ABSTRACT
Russia’s military spending has more than doubled since the mid-2000s. However, after peaking in 2016, with a defence budget of 4.4 per cent of GDP, the government has planned a decrease in defence spending that would result in a share in GDP of 2.5 per cent in 2020. A review of the literature that discusses the rise in military expenditure indicates that it may be attributed to Russia’s security policy ambitions, military modernization, and the political priority given to defence. The reasons for the decrease in military spending in 2017, and during the expected decline 2018–2020, may be linked to the poor economic performance, but political tactics prior to the presidential elections in 2018 are also part of the explanation.
