For the first time, the Russian Ministry of Defense plans to postpone the payment of December salaries to some military personnel until January of next year, Bloomberg writes, linking this to the growing budget deficit. According to the draft order, from 2026 December payments will be moved from January 11 to January 21, while previously they had to be made before the end of the year. The changes will not affect military personnel participating in hostilities against Ukraine: they, as before, must receive payments in December before December 25. According to Bloomberg, the transfer will allow the Russian authorities to shift some of the costs to the next financial period amid a sharp increase in government spending. This year's budget expenditures are expected to reach 48.5 trillion rubles, about 10% higher than the original plan, and the deficit may rise to 7.3 trillion rubles, or 3.2% of GDP. The publication notes that the increase in the deficit is mainly due to military expenditures, which according to the budget plans will remain high in the coming years.