SHUMEIKO CALLS FOR INCREASE IN MILITARY BUDGET.

Federation Council chairman Vladimir Shumeiko called for an increase in military spending and a revised conception of military budgeting in the 1996 state budget. In a letter to Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, Shumeiko argued that interests of defense and national security must gain first priority. According to Shumeiko, to attain this priority, Russia must spend at least 86 trillion rubles on defense.

Civil Aviation In Crisis.