MINSK, June 27. /TASS/. Russia had to pay by inflation for the need to scale up military expenses but the country is taking measures now to control it, President Vladimir Putin told reporters.

"We paid for that [the increase of defense expenses] by inflation but we are now combating this inflation," the Russian leader said.

Defense expenses currently stand at 6.3% of GDP, Putin noted. This is rather big volume and such expenses become a problem for the budget, he said. Russia is deliberately having a certain "cooldown" of the economy for its stabilization and such approach is sound, the president added.