Recently, Russia unveiled plans to mobilize 133,000 troops and significantly increase its military budget by 30% for 2025, marking the highest military spending since the fall of the Soviet Union. On September 30, President Vladimir Putin provided further insights into the rationale behind deploying troops to Ukraine during a video statement from his residence.
According to the budget proposal shared on September 30, Russia’s defense budget is set to reach 13.5 trillion rubles (approximately $145 billion) next year. It’s important to note that this figure does not include supplementary military-related expenditures, such as those categorized under “internal security” or classified as top secret. When factoring in these aspects, total defense and security spending is projected to constitute 40% of the Russian government’s budget, amounting to 41.5 trillion rubles (around $446.3 billion).
Prior to presenting the budget to parliament, Russian authorities emphasized that the increase in military spending would be accompanied by boosts in investment and social welfare funding. Finance Minister Anton Siluanov mentioned in a televised government meeting that the “primary objective” of the budget is to offer “social support for citizens.”
Despite these claims, actual data suggests that military expenditures are eclipsing other sectors of the economy. The allocation for defense has been reported to be more than double that of Russia’s social policy sector.
According to state media TASS, President Putin signed a decree to recruit 133,000 conscripts for the autumn draft. This decree specifically targets new soldiers aged 18 to 30 who are not in reserve status and includes the dismissal of soldiers whose terms of service have concluded.
Additionally, the Associated Press reported on September 30 that the Ukrainian Air Force indicated Russia had launched missiles and drones against 11 regions of Ukraine. Russian forces have conducted aerial attacks on Ukraine’s front lines for 33 consecutive nights, resulting in a record number of drone assaults in a single month since the onset of the conflict. Residents in Kyiv reported hearing explosions and gunfire throughout the night.
In September alone, Russia deployed over 1,300 Shahed drones against Ukraine, setting a record for drone attacks in a month since the beginning of the war. Russian officials asserted that their forces had seized the eastern Ukrainian village of Nelipivka and made gains in front-line areas where Kyiv previously reported advancements.
On September 30, Putin delivered a speech commemorating the second anniversary of Russia’s annexation of four southeastern Ukrainian regions, dubbing the date “Unity Day.” He reiterated his justifications for military intervention in Ukraine, arguing for the protection of Russian-speaking populations from alleged Nazi threats and asserting that the military “will achieve all the set goals.”
For context, Russia unilaterally annexed the southeastern areas of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson in September 2022, yet has not fully controlled any of these regions.
