MOSCOW, December 21. /TASS/. Russia will not repeat the mistakes of the past, when the economy was ruined in the interest of defense, President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday.
"We will not repeat mistakes of the past, when we ruined our economy in the interests of enhancing defense capability where it was needed and where it was not really needed," the head of state said.
"We will not deal with militarization of the country and militarization of the economy," Putin stressed.
Militarization is not needed "primarily because the level of development achieved today, the structure of the economy do not require it," the Russian leader said. "We simply do not need it and we are not going to and will not do something superfluous to the detriment of the country, to the detriment of our people and the economy, and the social sphere," he added.