Russia accused Germany on Friday of destabilizing European security by "rearming" as Berlin moved to boost its military spending in response to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
In statements published in German newspapers this week, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that Berlin would soon have the largest conventional army among all the European members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
"We view the German chancellor's statement as yet another confirmation that Berlin has set a course for speeding up the country's rearmament. What end does this lead to? Unfortunately, it is well known from the (lessons) of history," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
Schulz pledged in February to dramatically increase defense spending and inject 100 billion euros ($107.39 billion) into the German armed forces, a major shift in military policy.
The money will be used over several years to increase Germany's regular defense budget by about 50 billion euros and enable the country to meet the NATO target of spending 2% of its gross domestic product on defense each year.
40.9 billion euros will be allocated to the Air Force through the purchase of 35 American F-35 fighters, 15 Eurofighters and 60 Chinook helicopters for military transport.
About 20 billion euros will also be allocated to the Navy, mainly for the purchase of Type 212 corvettes, frigates and submarines.
More than 16 billion euros will be allocated for the purchase of Marder and Fox armored vehicles.
Russia strongly criticized the move, which was announced by Berlin shortly after the Russian war on Ukraine.
"While it is necessary to search for ways to reduce common threats, Germany, on the contrary, is taking the path of military and political escalation on the European continent, directing tens of billions of euros to increase the stockpile of arms," Zakharova said.
Since the end of the Cold War, Germany has dramatically reduced the size of its army, from about 500,000 when the country was reunified in 1990 to just 200,000 today.