Europe's energy imports fund Putin's war chest
This year, Russia will earn 233 billion euros (264 billion dollars) from the sale of energy and raw materials. The European Union alone will contribute 20 billion euros (23 billion dollars) to Putin's war economy. Moscow will use this money to finance new tanks, kamikaze drones, and artillery shells.
Russia relies on revenue from oil, gas, uranium, and coal sales to fund its war economy. The energy sector remains a vital source of income for Russia. In 2024, revenue from hydrocarbon exports accounted for 30% of the budget.
As reported by the German newspaper "Bild," Russia will earn 233 billion euros (264 billion dollars) this year from exporting energy and raw materials. Of this, over 20 billion euros (23 billion dollars) will be contributed to Putin's war economy by Europeans themselves, according to data from the Bruegel Institute.
This amount significantly exceeds what the EU allocates for military support to Ukraine. In 2024, military aid amounted to 6 billion euros (6.8 billion dollars) from the European Peace Facility (EPF), designated for supplying arms, ammunition, and training the Ukrainian armed forces. Additionally, there was over 1.9 billion euros (2.1 billion dollars) allocated for delivering one million rounds of artillery ammunition.
However, military aid is part of broader support, which also includes substantial financial assistance. The EU provides 18.1 billion euros (20.5 billion dollars) to support Ukraine's budget, including the payment of salaries, pensions, and infrastructure reconstruction, and 12.5 billion euros (14.2 billion dollars) from the Instrument for Ukraine for long-term support in rebuilding and reforms that aim to bring Ukraine closer to EU membership. Moreover, 18 billion euros (20.4 billion dollars) are allocated for humanitarian aid and energy infrastructure reconstruction. The total amount of aid to Ukraine in 2024 amounts to approximately 38.3 billion euros (43.4 billion dollars).
The significant effort by Europe to support war-torn Ukraine is gradually undermined by the bill Russia presents to the Union for imported energy resources.
The world fills Putin's coffers
Although Russia is subject to numerous sanctions, it continues to garner substantial revenue from hydrocarbon exports. As "Bild" points out, just in February 2025, other countries paid Vladimir Putin's regime 640 million euros (726.5 million dollars) for gas, oil, liquefied natural gas, coal, and uranium.
The largest importers of Russian raw materials are three countries: China, India, and Turkey, which is part of NATO. Together, these countries accounted for about two-thirds of Russian energy exports.
According to "Bild," thanks to the uninterrupted revenue from raw materials, Russians are able to build approximately 80 new tanks each year, renewing over 300 annually. Additionally, this year, Russia will produce over 150,000 long-range kamikaze drones and about half a million fiber-optic kamikaze drones.
The German newspaper suggests that without secondary sanctions targeting countries importing energy resources from Russia, Putin's coffers will continue to be filled with new funds that the regime will use to fuel its war machine.
