UPDATE: Putin signs decree to cut government numbers by 10% -- spokesman

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MOSCOW, Dec 31 (PRIME) – Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree to cut the number of employees at ministries, including the Emergency and Defense Ministries, from 2016, and his spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that the decree continues a general policy of staff cuts.

“In fact, the decree continues the policy of cutting bureaucrats’ numbers at ministries… and agencies, including the Investigative Committee and the General Prosecutor’s Office,” Peskov said.

“We are talking about cutting the number of bureaucrats by 10%.”

Communications Minister Nikolai Nikiforov said in his Twitter blog that he had signed an order to cut the staff of his ministry to 326 from 362 people from the new year.

“Same staff cutting decisions by 10% were taken regarding the Federal Agency for Information Technologies and Communications, the Federal Agency for Media and Mass Communications and the Federal Agency for Communications, which are under our jurisdiction,” he said.

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