Parts of Russia are canceling New Year’s parties to redirect funds to the war in Ukraine

New Year’s illuminations in St. Petersburg. Image used for illustration only.

Artem Priakhin/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Officials in two Russian regions have said public bodies won’t be holding New Year’s parties this year.The regions said that they’re planning to redirect funds to the war in Ukraine instead, per reports.This would be the third year of Russia scaling back celebrations in part to fund its war efforts.

The governments of several Russian regions have decided not to hold New Year’s parties, with many proposing to allocate savings to funding the war in Ukraine, according to multiple reports.

The heads of the regions of Buryatia and Sakha, both in the east of the country, announced the move this week, according to The Moscow Times.

The Buryatia region’s Telegram account proposed using the saved funds for those participating in the war, and encouraged others to do the same.

“It’s wrong for public administrators and local governments to hold such events when the country is conducting a special military operation,” the region’s government said, per The Moscow Times’ translation.

There will also be no fireworks as part of public celebrations to mark the season in the region’s capital, Ulan-Ude, local outlet Arigus reported.

In Sakha, Russia’s largest region, public institutions will not hold lavish celebrations, local outlet Yakutia 24 reported.

It is the third year in a row that cities and regions in Russia have scaled back festive celebrations.

In 2022, authorities in Tomsk, as well as Saint Petersburg, Sakha, Yaroslavl, and Nizhny Novgorod, all toned down festivities, The Telegraph reported at the time.

In addition to Buryatia and Sakha, several other regions have also said they’ll be scaling back this year and sending funds to the military, according to Russian outlet Vedomosti.

Leningrad’s governor announced plans to limit concerts and celebrations in favor of supporting the war efforts.

New Year is Russia’s main festive celebration in December, as the country celebrates Christmas on January 7, in accordance with the practices of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Russian children traditionally receive gifts for New Year. The governments in both Buryatia and Sakha said that children’s festivities wouldn’t be affected.

There are signs that Russia’s public sector is under strain, with large layoffs planned in 2025.

Russia is expected to lay off at least 40,000 government officials next year, according to a report by the Russian Kommersant newspaper.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered regional branches of federal government agencies to cut staff by 10% by July, per the outlet, which said that the cuts are designed to make the civil service more efficient and raise the salaries of existing staff.

It would also allow more people to enter Russia’s labor market, which is experiencing a widespread shortage of workers amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Many holiday celebrations have been affected by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the last years, not least Ukraine’s own.

Ukraine is bracing itself for rolling blackouts this winter, per the Atlantic Council.