MOSCOW, March 23. /TASS/. The production of weapons and military equipment increased substantially in Russia in the past year, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said, addressing the State Duma (lower house of parliament) on Thursday.

He pointed out that, last fall, Russian President Vladimir Putin had signed a decree for the creation of a coordination council to respond to the needs of the armed forces. It was tasked with resolving issues related to delivering supplies to troops and improving coordination between the federal government and regional authorities. "We determined the level of priority of supplies and set major targets. We also assisted suppliers in establishing cooperation between production plants," Mishustin noted. "We significantly accelerated the production of those weapons and military hardware items that are in greatest demand," he added.

According to the prime minister, this effort made it possible to achieve the goal of meeting the Defense Ministry’s demand for arms and military equipment. "There are still difficulties with certain items and we are making prompt decisions to deal with them," Mishustin stressed.

The head of the cabinet said that defense industry facilities had stepped up the implementation of investment projects. "Industrial cooperation has been expanded, particularly with private companies. We have also engaged research teams," the prime minister added.