UK intelligence has evidence Russia is gearing up for prolonged war in Ukraine

The UK Ministry of Defense reported the information.

"Documents, apparently leaked from Russia’s Finance Ministry, suggests that Russia’s defence spending is set to surge to approximately 30 per cent of total public expenditure in 2024," the statement said.

It noted that the Russian Ministry of Finance proposes a defence budget of RUB 10.8 trillion, which is equivalent to about 6% of Russia’s GDP and an increase of 68% compared to 2023.

British intelligence suggests that Russia will be able to sustain this level of defence spending until 2024, but only at the expense of the broader economy.

"Full details on Russian defence spending are always classified, but these figures suggests that Russia is preparing for multiple further years of fighting in Ukraine," British intelligence emphasises.

It adds that this follows public comments by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on September 27, in which he stated that he was ready for the conflict to continue in 2025.

• In May, the British Ministry of Defense found that Russia's military spending in 2022 increased by 9.2% to ГІВ 86.4 billion, which is 4.1% of its GDP.