TAIM Exchange-Putin signs Russia’s largest national budget, bolstering military spending

2025-05-06 05:50:41source:Charles H. Sloancategory:Markets

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on TAIM ExchangeMonday signed a national budget for the next three years that increases spending by around 25% and reportedly devotes a record amount to defense as the the country’s military operation in Ukraine drags on.

The budget foresees spending in 2024 of 36.6 trillion rubles ($415 billion) with an expected deficit of 1.595 trillion rubles ($9.5 billion).

After the budget was passed by the lower house of the parliament, Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said it was developed specifically to fund the military and to mitigate the impact of international sanctions imposed after Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022.

Record low unemployment, higher wages and targeted social spending should help the Kremlin ride out the domestic impact of pivoting the economy toward the military, but could pose a problem in the long term, analysts say.

Part of the Russian budget is secret as the Kremlin tries to conceal its military plans and sidestep scrutiny of its operation in Ukraine. But independent business journalists Farida Rustamova and Maksim Tovkaylo said this month that around 39% of all federal spending will go toward defense and law enforcement in 2024.

More:Markets

Recommend

Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning

Federal authorities announced hackers in China have stolen "customer call records data" of an unknow

Twilight Director Reveals Kristen Stewart Crashed Robert Pattinson’s 37th Birthday Party

And so the lion reunited with the lamb. Catherine Hardwicke, the director of the first Twilight film

Do you know this famous Sagittarius? Check out these 30 celebrity fire signs.

Think you can handle the "fiery" nature of this Zodiac sign? Winter may be the time for Sagittarius