Putin: Defense programs must not be heavy burden on economy, social sector

(Interfax – MOSCOW, July 5, 2013) The development of Russia’s armed forces should not deprive the national economy and public sector of financial resources, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

“The defense programs should be reasonable and should not be a heavy burden on the country’s economy and public sector,” Putin said at a Russian Security Council meeting dealing with the development of Russia’s armed forces on Friday.

Russia has done a lot in the past several years to improve the qualitative parameters of its military organization, Putin said. “We have actually reached the 50-50 formula, that is, budget funds are currently being allocated equally for the armed forces’ maintenance and development,” he said.

Recently, only 30% of budget funds were spent on the development of the armed forces while 70% of funds were spent on their maintenance, he said.

Nearly 100 Russian army and naval units have been provided with modern military hardware items in the past several years, he said.