Russia spends almost one-third of its expenditure on defense - Reuters

This is reported by Reuters citing a document of the Russian government, according to Ukrinform.

They show that in the first half of 2023 alone, Russia spent 12%, or 600 billion roubles, more on defence than the 4.98 trillion roubles ($54 billion) it had originally targeted for 2023.

Defence spending in the first six months of 2023 amounted to 5.59 trillion roubles, 37.3% of a total 14.97 trillion roubles spent in the period.

Russia's budget plan envisages 17.1% of total funds spent on "National Defence".

It is noted that increased defense spending could increase Russia's budget deficit.

As reported, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Russia's military budget this year is about 6.6 trillion rubles (about $85.8 billion), but these costs may be higher.