Russia spends nearly $1 billion a day on the war in Ukraine, according to Budanov.

This was reported in an interview with Ukrinform by the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, Kyrylo Budanov.

“This is an extremely expensive war. A day of war costs them just under a billion (dollars - ed.), which is a staggering amount,” he stated.

When asked about Russia's economic potential, the military chief noted: “Problems have already emerged, but we shouldn’t deceive ourselves. According to official data, 41 percent of the budget is defense spending. These are abnormal figures; to fulfill this budget, almost all social programs, medical, educational... have been cut. So, the financial-economic impact on the Russian Federation is already noticeable.”

At the same time, Budanov added that as long as Russia has oil, gas, metals, precious metals, and stones, “they will be able to balance.”

As reported by Ukrinform, Craig Kennedy, a researcher at the American Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University and a former banker, stated in a publication titled Navigating Russia that Russia's total military expenditures far exceed its budgetary capabilities and could lead to the collapse of corporations and banks.

It is noted that Moscow covertly finances about half of its military expenditures through significant debts, forcing banks to provide loans to enterprises supplying goods and services for the war on non-market terms.