Putin Approves Budget to Increase Military Spending to Record Levels

Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved budget plans that will increase military spending for 2025 to record levels, as Moscow seeks victory in its war against Ukraine.

Approximately 32.5% of the published budget, made public on Sunday on a government website, has been allocated to national defense, amounting to 13.5 trillion rubles (more than $145 billion), compared to 28.3% this year.

The budget has already been approved by deputies from both chambers of the Russian parliament over the past ten days, according to the Associated Press.

The document, published on the official Russian decrees and laws website, shows that the focus of the budget is on military spending from 2025 to 2027. The national budget for next year includes a 25% increase in military spending. This will be the most secretive budget in post-Soviet Russia, as citizens will not be able to scrutinize nearly a third of the total expenditure.

The government states that the needs for what Moscow calls a special military operation in Ukraine and military support will remain priorities in the budget, alongside social needs and technological development.

The government described the budget proposal as “balanced,” with a projected deficit of 0.5%, down from the expected 1.7% deficit this year.