The government will spend 1 trillion rubles next year from its financial safety cushion, the Reserve Fund, as a result of the global economic crisis, Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said Wednesday.

The figure, equal to about $36 billion, would account for about one-third of the fund's contents, which the country has been putting aside out of windfall oil and gas revenues since 2003.

Kudrin also indicated that the spending would continue at about the same pace in 2010-2011.

"We have created a serious cushion of stability and security for the budget," Kudrin told members of the Federation Council. "It will work for more than three years."

Kudrin first announced just last week that the government might dip into the Reserve Fund to cover federal and regional budget shortfalls. At the time, he said the cost would be more than 500 billion rubles.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin since then has …