Russia Boosts Defense Spending by 23%

Russian state expenditure on national defense is set to rise by 23% in 2025, reaching 13.5 trillion roubles (145.32 billion dollars), up from 10.8 trillion roubles in 2024, according to draft budget documents released on Monday. This increase will make defense spending account for 32% of the total budget expenditure, which is projected to be 41.5 trillion roubles.

Finance Minister Anton Siluanov emphasized that the budget will prioritize the needs arising from what Moscow refers to as its "special military operation" in Ukraine, along with military support. In contrast, defense spending is anticipated to decrease to 12.8 trillion roubles in 2026, with approximately 10% allocated for military personnel payments.

In a related development, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) announced that it will terminate its collaboration with scientists affiliated with Russian institutions due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. CERN, headquartered in Switzerland and renowned for its particle physics research and the Large Hadron Collider, will not renew its partnership with Russia when the current agreement expires on November 30.