URGENT: Russian state revenue in 2009 to be 42% below budget

MOSCOW, February 25 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's budget expenditure will exceed earlier approved levels by some 500 billion rubles ($13.9 billion) in 2009, with revenues 42% below forecast, Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said on Wednesday.

"The federal budget revenues will drop in 2009 by 31.5% against 2008, and by 42% against earlier approved levels," he said, adding that the expenditure would exceed the levels set in the original budget by some 500 billion rubles.