Russia plans to increase defense spending by $30 billion next year and is trying to hide it from population - ISW
In 2025, the Russian government plans to increase defence spending. However, the government is trying to focus on the planned social spending and avoid the topic of increased defence spending.
According to Censor.NET, this is stated in a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
On Sunday, 29 September, the Russian Cabinet of Ministers approved the draft federal budget for 2025-2027 and will submit it to the State Duma by 1 October. According to the draft, Russia's federal revenues in 2025 will grow by almost 12% compared to 2024, and the share of non-oil and gas revenues in the federal budget will increase to 73%.
On 23 September, Bloomberg reported that it had seen the draft three-year budget of the Russian Federation. According to the document, the Russian government plans to spend 13.2 trillion rubles (about $140 billion) on defence in 2025, which is more than the 10.4 trillion rubles (about $110 billion) planned for 2024.
The agency said that in 2025, Russia plans to spend approximately 40% on national defence and internal security, a share that exceeds the combined expenditure on education, healthcare, social policy and the federal economy. The Kremlin will increase spending on classified items from 11.1 trillion rubles (about $117 billion) in 2024 to 12.9 trillion rubles (about $136 billion) in 2025.
"Russia plans to fulfil all social obligations"
At the same time, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said on 24 September that the government plans to fulfil "all social obligations to citizens" and stressed the planned funding for healthcare, pensions, and national projects.
Finance Minister Anton Siluanov acknowledged that "significant resources" are being allocated to the "special military operation" (SMO), but stressed that 40 trillion rubles (about $424 billion) will go to 19 national projects over six years - twice the funding allocated for the period from 2019 to 2024.
Siluanov also stressed that Russia plans to spend 180 billion rubles (about $1.9 billion) on modernising its utility infrastructure and preferential mortgage programmes.
"Kremlin officials likely fear war fatigue among the Russian population and are trying to stoke public support for the war by emphasising the Kremlin's focus on social projects," the ISW report says.
