Last year, Russia spent significantly more money on military needs than previously thought. This is evidenced by an analysis by the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND). According to the analysis, expenditures could have been up to 66% higher than officially stated. This is reported by Der Spiegel, writes UNN.
Details
According to the BND, Moscow did not attribute certain defense department construction projects, army IT projects, or social payments for military personnel to the Ministry of Defense, but rather reflected them in other budget items.
The BND notes that the Russian interpretation of defense spending differs significantly from NATO's definition. In addition, information on defense spending from official Russian sources is often distorted.
According to the BND, Russia's defense budget has grown significantly every year since the start of the war against Ukraine in February 2022. Thus, German intelligence estimates Russia's military spending last year at approximately 250 billion euros, which is about 10% of Russia's GDP.
For comparison: the share of Russia's military spending in 2022, at the beginning of the war, was 6% of GDP, in 2023 - 6.7%, and in 2024 - 8.5%.
These figures specifically reflect the growing threat to Europe from Russia
Military funds are spent not only on the war against Ukraine, but also on the additional creation and development of military capabilities, particularly near NATO's eastern flank.
BND President Martin Jaeger, during a public hearing of intelligence chiefs in mid-October, warned without directly mentioning the growing military potentials:
"Russia masks its intentions and actually seeks to test our borders." Europe should prepare for a further escalation of the situation. Moscow's actions are aimed at undermining NATO, destabilizing European democracies, dividing societies, and intimidating.