Moscow pensioners will likely next year see their minimum benefits package raised by 544 rubles to 9,046 rubles ($215) a month, the City Duma said in a statement Monday.
The amount, called the minimum subsistence income, has been agreed by the City Duma's Commission on Social Policy and Labour Relations.
While a few months ago the 7.5 percent would have meant a real terms rise, sharp falls in the value of the ruble and price rises following Moscow's bans on food imports from Western countries have seen inflation rocket to 8 percent.
In Moscow, one of the world's most expensive cities, 9,046 rubles doesn't go far. It would buy you a cup of coffee from Starbucks every day, but leave you with no change at the end of the month. The average Moscow salary, meanwhile, is around 50,000 rubles ($1,200) a month.
