KYIV, Ukraine — President Vladimir Putin of Russia has given the green light to budget proposals that set military expenditures for 2025 at unprecedented levels, as the Kremlin aims to gain an upper hand in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

About 32.5% of the proposed budget released on a government website this past Sunday is earmarked for national defense, translating to approximately 13.5 trillion rubles (which exceeds $145 billion). This marks an increase from the 28.3% allocated in the current year.

In recent days, legislators from both chambers of the Russian parliament, the State Duma and the Federation Council, have ratified these budget plans.

The ongoing war in Ukraine, which began in February 2022, is recognized as Europe’s largest conflict since World War II, significantly straining resources for both Ukraine and Russia.

Ukraine has received substantial financial support from Western nations, yet Russia’s armed forces boast greater numbers and advanced equipment. Recently, the Russian military has steadily advanced, pushing Ukrainian forces back in eastern regions.

In a recent incident, three individuals tragically lost their lives when a Russian drone targeted a minibus in Kherson, a city in southern Ukraine, according to regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin. Additionally, seven others sustained injuries in the strike.

In Dnipro, central Ukraine, the casualty count from a missile attack on Saturday has risen to 24, with seven individuals reported to be in serious condition, as stated by Dnipropetrovsk regional governor Serhiy Lysak. Four fatalities were confirmed from that incident.

During the night leading into Sunday, Ukrainian officials reported that Moscow launched 78 drones into Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Force indicated that 32 of these drones were intercepted and destroyed amidst the overnight assaults. Furthermore, an additional 45 drones appeared to have been “lost” over various territories, possibly due to electronic countermeasures.

In Russia, a tragic loss occurred when a child was reportedly killed as a result of a Ukrainian drone strike in the Bryansk region, according to regional governor Alexander Bogomaz.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported that they shot down 29 Ukrainian drones in the early hours of Sunday across four regions in western Russia. Of these, 20 were intercepted over Bryansk, seven over Kaluga, and one each over Smolensk and Kursk regions.