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Moscow military budget started going back up in line with oil and gas markets (Photo: Dmitriy Fomin)

Russian army in oil-funded spending spree before Ukraine

Robust oil and gas revenue enabled Russia to go on a military spending spree ahead of its Ukraine invasion, according to researchers in Sweden.

The Kremlin's military budget had dwindled between 2016 and 2019, but began going up again as oil and gas prices recovered, Stockholm-based think-tank Sipri said Monday (25 April).

It jumped 2.9 percent in 2021 compared to 2020 to reach $65.9bn [€61bn].

But Russia's "national defence" budget line, which covers operational costs an...

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Author Bio

Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.

Moscow military budget started going back up in line with oil and gas markets (Photo: Dmitriy Fomin)

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Author Bio

Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.

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