“Many of them are years, maybe even decades ahead of their foreign counterparts, and in terms of tactical and technical characteristics they are significantly superior,” Putin said at an annual arms exhibition on Monday, according to Interfax. And in an apparent show of camaraderie, Putin promised on Monday that he wants to expand Russia’s arms trade with other countries around the world, arguing that foreign countries appreciate Russian weapons for their efficiency and high quality. “Russia sincerely cherishes historically strong friendly, truly reliable ties with the states of Latin America, Asia, Africa and is ready to offer its partners and allies the most modern types of weapons—from small arms to armored vehicles and artillery, fighter jets and unmanned aerial vehicles,” Putin said. Moscow is indeed a leading arms exporter. Russia accounts for 20% of global arms exports and is the world’s second-largest arms exporter, ranking just behind the United States, according to an analysis of exports tracked by the independent research entity Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). between 2016 and 2020. India, China and Algeria are the top recipients of Russian arms, and Russia is also the main supplier of arms to Egypt, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Angola, according to the report. Russia exports large arms to 45 countries in total. But Putin’s claims about Russian arms and trade plans appear to be diverging from reality as Russia’s arms export business begins to feel the ripple effects of the war in Ukraine, according to military and intelligence estimates. Russia has lost 1,876 tanks, more than 4,000 armored vehicles and 985 artillery systems and more in the war so far, according to data the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine shared on Monday. Adding to this, Russia’s ability to replenish its stockpiles is rapidly diminishing as sanctions ease. US officials moved to sanction entities in Russia’s defense industrial base earlier this year, including a state-owned Russian defense group focused on airborne weapons and weapons systems, as well as anti-radar missiles, munitions and radar systems. And already high-tech components are no longer flowing into the country and manufacturing plants are closing, according to Reuters. “Industry could struggle to meet many of these requirements, in part due to the impact of sanctions and a lack of expertise,” said an assessment by Britain’s secret service in June. “Russian production of high-quality optics and advanced electronics is likely problematic and could undermine its efforts to replace equipment lost in Ukraine.” Even before Putin chose to invade Ukraine again in February, the outlook for Russia did not look good. The balance of exports and imports was already bound to change in the coming years, mainly due to China, as Beijing may soon not need to rely on Russian weapons in the coming years, according to SIPRI. “Imports from Russia are likely to decrease in volume once Chinese industry itself is able to consistently produce the types of large weapons it has generally imported from Russia over the years,” the report notes. “No other country in the world has anything like this.” Putin did not name any country as a particular focus for its arms exports, but stressed that Moscow appreciates all partners who have embraced Russia’s thinking in recent months. Putin added that arms transfers from Russia will be key to shifting the world from a unipolar world – dominated by the United States – to a multipolar world. “We highly appreciate that today our country has many allies, partners, like-minded people on different continents,” he said. “They choose a sovereign, independent path of development, want to collectively solve global and regional security issues on the basis of international law, mutual responsibility and appreciation of each other’s interests. Thus, they contribute to the protection of a multipolar world.” This is not the first time Putin has boasted about Russian weapons in recent months while waging war in Ukraine. In March, Putin boasted to Russia’s Federal Assembly that additions to Russia’s nuclear arsenal would render the United States’ defenses “useless” — even though some of the proposed additions to Russia’s stocks are “weird,” according to Washington Post. Putin’s assertions at the military bunker this week echo his earlier insistence that Russian weapons development is light years ahead of other nations’ work. “As you might have guessed, no other country in the world has anything like this,” he said of a nuclear-powered underwater drone in March. “Perhaps, something similar will appear someday, but our children will find something else until then.”
