Residents near Yaroslavl protesting roads, gas, and basic communications isn’t some local tantrum — it’s a symptom. Russia’s regions have been financially hollowed out for years, and the war poured accelerant on the problem. Here’s the straight picture, without romance: Russia’s federal budget is increasingly centralized and militarized. Money flows upward to Moscow and sideways into the war. What doesn’t happen is money flowing back down to regions for boring but essential things like roads, ga