“Russia’s military potential is three times greater than before the invasion of Ukraine in 2022,” said Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Šakalienė. Russia is expanding its defense industry, cooperating effectively with China, North Korea and Iran, and is capable not only of fighting in Ukraine, but also of rebuilding and expanding its capabilities, he said.
“Russia is reforming its armed forces, increasing personnel, developing the military industry, and it is doing it very quickly. Europe should also become more active in this area,” said Shakalienė. “When the front in Ukraine stops or slows down to the point where losses on the Russian side are significantly reduced, the accumulation of capabilities for the next stages of the war, possibly with other countries, accelerates,” he said.
Added to these words are those written by Financial Times Russia’s military budget in 2024 would have exceeded similar expenditures of all EU countries combined. According to the publication, in 2024, Russia’s defense spending increased by 42% and reached 13.1 trillion rubles. ($462 billion PPP) The defense budgets of all European countries combined in 2024 amounted to $457 billion. A fact that worries NATO countries and makes the United States ask for more investments in the European defense sector.
In Russia, according to data from the ERA investment fund, the volume of the military technology market in the Russian Federation in 2024 amounted to 300 billion rubles, Kommersant reports. The key segments are UAVs – more than 100 billion rubles – and electronic warfare equipment – about 30 billion rubles. For these segments, revenues have more than doubled, ERA says, without disclosing data for other segments or the size of the market for 2023.
Finally, still on the military side, the Duma is considering a bill on the possibility of conscription into the army within a year of compulsory conscription. “It is proposed to establish that a decision on conscription for military service, which has not been executed during the period of conscription for military service in which it was made, is subject to execution in subsequent periods of conscription for military service within a year from the day on which it was made, provided that on the day of execution of such a decision there have been no circumstances that constitute the basis for making a different decision,” the explanatory note published in the database on Thursday reads.
Graziella Giangiulio
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