Putin approves Russian military budget for 2025-2027

A document published on Russia's official legal website on Sunday (Dec 1) shows that President Vladimir Putin has approved the budget for military priorities for the years 2025-2027.

Reuters reports that the national budget for next year includes a 25 percent increase in military spending. It is the most secretive budget in the post-Soviet era, with nearly a third of its spending not disclosed to the public.

The government acknowledges that supporting the Russian-Ukrainian war and the army will remain a budgetary priority, followed by social welfare and technological development.

The government classified the draft budget as "balanced," with the deficit falling to 0.5 percent from a projected 1.7 percent this year and the national debt remaining below 20 percent for the next three years.