Russian President Vladimir said Wednesday he would re-deploy military forces along the border with Finland in response to the country becoming a member of the NATO alliance in April.
After he's moved some of Russia's abundant supply of troops to the border, maybe he can also match increasing NATO military spending. Ignore the US, only match Europe. The EU's GDP is over 20 trilion * 2% target = 400 billion.
Russia's currently at 69.5 billion spending, so a 450% increase should get it near EU spending. That works out at roughly 20% of GDP. Maybe increase refinery production and export a bit more oil or export gas to some of the more affluent markets.
Good luck!
I'm sure we'll all be saying "Mission Accomplished" on a very 'special' president's 'special' military operation very soon.
The raw spending figure isn't what is important, but the PPP figure. Russia's economy is about 1/5th the size of the EU's in PPP, and its defense sector is vastly more efficient on a monetary basis than the west - The US alone has given Ukraine close to $60 billion and it is a fraction of the hardware that Russia has produced with fewer dollars.
This isn't a 'Russia stronk, Europe bad' post, it just bears emphasizing that Russia has a large industrial base and has brought much of it into arms production over the past two years. The West hasn't, and defense procurement remains an almost artisanal process where high tech goods are bought - in low volumes - at inflated prices.
PPP doesn't really matter in modern warfare. A modern stealth fighter bomber (F-35) is expensive no matter what currency you use.
Russia only has a cost advantage in anything you can mass produce, like bullets or dumb artillery shells. The US and Europe have insane smart artillery shells and RPGs that completely destroy Russian tanks, personnel carriers, and dug in positions. They're expensive no matter who makes them.
Modern weapons and tactics are force multipliers. Money is not really an issue in warfare, only production capacity. The War Production Board in WW2 forced businesses to produce what the military needed at non-inflated prices. Car manufacturers were forced to make tanks and jeeps.
Just smile and wave to Igor and Dimitry when you see them from across the border. They are all they can spare and I'm sure they're happy with their assignment away from the combat of Ukraine
tbh I think its perfectly reasonable. If a neighbouring country suddenly is part of an opposing force that has sanctioned and denounced, why wouldnt you put some troops in a defensive position?
if he didnt and nato uses finland as a staging ground for an attack everyone would call him a dumbass who sucks at strategie (I mean.. he does suck at strategy, but still)
and no Im not a russia bot, putin can go suck my balls
They've always had troops on our border, this is just Russian bullshit as usual. They won't be pulling troops out of Ukraine to re-man the units on the border, because Putin knows we're not actually a threat
This reminds me of when I've run out of butter.. I tell myself I haven't and I take the knife and try under the lid, ok a bit there. Then I try all the bits I think I can see. Then madly just take the knife and scrape every section. By now I have covered the bottom right and far right sides of my slice of toast, but that's it.
... Then I make a public announcement that I will butter the top left side with a whole lot of butter