The Ministry of Defense is seeking to postpone the payment of the military allowances for December 2026 to January 2027 - for the first time since at least 2008, according to media reports. The reason is the federal budget deficit: for nine months it amounted to 5.2 trillion rubles, or 2.2% of GDP, which is 50% higher than last year, and by the end of the year it is expected to reach 7.3 trillion. The new rules will not affect military units conducting combat operations in Ukraine.