Russia set to spend record $200B on defense in 2026
The huge increase — roughly 40% higher than its original plan for the year — comes with the country’s budget and economy under growing pressure.
Russia is projected to allocate a record $200 billion to defense spending in 2026, marking a significant increase of around 40% compared to its initial plans for the year. This substantial budgetary commitment is set against a backdrop of a protracted conflict in Ukraine and mounting pressure on the country's budget and economy.
Analysts and scholars suggest that while Russia may be able to sustain these expenditures by printing money, the eventual burden will fall on its citizens, with political ramifications that could arise from the Kremlin's decisions on who should bear the costs and the manner in which this is communicated to the public.
Brief written by urgent.news from Semafor's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
