According to estimates from the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense that analysts have access to, the war in Ukraine accounts for 13.1% of Russia’s GDP, or 68% of the entire federal budget. Additionally, substantial funds are also being allocated from regional budgets.
“Every two out of three budget rubles are spent on ‘shooting Ukraine'”, the researchers note. On average, Russia spends $0.857B daily, $25.7B monthly, and $308.7B yearly on the war in Ukraine. Overall, since 2022 the Russian Federation has spent about $1T on the war. The largest annual expenditure ($143.7B), or 47% of the total, is for supporting the production and purchase of weapons. The second-largest expense ($103.6B annually, or 34%) goes toward maintaining the strike group of Russian troops involved in fighting in Ukraine. Until recently, this group had 972,400 military personnel. Personnel costs amount to $50.7B per year (16%). Additionally, Moscow has paid Pyongyang more than $525M for approximately 12,000 servicemen involved in fighting in the Kursk region, along with another $60M for the losses of their military personnel. Russia’s spending on the maintenance of the temporarily occupied territories in Ukraine totals $10B.