Russia has created more than half a million new jobs in its defense sector to meet growing demand on the battlefield, President Vladimir Putin said Friday.
The Kremlin has invested enormous resources in its full-scale attack on Ukraine, and the defense sector accounts for much of the growth in the sanctions-hit economy.
“In the last year and a half alone, 520,000 new jobs have been created in the defence sector,” Putin said at a political forum with defence workers in the western city of Tula.
“To be successful on the battlefield today, it is necessary to react quickly and adequately to what is happening there,” Putin said.
“So whoever does it the fastest, wins,” he said.
After months of fighting that have failed to produce major territorial gains for either Russia or Ukraine, Moscow is committing more personnel to the conflict and ramping up arms production.
Last year, he unveiled plans for a whopping 68 percent increase in military spending — more than outlays for education, environmental protection and health care combined.
The increased spending has boosted demand in the Russian economy, drawing workers away from labor-hungry civilian industries and driving up inflation.
Unemployment has fallen to a record low and several non-defense sectors have reported chronic shortages of workers since Russia launched its military campaign against Ukraine nearly two years ago.
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