TODAY: Putin announces no defense spending cuts; military spending to be cut; arms exports to rise. Medvedev turns his attention to prison population. Court deports US rabbi; study center predicts rise in racist attacks; Lavrov says Russia open to allowing NATO shipments for Afghanistan through its territory.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin announced that the state would keep defense contracts ‘fundamentally‘ unchanged, with no spending cuts, and urged MiG to improve the quality of its work to avoid losing funds due to foreign countries’ rejecting poor-standard products.  Meanwhile, the head of the military has announced overall spending cuts of 15%.  There are also rumors of a 6% increase in arms exports.  President Dmitry Medvedev has proposed the broader use of house arrest and bail to help to reduce the number of people in detention awaiting trial, and over all to reduce Russia’s prison population.  Over 400 Russian military officers were convicted of criminal offenses in 2008, reports the Other Russia.