Valery Tumin, a member of the expert council on the development of the digital economy under the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy, told socialbites.ca that Russians should see an unplanned pension increase of about 2 to 3 percent. In his view, signals from recent studies make an extraordinary indexation in the spring and summer of this year plausible. He suggested there should be another 2-3 percent boost, with the most likely recipients being non-working retirees. While support for working retirees is also visible, this would mark the first pension indexation since 2016. At the same time, the minimum wage, which many working seniors rely on for their income, is also expected to rise.
Tumin argued that the case for extraordinary pension indexation has ripened amid rising prices. He noted that the state budget has emphasized social spending since 2020, directing more resources toward welfare measures. By 2025, about 6.5 trillion rubles were allocated to social programs, a figure that underscores the government’s priority of cushioning households from inflation and economic shocks. He cited the continuity of social expenditure as a form of social protection, which many families rely on for housing, healthcare, and basic livelihood. The value of these programs goes beyond numbers; it shapes expectations among pensioners and their families about financial security in times of price volatility.
From January 1, 2025, pension payments rose by 7.3 percent. Igor Balynin, an associate professor in the Public Finance Department and a candidate of economic sciences at the Finance University under the Government of the Russian Federation, noted that pensions would be recalculated using the 9.52 percent inflation recorded at the end of 2024. He stressed that the indexation payments were planned to be issued for January 2025, and that the year could bring averages close to 25,000 rubles per month. The update reflects the government’s aim to align pension baskets with living costs while balancing budgetary constraints. For many retirees, even a modest increase matters, because pensions often form the main or sole source of income. The combination of higher pensions and the gradual rise in living costs demonstrates the government’s attempt to preserve purchasing power for seniors amid macroeconomic shifts.
Beyond these policy movements, there has been ongoing discussion about how pension rights are maintained for Russians who move to other countries. Issues such as cross-border coordination of benefits, pension portability, and continuity of payments have entered the public discourse as mobility increases. For households with planned relocations or family ties abroad, the question remains how to preserve pension accrual and ensure reliable income. There have been calls from economists and policymakers to clarify rules for pension transfers and to harmonize social protection with international practices. The topic matters to thousands of citizens who weigh opportunities in Canada, the United States, or other destinations while trying to safeguard their retirement security.
There have also been questions about how pension rights can be preserved when Russians relocate abroad, ensuring steady income and continuity of benefits across borders.