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Ukrainian government plans to increase budget military spending by $9.63 bln

"There will be no interruptions in the provision of military personnel," the statement reads

MOSCOW, June 11. /TASS/. The Ukrainian government plans to obtain parliamentary approval for additional budget spending in the amount of 400 billion hryvnia ($9.63 billion), according to a statement on the Telegram channel of the Verkhovna Rada.

"The government is preparing to submit to the Verkhovna Rada amendments to the state budget for approximately 400 billion hryvnia," the text says.

"The expenses will be covered by execution of tax and customs revenues above the target, government bonds (domestic government loan bonds - TASS), as well as grants from partners. There will be no interruptions in the provision of military personnel," the document says.

At the same time, as reported by the head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Budget Roksolana Pidlasa, additional fees from customs and tax authorities for five months amounted to 41 billion hryvnia ($990 million), that is, almost ten times less than the additional expenses.

Earlier, the Accounting Chamber of Ukraine confirmed the information of the Ekonomichna Pravda publication that the Defense Ministry is already overfulfilling the spending plan and has begun to use funds allocated for the payment of military personnel's salaries in October - December to purchase ammunition and weapons.

The information that by autumn the Ukrainian budget may face an acute shortage of funds for military needs is also confirmed by deputies of the Verkhovna Rada. According to the former speaker of the Ukrainian parliament Dmytro Razumkov, it concerns 500 billion hryvnia ($12 billion at the current exchange rate). At the same time, his colleague, MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak, estimates this amount at 200-300 billion hryvnia (from $4.8 billion to $7.2 billion). However, he admits that the data fluctuates depending on how the additional needs of the Defense Ministry are calculated. Kiev has repeatedly acknowledged that independently Ukraine can only provide for military expenses. All other budget items are financed through foreign aid. However, in recent years, the Verkhovna Rada has had to adjust the defense budget upward in the middle of the year. Last year, in order to replenish budget expenses, the country's authorities had to go for an unprecedented tax increase.