Putin's Spokesperson: The Russian Economy Risks "Spiraling Out Of Control"

• 1.09.2026, 21:50

Boris Titov publicly warned the Russian dictator.

Boris Titov, the representative of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin on international development, stated that the Russian economy risks “spiraling out of control,” if its management is focused entirely on the needs of the military-industrial complex.

He made this statement on Tuesday, September 1, according to the news agency Reuters.

As journalists note, these comments represent a rare expression of concern within Kremlin circles regarding the growing pressure on the slowing economy.

Titov, appointed in 2024 as Putin’s special representative to international organizations on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, is a wealthy businessman who previously owned a leading Russian producer of sparkling wines. He headed an influential business lobby and ran for president in 2018.

“The military and civilian economies have always existed in symbiosis everywhere. Many technical inventions that benefit everyone originated in the military-industrial complex. The key to success lies in maintaining a balance,” Titov said.

Russia has raised taxes, begun redistributing property, welcomed business contributions to fund the war, and recently even threatened business owners who have not made sufficient efforts to protect their facilities from Ukrainian drones.

Reuters reports that supporters of the war and some government officials often cite the reorganization of the Soviet economy under dictator Joseph Stalin during World War II as a model, quoting the slogan of that time: “Everything for the front, everything for victory.”

This approach is meeting with cautious but growing resistance from various sectors, the journalists note.

“This isn’t an economy at all; it’s a kind of ‘berserk mode’ that can only exist for a very limited time, and the necessity of which must be weighed very carefully,” Titov said.