Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada has amended the law on 2016 national budget, expanding expenses on defense and security by UAH 7.1 billion without the increase in the deficit of the national budget.

An Interfax-Ukraine correspondent has reported that a total of 265 lawmakers backed bill No. 5217 at the morning session of the parliament.

The government's bill was registered in parliament on October 3.

According to the explanatory note to the document, extra outlays are foreseen for the Defense Ministry in the amount of UAH 3.8 billion, the National Police – UAH 2.005 billion (taking into account funds redistribution in the Interior Ministry system), the Administration of the State Border Service – UAH 963.5 million, the State Emergencies Service – UAH 50 million, the Main Intelligence Department of the Defense Ministry – UAH 175 million, Security Service – UAH 128.5 million, the Department of the State Guard – UAH 51 million and the State Special Transport Service – UAH 5.4 million.

It is also proposed to increase expenses on salaries of employees of the central executive power agencies, local administrations and foreign diplomatic missions of Ukraine by UAH 1.5 billion.

The expenses of the Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Utilities Economy Ministry could be increased by UAH 950 million under the regional development fund program.

Some UAH 420 million would be added to finance the coal sector to avoid social outbreaks among coalminers and UAH 90 million will be sent to finance expenses linked to presenting Ukraine's interests in foreign jurisdictions' agencies.

The document proposes to allocate UAH 50 million to modernize and upgrade the material and technical base of state-run vocational educational schools and UAH 35 million to buy implants for children with hearing difficulties in the Kolomyichenko Otolaryngology Institute of the National Academy of Science of Ukraine.

Some UAH 15 million would be foreseen from the national budget to Uman town to prepare for celebrating the 400th anniversary of the town and UAH 8 million would be provided to prepare Ukrainian sportsmen in sports events.

The expenses would be increased thanks to the increase of revenue of the general fund by UAH 1.16 billion via the transfer of revenue of the general fund of local budgets of towns in Donetsk and Luhansk regions that are temporarily beyond control of the Ukrainian government.

Other sources of increasing expenses will be saving of budget funds: UAH 6.1 billion from the implementation of debt liabilities, UAH 2.4 billion from servicing of the state debt and UAH 400,000 from reduction of other primary expenses.

According to the bill, general outlays of the national budget would be increased by 0.3%, to UAH 676.51 billion and revenue – by 0.2%, to UAH 603.03 billion.