MOSCOW, September 24 (AVN) -- Russia will have to spend over 30 billion roubles (about 1.200 billion U.S. dollars) to meet the army's needs in the North Caucasian campaign, Colonel-General Grigory Oleinik, head of the Defence Ministry Department for Military Budget and Finance, said on Friday.
According to him, 2.5 billion roubles (100 million dollars) bprovided by the Finance Ministry cannot be considered additional financing. They will be deducted from miliarty assignments for the fourth quarter of 1999, he said.
Sources of army financing in September are still unclear, Oleinik continued. The Defence Ministry is to receive 8.3 billion roubles(332 million dollars) in September, but only 57 percent of the sum has been provided so far.
Oleinik said the "additional financing" will be sufficient only to pay salaries to servicemen taking part in the hostilities. In order to meet all demands of the federal group in the North Caucasus, over 30 billion roubles are necessary, he said. 25 billion (about one billion dollars) will go for weapons and ammunitions and another six to seven billion for accomodation of troops in new locations, he added.