NOVO-OGARYOVO. May 16 (Interfax) - Criticism of the Russian government in necessary, but the changes that have taken place in Russia in recent years should also be taken into account, President Vladimir Putin said after a meeting with members of the Public Chamber on Wednesday.

"It is correct that we criticize the government and individual ministers," Putin said.

"You remember how we lived in the preceding decade. Was it possible to buy medicinal drugs before? Medicinal drugs were impossible to get! We are criticizing the Economic Development Ministry, the Finance Ministry, and we are right, they are to blame," Putin said.

"Have you forgotten the crisis of 1988, when the whole population of this country was cheated and made bankrupt? Have you forgotten how they did not pay pensions for years, how they did not pay wages in the budgetary sphere or wages to servicemen? The situation has changed drastically," he said.

"However it does not mean that everything was decided correctly or that we cannot set ourselves more ambitious tasks," Putin said.