MOSCOW, November 20 (RIA Novosti) – Government spending on orders for military equipment will increase by 25 percent next year, Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said Wednesday.
Armed services procurement is expected to reach 1.7 trillion rubles ($52 billion) in 2014, up from the 1.35 trillion rubles allocated for state defense contracts this year.
That is in line with the trend of increased defense expenditure across the board, but comes against the backdrop of severe planned budget cuts to health care and education.
Russia is currently implementing an ambitious 20 trillion ruble ($640 billion) rearmament program planned to run up until 2020.
The program will see the share of modern weaponry in Russia’s armed forces reach 30 percent by 2015 and 70 percent by 2020.
Borisov said a new state arms procurement program for the decade up to 2025, which is being drafted by the government, would prioritize quality over quantity in new weaponry and focus on the standardization and unification of military equipment.
