Despite economic difficulties, Russia still has enough financial resources to maintain its military intervention campaign in Syria for a long time.

Russia's modern Su-34 fighter-bomber participates in the airstrike campaign in Syria. Photo: Sputnik

The Financial Times on October 26 cited sources from Russia's budget allocation documents as saying that the cost of airstrikes against Islamic State (IS) militants as well as Russian naval support operations in the Caspian Sea is not too expensive for the Kremlin, despite the significant decline in the Russian economy.

According to calculations by Western military experts, since the start of the air campaign against IS militants in Syria on September 30, Moscow has spent 80-115 million USD on bombing operations, weapon maintenance, infrastructure construction as well as ensuring the lives of soldiers.

The Moscow Times said the figure was insignificant compared to Russia's newly increased annual defense budget of about $90 billion.

Regarding specific costs, according to calculations by the defense magazine IHS Jane's, each hour of Russian fighter jet sortie will cost about 12,000 USD in fuel, and 3,000 USD for helicopters. With the current intensity of airstrikes, Russia has to spend 710,000 USD on fuel and 750,000 USD on ammunition every day.

The cost for the Russian military to maintain the presence of about 1,500 soldiers in Syria is about $440,000 a day, much smaller than the $4 million the US military spends each day to cover the cost of soldiers stationed in Afghanistan.

Adding the costs for the operation of the fleet operating in the Caspian Sea, the Russian military has to spend 2.3 - 4 million USD per day. Experts from IHS Jane's said that this number is not large compared to the Russian defense budget.

Even if President Vladimir Putin decides to extend the current intensity of air strikes for another year, the total cost of the campaign would amount to less than 3 percent of the defense budget, which is expected to be supplemented by $51 billion in 2016.

The Financial Times asserts that with 17 consecutive years of increase, the current defense budget is capable of helping Russia sustain a war on a larger scale than the ongoing military campaign in Syria.

Russian soldiers deployed to Latakia military base, Syria. Photo: RT

Thus, Moscow has the financial resources to maintain air strikes against rebels for a long period of time until it achieves the political goals as President Putin expects.

Saving solution

According to Mr. Ruslan Pukhov, director of the Russian Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, to ensure a stable and long-term source of funding, the Russian army will carry out various savings measures such as cutting the current salary fund that is exceeding the necessary level, reducing military exercises and weapon maintenance activities.

"The Russian army currently has about 850,000 regular troops. To motivate soldiers, the Russian Finance Ministry maintains a salary fund based on the Defense Ministry's calculations for one million soldiers every year. In the coming time, this excess expenditure will be completely cut," said Mr. Pukhov.

Regarding military exercises, a source in the Russian Defense Ministry said that the cost of fuel and troop deployment in Russia's current exercises is much higher than the amount spent on about 30 fighter jets carrying out bombing campaigns in Syria.

In 2016, Russia will reduce these expensive exercises as well as limit the maintenance inspection of fighter aircraft, which also costs a large amount of defense spending, the source said. In addition, the Russian Defense Ministry may suspend or slow down some weapons procurement projects that are considered unnecessary in the coming years.

Another source from the Russian Finance Ministry said that to ensure funding for possible wars in the future, the country's military is also considering reducing the cost of rewards for soldiers as well as benefits for retired soldiers.

According to Vietnam+