Hidden massive figures: German intelligence reveals the scale of Russia’s military spending

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Germany’s foreign intelligence service (BND) warned on Wednesday that Russian military spending far exceeds the official figures announced by Moscow.

According to the BND, this reflects an escalating threat posed by Russia to Europe, particularly to the eastern flank of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

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In a statement, the agency said that its analysis of Russian budget data showed that actual military expenditure in 2022 and 2023 was around 66 percent higher than the figures officially reported.

It explained that this discrepancy stems from differing definitions of defense spending between NATO and Russia, as Moscow excludes several key items from its calculations, including social welfare payments to military personnel, military construction projects, and information technology costs.

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Spending higher than official figures

According to German intelligence, including these “hidden” expenditures raises Russia’s total military spending in 2024 to approximately €202 billion, compared with only €140 billion officially declared by Moscow.

The BND also reported that total spending during the first three quarters of 2025 amounted to around €163 billion, while the official figure does not exceed €118 billion.

It added that overall military spending in 2025 represents nearly 10 percent of Russia’s economic output and about half of the state’s total budget.

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A threat beyond Ukraine

The German intelligence service emphasized that these resources are not used solely for the war against Ukraine, but also to strengthen and expand Russia’s military capabilities, particularly along NATO’s eastern borders.

The head of the BND, Martin Jäger, stated last October before the Bundestag that Russia is determined to expand its influence westward within Europe, warning that it may not hesitate to engage in a direct military confrontation with NATO if it deems it necessary.

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Accusations of espionage and sabotage

For his part, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz accused Russia of being behind cyberattacks as well as espionage and sabotage operations targeting Germany and other European countries.

Merz also pointed to suspicions regarding Moscow’s involvement in mysterious drone flights over European airports in recent months, which have caused widespread disruptions to air traffic.

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