Moscow:
Dmitry Medvedev joked that he "sometimes itches" to execute civil servants convicted of corruption, Russian news agencies reported today.
"The severity of punishment has never been the most important thing for us. Of course, in other countries, you gun down civil servants in public but in our society it is not the same," he said.
"But I sometimes itch to do something like that," he said, during a visit to the southern Urals' Bashkortostan region.
Medvedev made the remark as he called for "effective" anti-corruption measures.
Though Medvedev has made tackling corruption one of his key priorities, he has admitted only having limited success at beating the problem.
Medvedev, who has been the Russian President since 2008 has agreed to step aside to let Prime Minister Vladimir Putin run for his old job again in presidential elections due in March. He is currently campaigning for legislative elections next month.