The Kremlin explained the increase in defense spending in 2024 as a “hybrid war that has been unleashed against us”

Presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov explained the increase in defense spending planned for 2024 by saying that “we live in a state of hybrid war.” According to Peskov, we are talking about a war “that has been launched against us.” His words are quoted by Mayak radio.

“It is obvious here that such an increase is necessary - absolutely necessary - because we live in a state of hybrid war, we continue a special military operation. I mean a hybrid war that is unleashed against us, and this requires high costs,” Peskov said.

According to the Ministry of Finance document on the main directions of budget, tax and customs tariff policy for 2024 and for the planning period of 2025 and 2026, next year they plan to spend 10.7 trillion rubles on National Defense. In the plan for 2023, the same section indicates expenses in the amount of 6.4 trillion rubles, and in 2021 they spent 3.5 trillion rubles.

Next year, defense spending in the budget will for the first time exceed spending on the social sphere - in 2024 they plan to spend 7.7 trillion rubles in this area. In addition, classified expenditure items, according to Bloomberg , will grow to 11.1 trillion rubles (6.5 trillion rubles have been allocated for them this year).

Yesterday it became known that the annual income to the state budget from “free receipts”, mainly from the sale of assets by foreigners from “unfriendly” countries, will amount to 114 billion rubles. In 2024, the government plans to collect 2 billion rubles from “free receipts.”