Poroshenko: Russia spending $4 bln on occupation of Crimea and Donbas annually

Russia spends $4 billion a year on maintenance of the occupation regimes in Crimea and Donbas.

“These days, Russia spends more than $4 billion a year on the maintenance of the occupation regimes in Crimea and Donbas. It is a big burden for Russia in the present-day situation. Crimea was an element of the Kremlin’s internal policy, when they tried to jack the Putin’s rating up before the presidential election. To date, the Russians’ perception of the occupation of Crimea is changing dramatically," President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko said on the air of the NV Radio, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

In total, he said, Russia has lost $150 billion or 10% of GDP because of the international sanctions imposed over the aggression against Ukraine.

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