Russian defense companies showcase products at arms fairs but unable to make them at scale – UK intel

03.03.2023 09:57

Ukrinform

Despite the war in Ukraine, Russian defense companies continue to showcase their products at major international arms fairs. However, they are not using them on the front to meet the needs of the Russian army.

The relevant statement was made by the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom on Twitter, referring to the latest Defence Intelligence update, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

In particular, the Arena-E active protection system (APS), designed to improve the survivability of armoured vehicles, was displayed at a recent event. Its promotional literature states that it “defeats the threats that are most dangerous for armoured vehicles…if you value your armour and crews you need Arena-E”.

“There has been no evidence of Arena-E systems being installed on Russia’s own vehicles in Ukraine, where it has lost over 5,000 armoured vehicles,” the report states.

According to the UK intelligence, this is likely due to Russian industry’s inability to manufacture high-tech systems at scale; a problem which is exacerbated by the effect of international sanctions.