Russian war costs rise to unprecedented new heights ,

Russian war costs rise to unprecedented new heights , Story by thedailydigest.com

This is how much Moscow has spent in 2025©Provided by The Daily Digest

Moscow is spending an unprecedented amount of money on defense amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, new analysis from one researcher recently revealed exactly how much Russia is spending.

Citing analysis from Janis Kluge©The Daily Digest

According to data compiled and analyzed by Janis Kluge, a researcher at the German Institute for International Security Affairs, the Kremlin spent $142.25 billion on defense between January 2025 and September 2025. 

Studying Russian spending©The Daily Digest

Kluge has reportedly been analyzing key data from the Russian Finance Ministry to better understand defense spending in Russia. The German researcher’s analysis has made headlines throughout the war in Ukraine. 

A shocking spending increase©The Daily Digest

Details about Kluge’s more recent analysis of Russian defense spending were first reported by The Moscow Times, an independent Russian-language media outlet, which explained the truly shocking nature of Russia’s defense spending increase.

Russian defense spending in 2025©Provided by The Daily Digest

Based on Kluge’s calculations, the $142.25 billion Russia reportedly spent on defense between January and September of this year was 30% higher than spending during the same period in 2024. However, that wasn’t the most concerning finding reported by The Moscow Times. 

Doubling spending from 2024©The Daily Digest

According to the Russian news outlet, Russian defense spending between January and September 2025 was an increase of 95% when compared to 2023 spending. An almost doubling of defense spending may seem high, but the situation only gets worse. 

A broad view of the problem©The Daily Digest

When compared to 2022, Russian defense spending has jumped by 173% and a whopping 295% when compared to pre-war 2021 spending levels, which means that Russian spending on defense has nearly quadrupled in four years. 

Highlighting important numbers©The Daily Digest

The Kyiv Post also reported on a Russian defense spending analysis from The Moscow Times and highlighted some of the more concerning financial findings brought to light by the Russian outlet, including how Moscow’s spending broke down by month, by day, and by hour. 

The cost of Russia's war in 2025©The Daily Digest

Russia reportedly spent 1.3 trillion rubles ($16.6 billion) per month, which was equal to 43.4 billion per day ($545 million) or 1.9 billion rubles ($23.9 million) every hour. A lot of Russian spending has remained secret, however.

Analyzing Russia’s military budget©Provided by The Daily Digest

According to Kulge’s estimates, roughly 59% of Russia’s military budget is classified. However, Kluge assessed that Russia allocated approximately 7 trillion rubles (about $88 billion) to the classified portion of the Kremlin’s defense spending from January to September, accorisng to the Kyiv Post. 

A major growth of classified Russian spending©The Daily Digest

Classified Russian defense spending increased 39% in the first three quarters of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024 and nearly five times the Kremlin’s pre-war levels. 

What we know about Moscow's public spending©Provided by The Daily Digest

The publicly reported portion of Russian defense spending amounted to 4.8 trillion rubles ($60 billion). When combined with the classified number put forth by Kluge, the total figure dominated Russia’s federal budget, according to the Kyiv Post. 

Defense dominates Russia’s federal budget©The Daily Digest

The Moscow Times reported that 44% of Russian federal tax revenue and 39% of total spending were allocated to the country’s defense spending. Both numbers are record-breaking figures. 

Comparing defense spending numbers in 2025 to 2024©The Daily Digest

In 2024, only 39% of federal tax revenue and 36% of total government spending in Russia went towards the nation’s defense. In 2021, the numbers were 18.4% and 19%.

The total cost of the war in Ukraine©Provided by The Daily Digest

Overall, Kluge’s calculations peg the total cost of the war in Ukraine for Russia at 42.34 trillion rubles (about $532 billion). The Moscow Times noted this figure was equal to 24 annual budgets for Russia’s entire higher education system. 

An unprecedented amount of money©Provided by The Daily Digest

The Moscow Times also pointed out that the $532 billion price tag for the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine could fund 22 years of federal budget spending on healthcare and was equal to 80 years' worth of budgets for wealthier regions like Sverdlovsk or Krasnodar Krai.

Putting the cost of war in perspective©Provided by The Daily Digest

Russian war spending is only poised to get worse in 2026. The Moscow Times reported that the Kremlin has earmarked 12.9 trillion rubles ($161 billion) for ‘National Defense’ and 3.9 trillion rubles ($49 billion) for ‘National Security’.

What we know about Russia’s 2026 plans©Provided by The Daily Digest

“Combined, security structures would receive 16.8 trillion rubles ($210 billion), or 38% of the federal budget – up from 24% pre-war,” the Kyiv Post reported. 

Russian social services will take a hit©The Daily Digest

The outlet also reported that Moscow plans to shift spending away from social services, which will see a fall to 25.1% of the budget from a pre-war 38.1%. Economic support will also fall to 10.9% of the budget from a pre-war 17.6%.