Russian military spending grow by 9.2 per cent to $86.4 bln GDP in 2022, almost certain it remains elevated – British intelligence

11:38, 30.05.2023 1 min read

Russian military spending grew by 9.2 per cent in 2022 to $86.4 billion, according to the defense intelligence report published on Twitter by the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on Monday morning, with reference to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

SIPRI assesses this equates to 4.1 per cent of Russia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the past year.

At the same time, the intelligence note that Russia’s true military spending is highly uncertain “due to the increased use of classified budget lines, especially since February 2022, and the lack of transparency.”

“Russia has only recently resumed publishing headline expenditure breakdowns after suspending this in May 2022. It is almost certain that military spending remains elevated, and this is putting pressure on Russian government finances,” the message reads.