Russia defence spending shrinks over sanctions

Russia's military spending fell sharply in 2017 for the first time since 1998 as a slew of Western economic sanctions hit government coffers hard, a closely followed review said yesterday. Despite soaring tensions between Moscow and the West, Russia's military expense last year came in at $66.3 billion (54.9 billion euros), 20 percent lower than in 2016, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said.