URGENT: Russian budget deficit in 1Q09 was $1.5 billion - Kudrin

MOSCOW, April 9 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian federal budget ran a deficit in the first quarter of 2009 of 50 billion rubles ($1.5 billion), or 0.1% of GDP, the finance minister said Thursday.

"In total, the budget deficit in the first quarter of this year was 50 billion rubles," Alexei Kudrin, who is also a deputy prime minister, said at a meeting with President Dmitry Medvedev.