As Moscow aims to win the war in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized budget plans that will increase military expenditure to record levels in 2025.
Approximately 32.5% of the budget, or 13.5 trillion rubles (more than $145 billion), was set aside for national defense on Sunday, according to a government website. This is an increase from the 28.3% recorded this year.
Within the last ten days, lawmakers from the State Duma and Federation Council, the two houses of the Russian parliament, have already given their approval to the plans.
Europe’s largest conflict since World War II is Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022 and has depleted both sides’ resources. Western allies have been providing Kyiv with billions of dollars in aid, but Russia’s forces are larger and better-equipped, and in recent months, the Russian army has been progressively driving Ukrainian troops backward in eastern regions.
In a resounding statement of solidarity for Ukraine, newly appointed European Council President Antonio Costa and EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas came in Kyiv on Sunday. Their visit coincides with growing skepticism about what Kyiv might anticipate from Donald Trump’s new U.S. administration.
Along with a picture of himself, Kallas, and EU enlargement coordinator Marta Kos, Costa wrote on X that the EU has supported Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict. We are confirming our steadfast support for the Ukrainian people from the very beginning of our term.
According to regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin, a Russian drone struck a minibus on Sunday morning in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, killing three people. The attack injured seven more people.
Meanwhile, Dnipropetrovsk Governor Serhiy Lysak reported that 24 people were injured in Saturday’s missile strike in Dnipro, central Ukraine, with seven of them in critical condition. The incident claimed the lives of four persons.
According to Ukrainian officials, Moscow launched 78 drones into Ukraine overnight and into Sunday. The Ukrainian air force reports that 32 drones were destroyed and another 45 drones were lost, most likely due to electronic jamming.
According to regional governor Alexander Bogomaz, a youngster was murdered in a Ukrainian drone strike in Russia’s Bryansk district, which borders Ukraine.
29 Ukrainian drones were shot down in four areas of western Russia overnight into Sunday, according to Russia’s Defense Ministry: 20 over the Bryansk region, seven over the Kaluga region, and one each over the Smolensk and Kursk regions.
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