Military spending by the Russian Federation in the first half of 2025 reached a historical high of 8.48 trillion rubles (equivalent to $105.59 billion). This figure significantly exceeds last year’s levels: spending on the army and weapons production increased by 31% compared to the same period in 2024, by 95% compared to January-June 2023, and by 200% compared to the first year of the full-scale invasion.
This is reported by Finway
Secrecy Levels and Rising Costs
Every day, Russia spends about 46.9 billion rubles on the war against Ukraine, which corresponds to $583.69 million. On a monthly basis, this amounts to over 1.4 trillion rubles—a sum that exceeds the annual budgets of many impoverished regions of Russia. At the same time, about 62% of the military budget of the Russian Federation remains classified. Over the year, the volume of closed expenditures increased by 41%, and compared to the first half of 2022, it rose by nearly 300%.
“Almost two-thirds (62%) of the military budget in Russia is classified. Over the year, the secret budget increased by 41%, and compared to January-June of the first year of the full-scale war, it rose by nearly 300%.”
From 2022 to 2024, the Russian government spent over 20 trillion rubles on the army and state defense orders. The budget for 2025 includes an additional 13.5 trillion rubles under the ‘national defense’ item, which constitutes 30% of all state expenditures—a record share since the Soviet Union.
Ukraine’s Defense Spending and the Economic Situation in Russia
At the same time, Ukraine allocates about 66% of its state budget expenditures for defense: in the first half of 2025, these expenses reached 1.7 trillion hryvnias.
Meanwhile, the economic situation in Russia is deteriorating. Finance Minister Anton Siluanov informed the Kremlin leadership that economic growth in 2025 could fall nearly in half from expectations—to 1.5%. In comparison, in 2024, the economy grew by 4.1%. According to Rosstat, in the first half of the year, GDP grew by only 1.2%, and in the second quarter—by 1.1%. The International Monetary Fund predicts that by the end of 2025, the Russian economy will add only 0.9%.