Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu says increasing spending by 50% in 2023 will ensure combat-ready units are saturated with weapons
FILE PHOTO OF Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu © Vadim Savitsky/Russian Defense Ministry/RIA Novosti
Russia is on track to spend nearly 1.5 as much money on defense next year as in 2022, the country’s Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has revealed. The official explained that the hike will help ensure a 97%-saturation of combat-ready units with weaponry and hardware.
Meanwhile, in late September, Vedomosti media outlet, citing government documents, claimed that Moscow spent 4,679 trillion rubles on defense ($77 billion) in 2022. According to journalists’ estimates at the time, the figure was expected to further rise next year and reach some five trillion rubles. The article also claimed the upward trend would continue into 2024.
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