The math doesn't work out for Russia: Why Putin will never go to war against Europe. On the one hand, Russia would have to accept much more military spending.
A doubling of military spending could raise it from six to 12 to 15 percent of GDP - the level that caused the Soviet economy to collapse in the 1980s. A tripling would be even more devastating for the economy. Russia's economy is now almost completely subordinated to the goal of winning the war, says an independent Russian economic expert.