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Russia’s defense ministry broadcast its wide-ranging annual review on Wednesday of the Ukraine war, providing clues about its military goals and performance this year.

Andrei Belousov, the Russian defense minister, presented the official statistics during the Defense Ministry Board’s expanded meeting in Moscow.

Business Insider could not independently verify the defense ministry’s claims, which often differ significantly from those of international observers. Russia’s leader, Vladimir Putin, said at the meeting that the Kremlin’s troops were “crushing” Ukraine, despite the war dragging on for nearly four years.

The disclosures also come as Russia has sought to project strength and demanded heavy concessions from Ukraine while negotiating potential peace terms with the Trump administration.

However, Belousov’s presentation offers insight into Russia’s ambitions for the war and its official narratives surrounding how it fights and plans to fight next year. Several new official figures were also announced.

Here are 10 highlights from Belousov’s end-of-year review.

1. Russia’s war budget is about $138 billion

Belousov said that Russia’s war spending is on track to reach about 5.1% of the country’s GDP in 2025, out of an overall defense budget that reaches 7.3% of its annual GDP.

The country’s nominal GDP in 2024 was about 201.2 trillion rubles, and is expected to grow 1% this year to about 203 trillion rubles, or $2.52 trillion.

Russian independent media, however, reported that the economic ministry has forecast a GDP of about $2.7 trillion for the year.

A war budget of 5.1% would therefore be somewhere between $128 billion and $137.7 billion.

This is the first time Russia has publicly disclosed the amount that it spends specifically on the war. Previously, the Kremlin only announced figures for total defense spending.

The US, by comparison, is planning to spend $901 billion on its military, or about 3.4% of its GDP.

2. Doubling down on motorcycle and quad bike assaults

Belousov said that his ministry delivered roughly 38,000 motorcycles, buggies, and all-terrain vehicles to its troops on the front lines in 2025.

“This is 10 times more than last year,” he said, adding that Russia plans to reach “full strength” in these vehicles next year.

Russian troops have increasingly been using motorcycles, quad bikes, and other small, unarmored vehicles to assault or approach Ukrainian positions, trying to use their speed and small size to avoid drone attacks.

Ukrainians have also adopted the tactic, with one regiment even establishing an official motorcycle attack company in May.

3. 409,000 new contract soldiers

Belousov said that Russia hired 409,611 new contract soldiers in 2025, down from 449,243 in 2024.

However, that already exceeds the Kremlin’s 403,000 person recruitment goal for the year.

“Nearly two-thirds of them were young men under 40,” Belousov said of the new recruits. “More than a third have higher or specialized secondary education.”

Ukraine and Russia have both been hard-pressed to fill their ranks as Moscow pressures Kyiv’s forces with a continuous grind of frontal infantry assaults.

To maintain its flow of troops, Russia often entices recruits with hefty sign-on bonuses or pardons for crimes committed in the country.

4. FPV drones dominate Russia’s hits

Belousov said that about 50% of Ukrainian casualties from Russian attacks come from first-person-view drones, or FPV drones. These are the small quadcopters mounted with explosives that have become a hallmark of the war.

In the summer, Russia said that it was outproducing Ukraine on FPV drones, though Kyiv’s officials have since said their country has caught back up.

Ukrainian leaders have said that 70% of all casualties inflicted during the war involved FPV drones.

5. Making a whole new FPV drone force

Belousov said that Russia plans to create a new drone formation called the Unmanned Systems Forces next year, which would train “tens of thousands” of people.

Russia has already created an official drone unit called Rubicon, which was formed last August to prioritize fighting with FPV drones and has often been described as fielding its most elite pilots.

Now, Moscow appears to be trying to make such warfare an official pillar of its fighting force.

Belousov said the Kremlin needed to transition FPV drone attacks from individual tasks carried out by each unit to “integrated joint operations” among its forces.

Ukraine launched its own Unmanned Systems Forces last year, appointing the previous commander of the elite unit, Magyar Birds, as its leader.

6. 27,000 drones over Russian territory

Roughly 27,400 Ukrainian long-range drones were intercepted this year over Russian territory, with the bulk appearing after the summer, Belousov said.

Belousov said that Ukraine initially began sending about 1,000 drones a month into Russia, but that the monthly number began hitting 3,700 by May.

The defense minister claimed that Russia’s interception rate “averages 97%” for the year.

Ukraine has typically used fixed-wing drones to attack deeper into Russia, targeting what it says are oil and gas facilities and military production sites.

Notably, Belousov mentioned that Russia has also been exploring FPV drones that can serve as high-speed interceptors, a technology that Ukraine has been refining to counter Moscow’s Shahed waves.

7. Russia received two modern strategic bombers

Belousov said that Russia received two Tu-160Ms, which are modernized, supersonic bombers that can deploy nuclear weapons or powerful stealth missiles.

That’s a clue about the production rate of the bombers, which are part of a small fleet that forms a vital pillar of Russia’s nuclear triad. Several of Russia’s older bombers were reported severely damaged in Operation Spiderweb, an audacious Ukrainian drone attack in early June that targeted a fleet of about 41 warplanes.

Ukrainian sources claimed that several Tu-160s were also hit, although this was not confirmed by independent open-source intelligence at the time.

8. Russia created 30 new regiments, with 39 more planned

Russia’s military also appears to be modifying its organizational structure.

Belousov said that the Kremlin had created five new divisions, 13 new brigades, and 30 new regiments in 2025. International think tanks estimate that Russian divisions can consist of between 10,000 and 20,000 troops, while regiments within typically have about 2,000 soldiers and are further split into battalions.

Brigades, which typically exist as a separate formation, often have about 3,500 to 4,500 troops.

Belousov said this new structure included a new division, called the Aerospace Forces, which has a regiment “equipped with the unique S-500 antiaircraft missile system, capable of striking targets in near space.”

Next year, the Kremlin plans to add four more divisions, 14 brigades, and 39 new regiments, he added.

Some of these figures encompass formations that Russia has transformed, so they aren’t necessarily an indicator of how widely Russia is expanding its military organization structure. For example, Belousov said two marine brigades were turned into a single division.

9. Drone deliveries by air and land

Belousov said that Russia had expanded its use of drones and all-terrain vehicles to deliver gear from a “one-time operation” in 2024 to carrying 12,000 tons of cargo this year to the front lines.

“By 2026, this figure must be at least doubled,” he said.

Both Ukraine and Russia have been developing uncrewed ground vehicles, or ground-based drones, that can be remotely operated to deliver supplies to the front line or even conduct assaults.

The emerging technology is especially useful for dangerous tasks that would otherwise have to be filled by a human soldier.

Some military units have also reported using drones to deliver equipment by air, such as one Ukrainian commander who said his forces used drones to send an e-bike to a stranded soldier.

10. Russia is targeting Ukraine’s energy grid

Belousov’s presentation made it clear that Russia has been conducting precision strikes against Ukraine’s power facilities.

More than 70% of Ukraine’s thermal power plants and 37% of its hydroelectric plants have been disabled, Belousov said.

“The effectiveness of Russian precision strikes is about 60%, which is an order of magnitude higher than the effectiveness of Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory,” Belousov said.

“Ukraine’s energy capacity has been reduced by more than half,” he added.

Attacking energy infrastructure is a war crime if it’s found to be intentionally carried out to cause harm to civilians. Ukraine’s besieged power grid is especially crucial, as it’s essential for keeping its citizens warm during harsh winters.

Belousov said the strikes on energy facilities were targeting the Ukrainian military, and that disabling the grid cut off power to Kyiv’s forces.

However, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said last September that Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power grid were found to be severely affecting civilians and had “disproportionately impacted” vulnerable groups.

Ukraine also carries out attacks on Russian oil and gas facilities, though it said its aim is to cripple Moscow’s ability to export energy and sustain war production.