Article Posted on : - May 18, 2011

MOSCOW (BNS): A number of Russian military and defence industry officials have been dismissed from service for their failure to fulfill the country's ambitious arms procurement programme in 2010, the Kremlin has said.

A statement issued by the Kremlin Tuesday said, "Due to undersupplies of weapons and military hardware, a number of officials from the Defence Ministry's procurement bodies have been discharged from military service.”

The dismissed officials include Deputy Chief of the Armed Forces' Main directorate Maj- Gen. Vaganov, chief of the Directorate for procurement of aircraft Col. Krylov, and Navy Deputy Commander for Armaments Vice Adm. Borisov.

Vladimir Grodetsky, General Director of Izhmash and Arkady Khokhlovich, General Director of the Electrical Engineering Research Institute, were also removed from their posts.

However, warnings were issued to General Director of Information Satelliete Systems Nikolai Testoyedov and general director of NPO Mashinostroyenia Alexander Leonov.

Earlier this year President Dmitry Medvedev had instructed the government to take measures to improve the state arms procurement programme and punish those officials directly responsible for disruption of the programme, a Ria Novosti report said.