Putin approves record defense spending - a third of the budget

Putin approves record defense spending - a third of the budget

The Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved a record defense office that includes an astonishing third of the entire government spending, while the war in Ukraine exhausted the resources of both sides for almost three years. The budget published for 2025 provides for around $ 126 billion (13.5 trillion rubles) for national defense, which corresponds to 32.5% of government spending.

increase in the defense budget

The new defense budget is about $ 28 billion (three trillion rubles) above the previous record value, which was set up at the beginning of this year. The new three -year plan predicts a slight decline in military expenditure for 2026 and 2027. The legislators of both chambers of the Russian parliament have approved the budget

The conflict in Ukraine

the War of Russia in Ukraine has been the greatest conflict in Europe since World War II. Moscow is currently making progress in important front lines and is fighting in the Tursk region - the only significant military success of Kiev this year. But the slow and grueling war, often referred to as a war of wear and tear, exhausted the resources of both countries.

support for Ukraine

Ukraine was always in a disadvantageous position in terms of material and staff, although they received billions of dollars from their western allies. Germany promised more than half a billion dollars of new military equipment on Monday.

economic challenges of Russia

Russia, on the other hand, has more weapons, more ammunition and more staff. But the pressure on its economy and population increases. In the past two years, Russia has massively increased its military spending, while its economy shows signs of overheating: inflation is high and companies are fighting with a shortage of labor. To control the situation, the Russian central bank raised interest rates to 21% in October - the highest level in decades.

continued military help for Ukraine

Ukraine continues to receive significant military support from its allies. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, one of the most important supporters of Ukraine, announced an additional 650 million euros ($ 684 million) on Monday, the delivery of which is planned for December.

losses and recruitment problems

Although Russia has a larger population than Ukraine, it suffers significant losses on the battlefield, and the recruitment of new troops is already a problem. Hundreds of thousands of men fled abroad in the last partial mobilization of the Russian army. In addition, North Korea recently sent a large number of soldiers to support Russia on the front. The Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj reported in November that around 11,000 North Korean soldiers are in Kursk.

arms deliveries from North Korea

Part of Russia's weapon technology also comes from North Korea and, according to the Ukrainian defense officials and a count of CNN, make up almost a third of the ballistic rockets fired this year against Ukraine. The North Korean troops could support Russia's efforts for some time, but it could be more difficult to compensate for the material losses.

This story has been updated with additional information. The rapporteurs of CNN include Fred Pleitgen, Daria Tarasova and Lex Harvey.