 26 people arrested after a fight was arranged at The Carpenters pub in Stratford – a popular local pub for West Ham fans. 

Hammers boss Santo urged fans to refrain from violence ahead of kick off.

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He said: ‘What we want most is that everything goes well, both fans supporting their teams and no conflict. We have people inside the club who are taking care of that. We have to focus on our tasks.’ 

More to follow. 

West Ham players received a hostile welcome from Millwall supporters on Saturday morning

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A Millwall fan aims an x-rated hand gesture at West Ham’s bus as it arrived at The Den

There was a large police presence as the Met kept opposing supporters apart

Police have issued a public appeal

A 16-year-old boy has been taken to hospital with serious injuries following a crash with a lorry on the A1. Officers and paramedics were called at about 6.30pm on Thursday (September 17) to the southbound carriageway of the A1, at Thornhaugh, near Peterborough.

A white DAF lorry was involved in the collision with a stationary black Toyota Yaris. A 16-year-old boy, from Peterborough, who had got out of the Yaris suffered serious injuries and was taken to Peterborough City Hospital.

The HGV driver, a 54-year-old man from Wigan, was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by careless driving. The road remained closed while recovery took place but has since reopened.

The force has issued a public appeal for information. Anyone with who saw what happened or has footage should use reference 35/72248/26 and report it through the force website. Anyone without internet access should call 101.

Roman artefacts including an urn and pottery were found buried with the woman

The Romans played an important part in history, and Cambridgeshire too. Some Roman remnants discovered in Cambridgeshire weren’t always visible – with several excavations uncovering important artefacts in our county.

Following an excavation at Hey Hill in Barton in 1908, a large discovery was made. Archaeologists found a Roman barrow, an ancient burial site which is considered rare by Historic England.

Inside the barrow was a stone coffin without a cover, which contained a disjointed skeleton of a young woman, according to Capturing Cambridge. Alongside the woman’s body, there were a number of other items including two bone hairpins, goose and cockerel bones, and also a pig and sheep tooth. She was also buried with fragments of Roman pottery and a Roman urn. On the outside of her coffin, 27 hobnails were found.

During the excavation of Hey Hill and buried above the woman, there was evidence of a second burial that took place. A decapitated skeleton was found, and it was thought to date to Anglo-Saxon times.

Because of the important discoveries, Hey Hill is now recognised as a scheduled monument. This means it is recognised as a nationally important archaeological site and is given legal protection against unauthorised change.

The Danish government expressed guarded optimism on Saturday following Donald Trump’s announcement of a deal regarding Greenland, which aims to boost the US military footprint while maintaining Danish authority over the island.

The agreement comes after months of threats from the U.S. president to take over the semiautonomous territory of a fellow NATO member.

A similar stance was taken by Greenland’s top diplomat, who noted that the arrangement had been a long time coming.

On Friday, Trump declared that the accord would provide the United States with “permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland, completely addressing ALL of our many U.S. concerns.”

The office of Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, confirmed that representatives from all three governments will sign the agreement next week at the United Nations General Assembly.

Ratification by the Danish and Greenland parliaments remains necessary before the deal can take effect.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen wrote on Instagram on Saturday morning: “Next week could be a good week … for Greenland, Denmark, and the United States alike.”

He added: “A period of uncertainty will hopefully be replaced by a binding agreement that strengthens security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic — and thus also our shared security within NATO and Europe — while respecting the Kingdom’s red lines,”

The foreign minister of Greenland, Múte B. Egede, said he was pleased that “we now have an agreement within reach.”

“It has taken some time,” he told Denmark’s TV2 broadcaster. “I’m pleased that we finally have an end product within reach. And it’s about time.”

Trump said that with the agreement, the U.S. would “immediately” begin the process of developing a larger military presence on the mineral-rich Danish territory.

The U.S. had long held several bases and installations on the Arctic territory through the Cold War, before dialing back its presence.

It still operates the remote Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, built after the U.S. and Denmark signed the Defense of Greenland Treaty in 1951. It supports missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance operations for the U.S. and NATO.

Few details about the deal are known so far

A U.S. State Department official said the agreement bans any non-NATO base in Greenland, limits adversaries from being able to make investments in Greenland, and guarantees that China and Russia cannot have a base on the island. The official was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

U.S., Greenlandic and Danish officials had quietly negotiated for months behind the scenes, searching for solutions to address some of Trump’s security concerns about a territory of roughly 56,000 residents.

With the announcement of the pact, Trump is able to tout a foreign policy achievement ahead of the midterm elections in the U.S.

After his return to the White House last year, Trump had called on Denmark to sell the island to the U.S., while insisting Greenland is crucial for U.S. security. He pointedly wouldn’t rule out taking the island by military force, even though Denmark is a NATO ally of the U.S.

Denmark and Greenland repeatedly said the island is not for sale and condemned reports of the U.S. gathering intelligence there. The U.S. push for Greenland was also fiercely opposed by Russia and much of Europe.

Greenland grassroots pro-sovereignty activist Orla Joelsen wrote on X that “our fight against Trump’s ambition to take over Greenland has been won.”

“The new agreement explicitly recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark and the Greenlandic people’s right to self-determination,” the activist added.

By FRANCINE WOLFISZ, NEWS REPORTER

Published: 11:34 BST, 19 September 2026 | Updated: 11:40 BST, 19 September 2026

An illegal migrant Deliveroo rider who dragged a woman off the street ‘like a ragdoll’ before raping her has been jailed for 21 years.

Following the vicious assault, which left his victim feeling ‘destroyed’, Salem Rekoub, 28, was caught on CCTV wearing his turquoise uniform and smirking as he followed her ambulance to hospital, because he wanted to ‘get to the woman again’.

Rekoub, who was dubbed a public danger by the judge, arrived in Britain on a tourist visa in 2023. He did not have the right to work in the UK. 

Isleworth Crown Court heard that he took advantage of the woman, who is in her 40s, after seeing her ‘semi-conscious’ at a bus stop.

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Rekoub then dragged her down a side road in Chelsea, West London, before finding a gap between cars where he attacked her in July 2024. 

During the 17-minute assault, the woman drifted in and out of consciousness while he repeatedly told her: ‘You need to be quiet’.

His victim was left with 33 bruises across her body.

Rekoub then called 999 and told operators a ‘pack of lies’, said prosecutors, as he tried to deceive them over what had happened.

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Deliveroo rider Salem Rekoub, 28, who had no right to work in the UK, has been jailed for 21 years for raping a woman

Rekoub was caught on CCTV walking along the corridors of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in a bid to ‘get to the woman again’ after being taken there by ambulance following her ordeal

He told a paramedic the woman had ‘too much to drink’, before telling police, under an assumed name, that he was simply a concerned passerby.

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Rekoub then followed his victim’s ambulance to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, where cameras recorded him walking through corridors and looking into triage rooms in an attempt to find her. 

When one hospital worker asked him what he was doing, he said: ‘I’m here to find someone.’

As his victim recovered, she was able to tell paramedics what happened and Rekoub was arrested nine days later. 

The court heard the woman, who must remain anonymous for legal reasons, had been left in ‘an almost catatonic state’ since the attack, and has suffered seizures. She has also spent time in a mental health treatment centre.

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In a victim impact statement read to the court, she said: ‘This has destroyed my life and I am not the same person.

‘It has killed me and made me feel worthless. I tried to take my own life because I felt like I could not cope.

‘I have been left in a constant state of fear. I couldn’t escape because he told me to be quiet and had his hands around my throat.

‘I have been left completely numb and disassociated. I have begun to have seizures and my speech has become slurred.’

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The court heard how the woman had been out with friends and had taken a bus home but got off early because she was feeling unwell. She passed out at the bus stop, where she was then found by Rekoub.

Following a trial by jury, Rekoub was found guilty of three counts of rape, and two counts of assaulting a female by penetration.

His defence told the court he had been a promising footballer who was almost selected for the Algerian team, but a knee injury had cut short his career.

A Deliveroo spokesman said: ‘We are appalled by these truly horrific crimes and our thoughts are with the victims and their families.

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‘This individual was not a verified rider on our platform, but a criminal who abused our systems to gain access illegally.

‘We have since significantly strengthened the measures to control who can access our platform – and continue to invest to combat any abuse.’