Here's a look at Russia's upgraded army, in about 90 seconds

Russia is boosting its defense spending on this stuff
(Image credit: BBC/YouTube)

Russia's economy is reeling from sanctions and depressed oil prices, but it's still upping its military budget by 33 percent this year, the BBC reports in this brief look at Russia's military spending — and, most interestingly, what Moscow is spending its money on. It's not a very uplifting way to spend 90 seconds of your time, but it's informative, and suggests what recently bellicose Russia considers its strategic priorities.

Russia will spend 4.2 percent of its gross domestic product on the military this year, versus the 3.7 percent of U.S. GDP going toward the Pentagon. But because Russia's economy is so much smaller, the U.S. still outspends Russia by a lot. Watch. —Peter Weber

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.