Ukraine's draft state budget for 2018 foresees an increase in the defense budget for next year to UAH 163.268 billion, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) Oleksandr Turchynov has said.

"According to the decision of the National Security and Defense Council, the financing of the defense and security budget next year will stand at UAH 163.268 billion, including UAH 156.893 billion [to be allocated] from the general fund and UAH 6.375 billion from the special fund," he said at a council meeting on Wednesday.

According to the council's press service, Turchynov noted that an important issue in financing the security and defense sector was "an increase in payments to servicemen, based on an increase in salaries for military ranks."

"The creation of new types of weapons and military equipment, in particular, the production of modern high-precision missile and artillery weapons, armored vehicles, ammunition and precision weapons, as well as the implementation of the state target program for the creation and production of ammunition and special chemical products, are also a priority area in budget financing," he added.

According to Turchynov, special attention will also be paid to the combat training of units and divisions of the Armed Forces and other military formations, as well as to the construction of facilities on the state border.

"In addition, taking into account the security situation, the priorities will be the implementation of state policy in the field of cybersecurity, measures to develop and upgrade special communications and information protection, the implementation of the national intelligence program for 2016-2020, the strengthening of counterintelligence and the fight against terrorism and subversive activities," he said.

The strategy for counterintelligence support in Ukraine and the strategy for the reform and further development of the state management system in a state of emergency and in a special period were also considered and adopted at the meeting.