Russian defense spending overtakes Europe, study finds – POLITICO

The war effort has forced huge changes on Russia, as its defense sector has consolidated to increase production in key areas like ammunition and artillery systems needed to support its so-called meat grinder tactics on the front lines.

The country’s industrial base is now spread across the wider economy and the private sector increasingly plays a greater role. “It’s a real adaptation that we’re seeing, not just in terms of spending,” said McGerty.

The fear in Europe is that Russia’s beefed up defense industrial capacity could be used against the European Union and NATO.

However, Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s gambit in Ukraine has wreaked a terrible cost on Russia’s preinvasion military and there are concerns about the sustainability of Russia’s current spending

The IISS estimated that 14,000 main battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers have been lost since the start of the war. While some have been replaced with domestic production, the country has also been forced to use “vintage” models like BTR-50 APCs and T-62 tanks, dating as far back as the 1950s.

Despite its significant losses, IISS analysts expect that Russia has the level of spending and weapon stores to continue its high-loss tactics through the rest of the year. Despite the high levels of spending, the country still has “ambitious plans” for a large postwar force, said Henry Boyd, senior fellow for military capability and data assessment.