Russian Prime Minister Dmitriy Medvedev has whipped up a storm on Russian social media for an off-the-cuff comment he made to a Russian pensioner last month.

Medvedev was caught on camera telling an elderly woman in Crimea, a region annexed by Russia from Ukraine in spring 2014, that there was "no money left" in Russia's budget when he was asked why the state pension of 8,000 Russian rubles a month (around $125 a month) was not higher given the rising cost of living.

"There just isn't any money now. When we find money, we'll make the adjustment," Medvedev replied to her in a video of the incident which was uploaded onto YouTube, before adding a line of encouragement: "But be strong. I wish you all the best. Have a good day and take care!"

The pensioner does not appear in the video on YouTube, which has now been watched over 3.5 million times, but can be heard heckling the prime minister about what she calls the "miniscule" pension.