Russia’s actual military expenditures exceed the officially declared level by 66%, even when taking into account classified budget items. This conclusion was reached by the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND), following the analysis of the Russian Federation’s budget.
If the broader classification of NATO is used, which includes defense expenditures and construction projects, IT services or social insurance for the military, last year Russia’s budget would have spent approximately 250 billion euros on the military sector, compared to the officially declared 150 billion euros. According to BND estimates, in this way, the war machine would have consumed half of Russia’s budget, or about 10% of the GDP.
In 2024, according to NATO classification, Russia’s military expenditures reached approximately 200 billion euros — 62 billion euros more than indicated by Russian budgetary standards. In 2023, with official expenditures of 82 billion euros, the actual costs of war would have reached 136 billion euros, and in 2022 — 106 billion euros, compared to the officially declared 64 billion, according to the assessments of the German intelligence service.
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