Not only Putin – the world is preparing for a new era of armaments: military expert assesses Russia’s rearmament plans
22 July 2025 16:41
ANALYSIS FROM 
Russia is not just preparing for a long war, it is laying the groundwork for a global conflict by investing a record $1.1 trillion in its military machine by 2036. Such a large-scale rearmament plan was exposed by Ukrainian intelligence. Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, warns: “The Kremlin is mobilizing all resources for revenge, seeking to destroy the current world order. However, Europe is no longer the same as in 2014. Germany is modernizing shelters and subways in preparation for potential aggression. Lithuania is training medics in the field, inspired by Ukraine’s experience. The West is arming itself – not only for defense, but also for deterrence.
Will Putin manage to rearm in 10 years and will the West be ready to respond?
Russia plans to spend about 1.1 trillion US dollars on a large-scale rearmament program until 2036. This was announced by the head of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine Kirill Budanov during a panel discussion at the annual meeting of Ukrainian ambassadors “Intelligence, Security, Diplomacy: a Common Strategy for Victory.”
“There is a total mobilization of politics, economy and society of the Russian Federation to be ready for the upcoming large-scale war,” Budanov emphasized.
According to him, this is Russia’s largest arms program since the collapse of the USSR. As part of the military reform, two new military districts have already been created – Moscow and Leningrad. It is also planned to form new divisions, formations and units.
Budanov warned that Russia is trying to destroy the current global security and economic order. To this end, Moscow is stepping up its presence in Africa, using proxy forces such as the Wagner PMC and the African Corps, and supporting authoritarian regimes and terrorist organizations in various countries.
In addition, Russia is waging active hybrid warfare – information and cyber operations on the territory of other states, interfering in internal democratic processes through controlled media and opinion leaders.
Moscow seeks to impose its model of the future on the world, where several “great” powers, primarily the Russian Federation, have a monopoly on resources and make decisions for everyone,” Budanov said.
Budanov thanked Ukrainian diplomats for their effective cooperation with military intelligence, particularly during joint operations to evacuate Ukrainian citizens from danger zones.
The shadow of the USSR and trillions for weapons
Russia’s large-scale plans to spend about $1.1 trillion on rearmament by 2036 did not come as a surprise to military experts. This was emphasized by a former employee of the Security Service of Ukraine, military expert Ivan Stupak in a commentary for
“This is not really news. They have been doing this for a long time. It’s just that we didn’t pay attention to it until a full-scale war started,” Stupak said.
According to him, before 2022, Russia was actively investing in new missiles, aircraft and other weapons. However, the situation for the Kremlin has become much more complicated due to sanctions and the loss of access to Western technologies and resources.
It is much more difficult for them to do this now. But they are well aware that after the war, both Ukraine and Russia will be building up their defense capabilities. Ukraine will have to rebuild, and Russia will have to recreate what was built during the Soviet era and destroyed in this war,” emphasized Stupak.
Stupak also drew attention to the financial side of rearmament in Russia, which is a lucrative field for corruption schemes.
“Do not forget that 40% of the Russian budget is invested in the military-industrial complex. This is a huge layer for cutting money. There are a lot of companies, groups, and clans there, and it’s profitable for them to do this,” Stupak emphasized.
He noted that many high-profile Russian modernization projects turn out to be repackaged Soviet equipment that is passed off as advanced technology. This, he said, is a typical approach of the Russian military-industrial complex: “cheap and pretentious.” Against this background, Stupak emphasized that the world is also entering a phase of rearmament.
Europeans are not sitting idly by either. Germans, French, British, Baltic, Poles – everyone is investing. The problem is that they have money but no resources. First, you have to create the resource itself, and only then launch production. But in general, the whole world is now working on rearmament, not just Russia,” summarized Ivan Stupak.
The world is entering a new arms race
One of the most illustrative examples is Germany, a country that for decades did not consider the threat of war as a real challenge. The head of the German Federal Office for Civil Protection (BBK), Ralf Tiesler, has officially stated that the country must be prepared for a Russian attack within the next four years. In an interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung, he admitted that:
“For a long time, there was a widespread belief in Germany that war is not a scenario we need to prepare for. This has changed, – Ralf Tiesler
According to Tiesler, Germany is currently not sufficiently prepared for war, and therefore is launching a program to modernize its shelter network. It is planned to retrofit subway stations, underground garages, parking lots and basements. The goal is to create shelters for at least 1 million people.
BBK will present a comprehensive plan this summer.
We are in a race against time. Building from scratch is too slow. We need to act here and now,” says BBK CEO Ralf Tiesler.
Similar sentiments are growing in the Baltic region. Lithuania is preparing for a possible expansion of the conflict.
In 2025, the country plans to conduct at least seven joint military exercises and more than ten civilian trainings for medical professionals,” said Julianas Gališanskis, spokesman for the Ministry of Health.
Lithuania is also forming an emergency medical team that will be able to work in combat conditions. Lithuanian doctors are traveling to Ukraine to see with their own eyes how the healthcare system works under fire.
“The best way to prepare is to volunteer in Ukraine,” says nurse Vaiva Jankienė, coordinator of the Blue/Yellow Medical initiative.
Since April 2022, she has visited Ukraine more than 20 times, including Bucha immediately after her release. According to her, the scale of injuries and illnesses is shocking, and the types of injuries are unusual even for experienced doctors due to new war tactics.
Isolationism, hopes for eternal peace and reliance on diplomacy are a thing of the past. Today , European countries recognize that war is no longer someone else’s problem, and they need to be prepared for anything. Germany is modernizing shelters, Lithuania is preparing field hospitals, and Poland, France, and the United Kingdom are increasing their defense budgets.
For the first time since the Cold War, Europe is building a real security infrastructure based on the worst-case scenarios.
Author – Anastasia Fedor
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