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Medvedev: Russia's Defense Spending Growing Despite Sanctions

Russian servicemen drive armoured vehicles as they take part in a rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade in the Crimean port of Sevastopol, April 16, 2015. Pavel Rebrov / Reuters

Russian state defense orders topped 1.9 trillion rubles ($35.54 billion) in 2014, helping the defense industry grow despite Western sanctions over the Ukraine crisis, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Tuesday.

Medvedev told the lower house of parliament that Russia had sold $15 billion worth of military equipment abroad last year — some 3.2 percent of Russia's total exports — and outstanding defense orders were currently more than $49 billion.

He said state defense orders in 2013 had totaled 1.5 trillion rubles in 2013. Russia's armed forces are in the process of being modernized. ($1 = 53.4600 rubles)

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