Putin signs off record Russian defence spending

Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved budget plans which raise 2025 military spending to record levels as Moscow seeks to prevail in the war in Ukraine (Ramil Sitdikov/Sputnik/Kremlin Pool/AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved budget plans which raise 2025 military spending to record levels as Moscow seeks to prevail in the war in Ukraine.

Around 32.5% of the budget posted on a government website on Sunday has been allocated for national defence, amounting to 13.5 trillion rubles (€119.83bn), up from a reported 28.3% this year.