Instead of war, Russia could have… built 6,400 schools or 2,770 hospitals in a single year

Column “Instead of war, Russia could have…”, No. 1. Sardaana News editorial position. Conversions are editorial calculations based on the sources listed.

Since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has spent enormous sums on its army, weapons, payments to soldiers and support for combat operations. Comparable money could have built thousands of schools, hundreds of large hospitals, millions of square metres of housing, bridges, railways and whole new city districts. This column will regularly show what exactly.

How much Russia spends

• 2025: SIPRI (Julian Cooper, March 2026) estimates Russia’s total federal military spending at about 16 trillion rubles — 7.5% of GDP and about 38% of all budget spending; with final budget execution possibly up to 16.2 trillion. Of this, the open “National defence” chapter reported by the Finance Ministry is 13.5 trillion (amended budget; SIPRI cites 13.6 trillion).
• 2026 (plan): SIPRI estimates total military spending at 14.9 trillion rubles (6.3% of GDP); the “National defence” chapter is 12.93 trillion. The difference: SIPRI adds military items from other chapters (security, social payments to the military, classified spending, etc.). SIPRI notes the 2026 budget is likely to be increased by amendments.

What 16 trillion rubles (one year, 2025) could build

Each row is a separate alternative: one or the other, not all at once.

Project	Reference cost	How many for 16 trillion
School for 1,100 pupils	~2.5 bn rubles (Moscow region: 2.16 bn — Korolyov, 2025; 2.5 bn — a 1,675-place school in Vidnoye)	~6,400 schools
470-bed hospital	5.77 bn rubles (Construction Ministry NTsS-2026 norm, base region)	~2,770 hospitals
50 m² flat	6.19 mn rubles (ministry norm of 123,700 rubles/m² for H2 2026)	~2.6 mn flats (≈129 mn m²)
Moscow–St Petersburg high-speed rail	2.349 trillion rubles	6 lines (6.8)
Lena-scale bridge	174.8 bn rubles	91 bridges

And for the whole period since 2022

According to SIPRI estimates, Russia’s military spending was: 2022 — ~6.65 trillion, 2023 — ~8.4 trillion, 2024 — ~14.0 trillion, 2025 — ~16.0 trillion rubles. Total for 2022–2025: about 45 trillion rubles (editorial calculation; about 60 trillion including the 2026 plan). That could have built about 18,000 schools or about 7,800 hospitals, or about 7.3 million flats.

Even counting only the extra spending above pre-war 2021 (4.86 trillion rubles per SIPRI), about 25.6 trillion rubles went to the war in 2022–2025 — roughly 10,000 schools or 4,400 hospitals.

Examples across Russia: poverty and broken infrastructure

One day of 2025 military spending is about 44 bn rubles (16 trillion / 365, editorial calculation). Shares of population below the poverty line are Rosstat data for 2025.

• Kemerovo region (Kuzbass): 7.6% below the poverty line. The 2025–2027 programme to resettle residents of 54,400 m² of condemned housing (1,166 families) has 4.52 bn rubles — about 2.5 hours of military spending (NGS42).
• Khabarovsk territory: 6.9% below the poverty line. Utility infrastructure is more than 54% worn out; water and sewage modernisation needs more than 100 bn rubles (Habinfo) — about 2.3 days of military spending.
• Ivanovo region: 7.3% below the poverty line; the average wage in July 2026 was 62,829 rubles, the lowest in the Central Federal District (168.ru). The 2024–2030 resettlement programme covers 44,500 m² and 2,450 people (regional government); at the regional norm (94,602 rubles/m²) that is about 4.2 bn rubles — under 2.5 hours of military spending.
• Pskov region: 8.6% below the poverty line. Gas coverage is about 53%, roughly half of settlements have no piped gas (PLN); about 8,000 households have been connected under the “additional gasification” programme (Gazprom Mezhregiongaz Pskov).
• Yakutia: 11.9% below the poverty line — ninth-highest in Russia. Of 1,165 boiler houses almost half are more than 60% worn; 4,300 km of heating networks are 48% worn; Aisen Nikolaev says utility subsidies for 2026 are 10 bn rubles short (YSIA) — about 5.5 hours of military spending.

What it would mean for Yakutia

• Year-round roads instead of winter ice roads and ferries, linking the uluses with Yakutsk.
• New utility networks and boiler houses, so winter does not turn into a state of emergency.
• Warm, modern housing instead of condemned and dilapidated buildings.
• District hospitals and schools in every ulus.

The whole Lena bridge (174.8 bn rubles) is about 1.1% of 2025 military spending per SIPRI (1.3% of the “National defence” chapter) — roughly four days. Civilian infrastructure pays off for decades: it lowers costs, keeps people in place and grows the economy. Even part of the extra war spending could be a huge renewal programme for the republic.