Putin spends blindly
The Kremlin leader will do everything to continue his war against Ukraine. As proof, a 2025 budget bill has just been unveiled, indicating that defense spending will reach nearly 13,500 billion rubles (130 billion euros).
A 30% increase in military spending. This is what the new budget plan, which still needs to be approved by the Duma provides, reports 20 Minutes. In 2024, over one year, the budget allocated to national military spending had already exploded by 70%. According to the Russian president, the amount constitutes, with security investments, 8.7% of GDP.
This project clearly proves that Moscow is anticipating a long war with Ukraine, without worrying about the risks of increased dependence of its economy on military orders, underlines 20 Minutes. The budget is being put forward regarldess of inflation (price increases) which reached 9.05% in August, severely impacting the purchasing power of the Russian population. Will the Kremlin remove its blinkers?
In addition, Vladimir Putin signed a decree to swell the ranks of the army, going from 1.32 million soldiers to 1.5 million. This decree will come into force in December.
(MH with Manon Pierre - Source: 20 Minutes - Picture: by Kremlin.ru via Wikicommons under license Creative commons CC-BY-4.0)