Russia Plans Record Defense Spending in 2025, Allocating 32.5% of Budget for Ukrainian Conflict

The Russian government has proposed a record-breaking defense budget for 2025, allocating 32.5% of its spending to military purposes, according to a draft budget released Monday, CNN reports.

The initiative represents a major increase from the reported 28.3% allocated in 2024.

The Ukrainian conflict, now in its second year, has become Europe’s largest conflict since World War II. While Ukraine receives billions in support from Western allies, Russia has been relying on its own resources.

The proposed budget outlines a defense expenditure of nearly 13.5 trillion rubles (over $145 billion), a three trillion rubles ($32 billion) more than the previous record set in 2024.

Despite this significant investment, the Russian government anticipates a decrease in defense spending in 2026.

The draft budget still needs to be approved by the State Duma, Russia’s lower parliament house, and the Federation Council, the upper house, before it can be signed into law by President Vladimir Putin.