[1]Russia faces tough budget choices as geopolitical ambitions increase.
Russian military spending has taken a huge financial hit according to a new study. [2] The report suggests that Russia’s economic troubles have put a dent in Moscow’s aspirations to continue with high defense spending, but the 20 percent figure does require some context to be fully understood. Russian military modernization will proceed forward in the next year, but the Kremlin will increasingly have to make some tough choices.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia has attempted to emerge with an invigorated military under President Vladimir Putin. Putin’s strategy was to increase the defense budget gradually over time. A growing economy and rising oil prices, the pace of Russian military modernization further sped up after the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, which revealed the continued structural flaws in Russia’s military capabilities.
Five decades later, significant investments into the Russian army paid off when the country utilized its increasingly sophisticated and competent military during conflicts with Ukraine as well as Syria.
At the same time Putin was flexing Russian muscle in Ukraine and Syria; however, the country was hit with the “double whammy” of lowered energy prices and some tough sanctions from the USA.
The Russian recession from 2014 To 2017 also forced the Kremlin to make some hard financial decisions. As the recent study indicates, this included a substantial decrease in Russia’s military spending.
What do you think? Is this real or fake news?