MOSCOW. Sept 14 (Interfax-AVN) - The Russian Finance Ministry has announced that budget expenditures on security and law enforcement activities will be significantly increased in 2005.
"Expenditures on the Interior Ministry, the Federal Security Service (FSB), the border service, and the foreign intelligence service will be increased by about 50 billion rubles ($1.7 billion), which will be spent on technical equipment and personnel training," Kudrin told the press on Tuesday.
"We need new means for fighting terrorism, including legislative ones," Kudrin said.
The technical and technological conditions of the law enforcement and security agencies must be improved, he said.
Expenditures on the Defense Ministry will be increased by 107 billion rubles ($3.4 billion), which will be spent on technical modernization and the hiring of more contract servicemen, Kudrin said.
In addition, 1.4 billion rubles ($48 million) will be specially allocated to improve security in the Moscow metro in 2005, he said.
The 2005 budget will also provide additional funds to finance police in subways in other cities, Kudrin said. "We will provide for more active efforts against terrorism," he said.