Putin's government is considering introducing a new policy to control the Russian people's movements.
16:19, Wed, Mar 18, 2026 Updated: 16:22, Wed, Mar 18, 2026
Putin's government is considering introducing a new policy to control the Russian people's movements (Image: Getty)
Russia is planning to introduce a mandatory "exit fee" for every Russian citizen travelling abroad, it has been claimed. According to Kyrylo Shevchenko, the former Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine, in a post on X on Wednesday (March 18), the Kremlin is moving to implement a flat fee that every Russian national must pay to the state budget each time they cross the border to leave the country.
This applies to all non-business or non-diplomatic travel - effectively implementing a tax on tourism and private visits. According to Mr Shevchenko, the move is aimed at boosting domestic tourism and keeping holiday spending "inside the country". "The Kremlin is desperately short of cash," the banker said, quoting the Moscow Times, which has said that Russian oil and gas revenues "are plunging under sanctions pressure". "The wartime economic surge is fading fast, and the 2026 deficit keeps widening. Instead of trimming defence outlays, Moscow is rolling out new levies and hiking existing taxes."
The Kremlin is looking to implement a flat fee that every national must pay when they leave Russia (Image: Getty)
This includes increasing VAT to 22% - a move made by the Kremlin in January - higher corporate rates and progressive income tax, when Russia implemented a five-tier progressive personal income tax (NDFL) system in January 2025, replacing its previous flat 13% rate. Rates now range from 13% to 22% based on annual income, targeting higher earners to increase state revenue. The 13% base rate applies to annual incomes up to 2.4 million rubles (just under £21,500).
These changes, Mr Shevchenko has said, are "quietly passing the burden onto ordinary people" in Russia.
The Russian government is trying to stem the outflow of currency from the country, at a time when energy revenues are stagnating and the costs of the ongoing war remain high. Since the invasion of Ukraine and subsequent sanctions, hundreds of thousands of middle-class Russians have spent their savings abroad, including in countries like Turkey, the UAE and Central Asia.
❗Russia is planning to introduce a special “exit fee” on every trip abroad for its citizens. Officially pitched as a way to boost domestic tourism & keep vacation spending inside the country, the real driver is far simpler & more urgent: the Kremlin is desperately short of cash.… pic.twitter.com/9lnpRXurIk
"As for me, the best way to contain [Russian] narratives is an iron curtain: let every Russian stay locked inside their borders and never travel anywhere ever again. #MakeRussiaPay #RussiaEconomy," he added.
This comes as it was revealed last week that Vladimir Putin and Iran’s extremist Government have reportedly formed an alliance to “hijack the global economy”, according to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper. Speaking to the Press Association during a visit to Saudi Arabia, the Foreign Secretary linked the threat from Iran to that from Russia, a key ally of Tehran. She said: “We have seen these links between Russia and Iran over an extended period of time.
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“We’re seeing it in terms of technology, we see it in terms of the approach, we see it in terms of these kinds of tactics, and we see it in terms of the way these two states try to support each other and try to benefit together from attempting to hijack the global economy.”
She added: “We are very clear about the threat from both Russia and from Iran to the global economy and to all of our wellbeing.”
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